The first big news out of fall camp came today when Brian Kelly announced sophomore offensive lineman Jordan Prestwood has left the team. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound tackle from Plant City, Florida was slated to back up senior left tackle Zack Martin.
“Jordan is no longer with us and I’m not able to get into the specifics about that because of privacy laws,” Kelly said.
While there was nothing definitive on the departure other than the usually ominous “personal reasons,” there’s no news yet on whether or not this is a permanent situation. If it is, it’ll cause the Irish to make some tweaks to their depth chart, and potentially force true freshman Ronnie Stanley into a stand-by role, when Kelly expected to save a year of Stanley’s eligibility.
A quick look at the depth chart at tackle has Zack Martin anchoring left tackle while Christian Lombard looks entrenched at right. Junior Tate Nichols will likely be the next man in, with sophomore Nick Martin also able to play tackle if needed, protecting the promising newcomer from needed to contribute right away.
“There are some moving parts on the offensive line where we can move some guys around,” Kelly said. “I think we’d need a couple of injuries for him to get on the field. But I don’t want to take anything away from [Stanley] because he’s been really good. A pleasant surprise.”
Prestwood was originally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to Florida State and enrolling early. After practicing with the Seminoles, Prestwood left school and transferred to Notre Dame, sitting out last season.
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