Notre Dame begins the season on Monday with four days at Camp Shiloh. Before we get into training camp battles, player interviews, and all the serious stuff, let’s take a cruise through the official roster.
Here are a few tidbits I found interesting about the freshmen:
* At a shade below 5-foot-10, Greg Bryant certainly carries the weight of a well put together running back at 204 pounds. But perhaps just as impressive is how thick fellow back Tarean Folston is. A half inch shorter than Bryant, Folston weighs in at 207 pounds. That’s plenty of bulk for a guy that many expected to be the change of pace, home run threat.
(With George Atkinson III weighing in at 220, and Will Mahone and Cam McDaniel both over 200, Amir Carlisle is the featherweight at 190 pounds.)
* This freshman offensive line class is a group of big muchachos, to borrow from a former Irish head coach. Let’s walk through the unit:
Hunter Bivin -- 6-5.5, 291 lbs.
Steve Elmer -- 6-5.5, 317 lbs.
Mike McGlinchey -- 6-7.5, 290 lbs.
Colin McGovern -- 6-4.5, 313 lbs.
John Montelus -- 6-3.75, 340 lbs.
* On the defensive side of the ball, a quick look at a few freshman that’ll help out points us towards Isaac Rochelle, who checks in at 6-3.5 and 280 pounds. Meanwhile, if you were worried that Jaylon Smith wasn’t able to put enough meat on his bones, he’s listed at the very respectable 6-2.25, 230 pounds. Michael Deeb looks very much like the physical product he was advertised as, with 242 pounds on his 6-1.75 frame.
* Of the young rookie defensive backs, getting an accurate height-weight from a recruiting profile is next to impossible. Here’s where the young group checks in:
Devin Butler -- 6-0.5, 181 lbs.
Rashad Kinlaw -- 5-11, 182 lbs.
Cole Luke -- 5-10.75, 184 lbs.Max Redfield -- 6-1, 194 lbs
Last year, nobody expected KeiVarae Russell to emerge as an every game starter. Can one of these guys become a contributor along the back end of the defense?
* Lastly, here’s a quick look at the height/weight gain of the early enrollee freshmen:
Steve Elmer -- 6-5.5, 317 lbs. (No change)
Mike Heuerman -- 6-3.5, 225 lbs. (Up 7 pounds from spring)
Corey Robinson -- 6-4.25, 205 lbs. (Up 8 pounds from spring)
James Onwualu -- 6-1, 215 lbs. (No change)
Malik Zaire -- 6-0, 208 lbs. (No change)