Two seasons in and we have yet to see much from linebacker Doug Randolph. But after a shoulder injury slowed him at the beginning of his career and various injuries kept him from contributing more in 2014, perhaps a position change is what gets the rising junior back on track.
A strong athlete and top-notch recruit coming out of the same high school football program that brought the Irish C.J. Prosise and Greer Martini, Randolph will likely look to rejuvenate his career as a defensive end, hoping to get on the field with his former classmates.
With three seasons of eligibility remaining, it’s not do or die time just yet. But with a slew of young talent that could potentially play along the edge of the defense, Randolph will be in a competition with several unproven players, and it’ll be up to him to emerge.
Let’s take a closer look at Doug Randolph.
DOUG RANDOLPH
6'2", 240 lbs.
Junior, No. 44, LB
RECRUITING PROFILE
A Stanford commitment before flipping to Notre Dame, Randolph was a U.S. Army-All American and a Top 150 player. Randolph had offers from Virginia, Maryland and Virginia Tech as well.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2013): Did not see action, recovered from a shoulder injury that he brought into South Bend with him.
Sophomore Season (2014): Played in six games, mostly on special teams. Assisted on a tackle against Louisville.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
He played special teams, though you can’t really call a half-tackle an impact.A perfect fit to make his impact on special teams, Randolph is the type of athlete that could thrive on cover units, fast enough to get down the field and big even to wreak havoc. He also showed an ability to get after the quarterback in high school, so there’s room for him to find the field if he can show the coaching staff he’s productive enough.
It’s worth considering what Stanford saw in Randolph, likely seeing a candidate to play on the edge of their defense as an outside linebacker. If the Irish do indeed show some 3-4 looks, Randolph’s versatility could be helpful.
With question marks on the defensive side of the ball and a lot of young players fighting to answer them, Randolph’s one of a handful of former big-time recruits with an opportunity to be a part of the next generation.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
The first two seasons of Randolph’s career have been a bit of a mystery. Miscast as a linebacker last season, Randolph will spend fall camp trying to fit in as a defensive end, a roster deficiency probably the main reason he has a shot to get into the mix.
Injuries seem to have been the ultimate undoing for Randolph, who was the highest-profile player that Notre Dame reeled in out of Woodberry Forrest. Yet Prosise emerged last season and is on track for a big 2015 while Martini made quick work of the depth chart and started games as a freshman.
Make no mistake: Randolph looks the part. Big, strong, athletic and one of the guys who really look good getting off the bus, Randolph needs to jump start his career with this position change, taking advantage of the struggles the Irish have had finding defensive ends or linebackers who can rush the quarterback.
CRYSTAL BALL
It’s hard to see Randolph doing more than being a larger staple on special teams, unless his really finds a spark as a pass rusher. And really, that’s not as crazy as it sounds, considering many expected Randolph to be a defensive end when he showed up in South Bend.
Still, there’s plenty of competition for the job Randolph is trying to fill, with Jonathan Bonner, Grant Blankenship, Kolin Hill and Andrew Trumbetti all competing for time. So for Randolph to emerge, he’ll need to find out how to stay healthy and wow new defensive line coach Keith Gilmore with some yet-to-be-seen pass rush ability.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB