RECOUNT UPDATE: If there was any question whether I’ve been out of the finance game too long, your fearless leader messed up his Excel spreadsheet and jacked up the rankings. This changes a few of the players we’ve tallied and puts Zeke Motta in at No. 25. My sincere apologies.
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Not surprisingly, the inclusion of quarterback Tommy Rees in the Top 25 rankled more than a few Irish fans ready to turn the page on the Rees era. I’ve spent a few thousand words talking about the pros and cons of Rees at quarterback and have no interest igniting that debate again.
Looking at our first five players, it’s worth noting that two back-up players are more highly regarded than incumbents. For football fans, the back-up quarterback is always the most popular. Apparently, that’s partially true for this panel as well.
If the first five names on this list were interesting, No. 20-16 are down right fascinating. Not one of the players has started a game. Only one is an upperclassmen eligibility wide. (Corrected because I messed up the math.) Yet if you were to look at the five names listed, you could argue these are five of the most important swing players on the roster. Get great seasons out of this group? Notre Dame should surprise some people. Don’t? It could be a long year.
Once again, here’s our voting panel:
Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune @HansenSouthBend
John Walters, The Daily @jdubs88
John Vannie, NDNation.com
Eric Murtaugh, representing OneFootDown.com @OneFootDown
Ryan Ritter, representing HerLoyalSons.com @HLS_NDtex
Keith Arnold, NBCSports.com’s Inside the Irish @KeithArnoldNBC
Here’s the list as it stands:
IRISH 2012 Top 25
25. Zeke Motta (S, Sr.)
24. Tommy Rees (QB, Jr.)
23. Andrew Hendrix (QB, Jr.)
22. Davonte Neal (WR, Fr.)
21. TJ Jones (WR, Jr.)
RANKINGS
20. Robby Toma (WR, Sr.) Ranking Toma ahead of Jones doesn’t make sense from a statistical point of view. Yet the senior slot receiver, whose best season has yet to yield 20 catches, saw lots of love by our voters, including two votes inside the top 15. Once thought of as just a throw in to help persuade high school teammate Manti Te’o to head to South Bend, Toma has made believers out of fans, players, and coaches, and is expected to hold down the slot receiver job during his final season in South Bend. Toma’s productivity, when given a chance, has always been among the best of the Irish receivers. He’s expected to get a lot of chances this season.
(Highest ranking: 11th. Lowest ranking: Unranked x 3)
19. Christian Lombard (OL, Jr.) It’s not a question of if Lombard is going to play, it’s a question of where. Lombard is the leader in the clubhouse at both right tackle and right guard, and the coaching staff seems comfortable with him at either spot. After sitting out his freshman year, Irish coaches were bullish enough on Lombard that they were fine letting tackle Matt Romine spend his final year of eligibility in Tulsa. Stuck behind veterans Taylor Dever and Trevor Robinson last season, Lombard still logged minutes in all 13 games. He’s a big, physical, ready-to-play grinder that looks to be an anchor along the line for the next three seasons.
(Highest ranking: 12th. Lowest ranking: Unranked x 2)
18. Davaris Daniels (WR, So.) Expectations for Daniels are sky high, as reflected here. We’ve been told he’s talented enough and athletic enough to be a difference maker, but sitting out his freshman season means there had to have been some rough edges that needed to be worked on. Expected to help fill the void left by Michael Floyd, Daniels has the size and speed needed to be a No. 1 wide receiver. We’ve just got no idea if he’s got the ability yet. The Irish coaching staff are certainly hoping he does. With the Irish desperately in need of making some more big-chunk plays down the field, Daniels is a guy that looks to fit the bill.
(Highest ranking: 13th. Lowest ranking: 25th)
17. Troy Niklas (TE, So.) After a promising freshman season saw Niklas contribute at outside linebacker and occasionally along the defensive line, head coach Brian Kelly made probably the most ambitious personnel move in his tenure by switching the 6-foot-7, 252-pound sophomore to tight end, where he’ll add another intriguing athlete to a position group that’s awfully talented. Early reports on Niklas have all been mighty impressive, yet the one big question mark is his health. Niklas missed a few spring practices after what was thought to be a concussion. But after being checked by a specialist in Southern California, there’s confidence that those concussions might be a form of ocular migraine headaches, somewhat of a relief. Limitations in the spring mean Niklas will need to take advantage of fall camp if he’s going to be the weapon many believe he’ll be.
(Highest ranking: 11th. Lowest ranking: Unranked x 2)
16. Bennett Jackson (CB, Jr.) If there’s a player I think might be underrated on this list it’s Jackson. Taking over at the boundary cornerback position, the Irish coaching staff is incredibly high on the converted wide receiver, who showed some dynamic athleticism and tackling ability on special teams the past two seasons, and looked at home in limited minutes in the secondary. There may be plenty to worry about in the Irish secondary this year, but Jackson isn’t one. He’s still a raw prospect out on the edge that’s learning the intricacies of the position, but his combination of speed, athleticism and physicality has some believing the Irish have an elite talent at corner. A lingering shoulder injury is something to keep an eye on this fall.
(Highest ranking: 13th. Lowest ranking: 22nd)