The second in a series on ten below-the-radar players whose performances helped key the Irish’s run to a national title game. For more, see part one on Zeke Motta.
It’s a story that’s been told, but certainly one that bears repeating. Danny Spond thought his football career was over. In August, the junior linebacker, the leading candidate to play Dog linebacker, a position that’s been tough to fill in the Irish defense the past two seasons, suffered a scary injury on the football field in August.
Early reports said Spond suffered a particularly nasty concussion. Some thought he had suffered a stroke. Others thought it was heat exhaustion. Whatever it was, it left Spond with blurred vision and eventually a pain so debilitating that his body went almost entirely numb.
“It hit so hard. It was so intense. It was a complete numbness,” Spond said, recalling the incident.
That numbness didn’t subside. Spond laid in a hospital bed for multiple days, doctors continuing to run tests on the Colorado native, unable to figure out what had stopped Spond from being able to move almost half of his 250-pound body.
“I was just trying to walk again,” Spond said.
To look back at the incident now, even Kelly’s comments on the injury -- a scary incident that had spread like wildfire across Irish message boards and websites -- showed the confusion that came along with the symptoms.
“We’ve been able to eliminate some things,” Kelly said of Spond’s condition. “First of all, he did not have a concussion. We exhausted a number of different tests. He’s come back clean on all of them. We’re going to do a little more work before we move any further with him relative to contact and getting him on the field.
“I’m not trying to be evasive, but they’ve eliminated head injury as well. So we can’t give you a specific, because they’ve done so many tests that have come back clean, but yet obviously there are still some symptoms as well.”
It took specialists at the University of Michigan to finally identify the problem. Spond was diagnosed with a semi-hemiplegic migraine, a headache so painful that it essentially shuts down the body. It took nearly a week for the headaches to stop, allowing Spond to finally sleep peacefully. He had to go about reteaching himself to walk, his left leg still riddled with numbness.
Spond wasn’t cleared to resume football related activities until early September, but the veteran linebacker who had his first two seasons marred by injuries, willed his way back onto the football field in time to help the Irish beat No. 10 Michigan State before playing a crucial role in the Irish’s 13-6 victory over Michigan, a game where Spond made a career best seven tackles and forced a fumble.
From there, Spond has seen his production take off, filling a crucial role in the Irish defense, using his athleticism and size to be one of the most diverse defenders on the Irish roster. A year after playing Prince Shembo out of position at a linebacker spot where versatility is the most important trait, Spond’s return helped key the Irish defense’s resurgence, and solidified the linebacker’s crucial role on one of the nation’s most impressive units.
“If they were giving out helmet stickers, he’d have a lot of helmet stickers,” Kelly said. “He’s a guy that gets a lot of production points.”
Just as important, Spond fills a role at a position that was in vital need of production. Without Spond, the Irish were likely to need redshirt freshman Ben Councell to play major minutes, a daunting task for a young linebacker that hadn’t seen the field. Kelly’s contingency plans were just as shaky. Seventeen-year-old linebacker Romeo Okwara was shifted outside, pushed into a depth chart at a spot that was hardly a natural fit. Same thing for safety CJ Prosise, who took practice reps down in the box throughout August. Even Shembo, who struggled in the open field as a sophomore, was preparing to replace Spond, a move that would’ve robbed the Irish of their best edge rusher.
Spond’s stats won’t particularly wow you. His 38 tackles, one interception, and three pass break-ups aren’t dazzling, but Spond’s ability to cover a wide receiver in space, and hold up at the point of attack, is something not a lot of players can do. But after two years of only hearing the head coach’s praise for linebacker’s natural ability, Spond has more than lived up to billing.
The relationship between linebacker and head coach is an interesting one. When Kelly took the Irish head job, many were interested to see the type of players the new head coach would bring in. One of his first targets was Spond, a high school quarterback that was recruited as a “big skill” player to South Bend. In every aspect, Spond fit a recruiting profile. He was an intriguing athlete -- a player Kelly brought to campus with the thought that Spond would help the staff figure out where he’d end up on the field. He was also the personification of an RKG. A true scholar-athlete, Spond was something of a renaissance man. During Sun Bowl prep in El Paso after Kelly’s first season, Spond’s original piano composition, played from memory in front of both Notre Dame and Miami’s roster, let you know that the Irish weren’t just getting a typical jock.
Then again, that shouldn’t be surprising. In a season where nothing seems typical, Spond fits the bill perfectly. He’s battled long odds, back from an injury that nearly robbed him from playing football, and taken control of a position where his teammates desperately needed him.
It may be the understatement of the year, but Spond has come a long way since August.