Notre Dame Snaps To It
How many starters returning on a football team is not necessarily as relevant as what the snap count was for an individual the year prior.
Oftentimes at positions such as receiver, running back, tight end or even along the defensive line or linebacker, there is a rotation where snaps are fairly evenly distributed, often depending on the packaging in certain situations. Health status also has a huge effect.
Here are the top returning 2015 snap counts among Notre Dame player after the 13-game season. Special teams appearances are not included. Special thanks to former Blueandgold.com assistant editor Andrew Owens, enrolling in Law School, for compiling this list through the season
Quarterbacks
DeShone Kizer — 735
Malik Zaire — 106
Brandon Wimbush — 27
• Zaire began the season as the starter before a fractured ankle in the third quarter of the second game ended his season.
• Kizer had not taken a snap as a 2014 freshman but was thrust into the fray after Zaire’s injury.
Running Backs
Josh Adams — 338
Dexter Williams — 44
Tarean Folston — 7
Josh Anderson — 2
• Folston was the leading rusher as a sophomore in 2014 (889 yards) before an ACL tear in the 2015 opener shelved him for the season.
• Adams set the Notre Dame single season rushing record by a freshman with 835 yards.
Receivers
Torii Hunter Jr. — 329
Equinimeous St. Brown — 41
CJ Sanders — 29
Austin Webster — 3
Omar Hunter — 1
• Four of the top five wideouts from 2015 are no longer with the team, most notably All-American/first round pick Will Fuller, whose 822 snaps (63.2 per game) meant he almost never left the field.
• Hunter and the graduated Amir Carlisle (412 snaps) were basically co-starters at slot.
Tight Ends
Nic Weishar — 286
Alize Jones — 239
Tyler Luatua — 200
Durham Smythe — 147
• This was far and away the most “balanced” position, not even including the graduated Chase Hounshell’s 168 snaps (he is now at Ohio State).
• Smythe was the designated starter but knee and shoulder surgeries led to him playing only three games.
• Although Weishar ended up with the most snaps (22 per game), he had none in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.
Offensive Line
Mike McGlinchey — 839
Quenton Nelson — 724
Alex Bars — 139
Hunter Bivin — 45
Sam Mustipher — 40
Colin McGovern — 26
Mark Harrell — 22
John Montelus — 10
• No returning player on offense or defense had more snaps last season than McGlinchey, which averaged out to 64.5 per game.
• Left guard Nelson was replaced by classmate Bars — now the right tackle — in roughly two games because of an injury.
• The senior Montelus was shifted to nose guard this spring.
Defensive Line
Isaac Rochell — 783
Andrew Trumbetti — 368
Jerry Tillery — 351
Daniel Cage — 262
Jonathan Bonner — 106
Grant Blankenship — 24
Peter Mokwuah — 16
Jacob Matuska — 15
Jarron Jones — 13
• Defensive line coach Keith Gilmore says it takes a special threshold as a defensive lineman to consistently average 50 snaps per game. Rochell averaged 60.2 while the graduated Sheldon Day and Romeo Okwara were at 57.5 and 50, respectively.
• The then freshman Tillery and sophomore Cage were a tag team operation at nose guard. Tilley is now at Day' three-technique position, which means that Jones and Cage probably can split at least 30 snaps per game at the grueling nose guard position (if Jones doesn't also help at three-technique).
• Among Bonner’s 106 snaps, far and away the most came in the Fiesta Bowl loss with 37.
• Matuska was shifted to tight end this spring to compensate for the loss of Hounshell, and because Luatua didn't practice with the team before opting to return.
Linebackers
James Onwualu — 501
Greer Martini — 314
Te’von Coney — 62
Nyles Morgan — 41
• Current senior Onwualu and junior Martini were a tag team at Sam linebacker, with Martini’s top impact coming against option teams Georgia Tech and Navy, and versus the run in general, while Onwualu was more of a drop linebacker.
• The graduated Joe Schmidt had the most snaps of anyone on defense with 827, one ahead of cornerback Cole Luke. The staff was adamant that Schmidt couldn't be taken off the field because of his ability to set the defense and be the coach on the field.
Defensive Backs
Cole Luke — 826
Max Redfield — 574
Nick Watkins — 127
Devin Butler — 109
Drue Tranquill — 81
Nick Coleman — 44
• Luke has started every game the past two seasons.
• Watkins had more than double the snaps in the Fiesta Bowl — all 86 on defense while replacing the injured KeiVarae Russell — then he did with 41 in the previous 12 games.
• Receiver Hunter actually took five snaps here because of lack of options at nickel after a season ending injury to freshman Shaun Crawford in August. Tranquill also was lost for the year in the first half of game 3.