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Notre Dame at North Carolina: Who, what, when, where, why and by how much?

By Douglas FarmerOct 7, 2017, 6:00 AM EDT

WHO? No. 21 Notre Dame (4-1) at North Carolina (1-4). The better question pertaining to “Who?” would be whom the Irish will start at quarterback, but that answer will likely not be confirmed until around 3 p.m. ET, give or take 30 minutes.

WHAT? The second of Notre Dame’s five games against the ACC this season, the Tar Heels represent possibly the easiest remaining game on the Irish schedule. That is not meant as a knock on North Carolina as much as it is a warning about the latter half of the slate, Wake Forest’s legitimacy pending.

WHEN? 3:30 p.m. ET. For anyone worried about rain, showers are predicted for much of the game, but they are not the massive storm you have heard about approaching the southeast. That will not reach Chapel Hill, N.C., until Sunday morning. (At least, by this reading of weather.com, that is.)

WHERE? Kenan Memorial Stadium, Chapel Hill, N.C. Capacity: 62,562.

If wondering who in the world was “Kenan,” that would be William R. Kenan, Jr., a dairy farmer-turned-successful businessman and a North Carolina graduate. The more you know, right?

WHY? Notre Dame isn’t allowed to have two bye weeks before facing USC, especially considering the Trojans do not have any bye weeks this regular season.

BY HOW MUCH? As of Friday night, the Irish are favored by 14.5 with a combined points total over/under of 63. Those metrics point toward a 38-24 final.

It should be noted, that spread was in the 16- or 17-point range before Notre Dame junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush became a “day-to-day” injury concern (grade one right foot strain). This space considers that gap a more likely one, no matter who the Irish rely on at quarterback.

Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 17. (4-1 record on the season.)

STAT TO REMEMBER: Nationally, third downs are converted 37.4 percent of the time. The Irish have converted 41.3 percent of theirs thus far. The Tar Heels have allowed first downs 42.2 percent of the time.

FACT TO REMEMBER: North Carolina has lost 15 players for the season, including 10 starters.

THIS WEEK’S INSIDE THE IRSH READING:
— Monday Morning Leftovers: Notre Dame’s defensive depth and youth bodes well for the future
— Questions for the Week: Stepherson vs. the depth chart; Notre Dame’s rush vs. North Carolina’s lack of D
— Notre Dame’s Opponents: Georgia, Miami & Navy remain undefeated; one of those to be tested this week
— Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush “day-to-day” with soft tissue right foot injury
— On Brandon Wimbush’s (in)accuracy and Notre Dame’s plans to adjust to it
— And In That Corner … The injured Tar Heels of North Carolina
— Things To Learn: How injured is Wimbush; Can Mack and/or Stepherson provide reliability?
— Notre Dame QB Wimbush to be a game-time decision
— Friday at 4: A 2014 win over Stanford helped create Notre Dame’s current offense

INSIDE THE IRISH COVERAGE FROM THE MIAMI (OH) GAME
— Notre Dame puts Miami (OH) away early and often
— Adams moves up Notre Dame record books while awaiting national attention
— Things We Learned: Notre Dame is focused, but continues to struggle in the secondary & with Wimbush’s accuracy
— Sunday Notre Dame Notebook: Irish take to self-scouting weekly; (lack of) injury update

THIS WEEK’S OUTSIDE READING:
— Grey’s Anatomy: Chapel Hill
— RB Efficiency Rankings: Notre Dame’s Josh Adams shapes himself into a complete player
— Cornerback and the Degree of Difficulty
— Under Review (if overdue): Inside the Bob Davie investigation
— Bob Stoops wants you to stop thinking he’s coming back to coaching
— Notre Dame Stadium in talks to host outdoor Blackhawks game
— Suspension over, Vikings WR Michael Floyd says he’s ready to ‘make plays’
— D1 Council introduces football staff size change
— Arrested drunk man claims he time traveled to warn of aliens

Notre Dame 99-to-2: No. 39 Jonathan Doerer, kickoff specialist

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By Douglas FarmerJun 21, 2018, 6:00 AM EDT

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Listed Measurements: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
2018-19 year, eligibility: Sophomore with three seasons of eligibility remaining, including 2018.
Depth chart: Doerer will presumably handle kickoff duties to allow senior placekicker Justin Yoon to focus on the uprights.
Recruiting: Doerer’s de-commitment from Maryland to pledge to Notre Dame the weekend before National Signing Day came shortly after the Irish began focusing their pursuit on the kicker, a somewhat surprising recruitment considering Yoon had, at that point, two full years of eligibility remaining.

CAREER TO DATE
Doerer saw action in seven games last season with mixed results. His debut against Boston College consisted of three kickoffs yielding the Eagles an average field position of their own 30-yard-line, buoyed by a kickoff out of bounds.

He recovered only somewhat from his shaky debut two weeks later late in the blowout of Miami (OH), sending two of his five kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks.

2017: 32 kickoffs, nine touchbacks, one out of bounds.

SPRING
Doerer never came up this spring. Part of the reasoning for the coming indoor practice facility — to be completed next summer — is to allow for more springtime work for the specialists. Only two or three of Notre Dame’s spring practices were outdoors this year, and the current indoor facility’s ceiling is too low for a kicker like Doerer to properly work on hang time and placement.

He did convert a 20-yard field goal and one extra point in the Blue-Gold Game.

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Expect Doerer to handle kickoffs from the outset and retain that duty until/unless it goes awry. Yoon’s injury concerns should be in the past by September, but allowing him to focus on placekicks could hold value for Notre Dame. Hence, [Irish head coach Brian] Kelly welcomed the chance to fill a scholarship slot with Doerer.”

2018 OUTLOOK
Doerer arrived at Notre Dame praised for his ability to send deep kicks high with hang time. It is a unique skill, albeit one needed less and less as the NCAA and the NFL increasingly try to diminish the high-speed collisions of kickoffs.

As a freshman, Doerer eventually proved his ability to handle the specialty duties by pinning Wake Forest returners inside the five-yard line six of nine times, with the other three landing as touchbacks. The Demon Deacons couldn’t risk the ball bouncing away from the end zone, but fielding a kickoff at the three-yard line after it has decent hang time is, and indeed was, a recipe for poor field position.

No longer. The NCAA has now adopted a rule wherein such a kickoff could be fair caught and the ball would be subsequently placed at the 25-yard line. There is no longer anything to gain from lofting a kickoff to the two-yard line rather than simply blasting it out of the end zone.

Doerer will still be asked to do the latter, but the uniqueness of his abilities has been reduced drastically.

DOWN THE ROAD
Both Yoon and fifth-year punter Tyler Newsome will be out of eligibility after this season. Doerer will almost certainly take over as the placekicker, and working as the punter could reinvigorate some of the pertinence of his skillset. Pinpointing a punt out of bounds at the four-yard line does not incur a penalty like it does with a kickoff. Instead, it entirely alters an opposing offense’s strategy.

NOTRE DAME 99-to-2:
No. 99 Jerry Tillery, defensive tackle, senior
No. 98 Ja’Mion Franklin, defensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 97 Micah Dew-Treadway, defensive tackle, senior
No. 95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, defensive tackle, sophomore
No. 94 Darnell Ewell, defensive tackle, sophomore
No. 91 Ade Ogundeji, defensive end, junior
No. 89 Brock Wright, tight end, sophomore
No. 88 Javon McKinley, receiver, junior
No. 87 Michael Young, receiver, sophomore
No. 86 Alizé Mack, tight end, senior
No. 85 George Takacs, tight end, early-enrolled freshman
No. 85 Tyler Newsome, punter and captain, fifth-year senior
No. 84 Cole Kmet, tight end, sophomore
No. 83 Chase Claypool, receiver, junior
No. 82 Nic Weishar, tight end, fifth-year senior
No. 81 Miles Boykin, receiver, senior
No. 80 Micah Jones, receiver, early-enrolled freshman
No. 78 Tommy Kraemer, right guard, junior
No. 76 Dillan Gibbons, offensive lineman, sophomore
No. 75 Josh Lugg, offensive lineman, sophomore
No. 74 Liam Eichenberg, starting left tackle, junior
No. 72 Robert Hainsey, right tackle, sophomore
No. 71 Alex Bars, left guard and captain, fifth-year senior
No. 70 Luke Jones, offensive lineman, incoming freshman
No. 69 Aaron Banks, offensive tackle, sophomore
No. 68 Jarrett Patterson, offensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 60 Cole Mabry, offensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 57 Trevor Ruhland, offensive lineman, senior
No. 57 (theoretically) Jayson Ademilola, defensive tackle, incoming freshman
No. 56 John Dirksen, offensive lineman, incoming freshman
No. 55 Jonathan Bonner, defensive tackle, fifth-year senior
No. 54 John Shannon, long snapper, junior
No. 53 Khalid Kareem, defensive end, junior
No. 53 Sam Mustipher, center and captain, fifth-year senior
No. 52 Bo Bauer, linebacker, early-enrolled freshman
No. 47 Kofi Wardlow, defensive end, sophomore
No. 45 Jonathan Jones, linebacker, junior
No. 44 Jamir Jones, defensive end, junior
No. 42 Julian Okwara, defensive end, junior
No. 41 Kurt Hinish, defensive tackle, sophomore
No. 40 Drew White, linebacker, sophomore
No. 33 Shayne Simon, linebacker, incoming freshman
No. 24 Tommy Tremble, tight end, incoming freshman

MEDICAL EXEMPTION
No. 35 David Adams, linebacker, sophomore

OUTGOING TRANSFER
No. 11 Freddy Canteen, receiver, outgoing transfer

Medical issues force out LB David Adams, bringing Notre Dame to 85 scholarships

rivals.com

By Douglas FarmerJun 20, 2018, 6:00 AM EDT

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Thus ends any concerns about Notre Dame exceeding the 85 scholarships allowed by the NCAA in 2018. The Irish dropped to the mark not with the bang of a dismissal or an unexpected transfer, but with the whimper of the medical exemption of sophomore reserve linebacker David Adams, announced by Adams via Twitter late Tuesday evening.

“It absolutely kills me to walk away from football, my true love,” Adams posted. “However, these are circumstances that I cannot control. I’ve prided myself on my work ethic and have spent countless hours perfecting my craft to be the best player I could and can be.

“I need very specific and deliberate rehab and training to get my body back to where it once was and beyond. Coach [Brian] Kelly and Notre Dame have been very supportive throughout all of this.”

Adams detailed a lengthy list of injuries, including concussions, a surgery on each shoulder, knee surgery, torn ligaments and continued chronic ailments. He will remain on scholarship at the University and be a part of the football program in some capacity but will not count toward the roster’s limit.

“My return to football is currently unknown.”

Considering Adams played his entire senior season of high school football with a torn UCL in his elbow suffered in the season opener, it is safe to assume these injuries became too much to overcome on any tangible timeline. Otherwise, he would have. Adams put off the surgery to repair that elbow until after the Under Armour All-American game, not wanting to diminish that experience in any way.

“I only missed 1 game (in high school) due to have [sic] a very bad case of the Flu,” Adams wrote. “I prided myself on always being ready for every practice and game. On Friday nights when the lights came on, I was always ready to go.

“I only know one way to play the game and that is as violent and fast as humanly possible.”

pic.twitter.com/BQiU47Ummq

— DAVID ADAMS (@David_Adams1335) June 20, 2018

Adams did not see any action last season, partly a result of that injury and partly a result of the Irish having a trio of experienced linebackers eating up the vast majority of snaps. In that vein, a look at what Adams’ 99-to-2 entry would have looked like, set to be published Thursday …

No. 35 DAVID ADAMS

Listed Measurements: 6-foot-¾, 222 pounds
2018-19 year, eligibility: Sophomore with four seasons of eligibility remaining, including 2018.
Depth chart: Adams would have been competing for third-string practice snaps with classmate Drew White and freshmen Bo Bauer and Jack Lamb at either interior linebacker position.
Recruiting: A rivals.com three-star recruit, Adams chose Notre Dame over offers from Florida, LSU, Michigan and Michigan State, among others. The Under Armour All-American was rated the No. 18 linebacker in the country and the No. 8 prospect in Pennsylvania by rivals.com.

CAREER TO DATE
Adams saw no action his freshman season, preserving a year of eligibility.

SPRING
Adams was not discussed in spring practice, but a variety of injuries keeping him sidelined would explain that.

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Adams should not expect to see much playing time on defense this season. More of a run-stopping linebacker than one ready to drop into coverage, he fits more into the role currently filled by [Nyles] Morgan than anywhere else. Backing up Morgan is not a position that will lead to much, if any, playing time.

“… Adams will have a prime chance to start as a sophomore. His instincts indicate he will fit the Morgan role. The only question will be if he fits better than [current-junior Jonathan] Jones or White. Even if one of those two earns the starting nod, Adams will be a primary backup.”

2018 OUTLOOK
To some degree, it is hard to project if a healthy Adams had a chance at much playing time this season or if the consistency of Jones and the position change of Jordan Genmark-Heath knocked him too far down the depth chart no matter what. It can be presumed the latter’s move from safety occurred not only to better serve his skillset, but also to patch a gap in the two-deep. Again, though, that hole may have existed, at least in part, due to Adams’ injuries.

Either way, fifth-year Buck linebacker Drue Tranquill ended any possibilities of Adams starting this season when Tranquill moved inside from rover during the offseason.

DOWN THE ROAD
Both Tranquill and senior Mike linebacker Te’von Coney will be out of eligibility after this season, meaning Adams would have had a ripe chance to push for a starting gig next season. Along with White, Jones, Bauer and Lamb, he presumably would have ended up some piece of a rotation in 2019.

That said, Bauer and Lamb arrived a semester early highly-touted and carrying greater expectations than had ever been anticipated from Adams. Former defensive coordinator Mike Elko recruited Bauer and Lamb with his system in mind, a system kept in place by new Irish defensive coordinator Clark Lea, who daylights as the linebackers coach. Adams may have seen significant playing time in 2019, but the current freshman duo was due to pass him by at some point in the future.

MEDICAL EXEMPTION
No. 35 David Adams, linebacker, sophomore

OUTGOING TRANSFER
No. 11 Freddy Canteen, receiver, outgoing transfer

Notre Dame 99-to-2: No. 40 Drew White, linebacker

@Drew_white11

By Douglas FarmerJun 19, 2018, 6:00 AM EDT

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Listed Measurements: 6-foot-¼, 225 pounds
2018-19 year, eligibility: Sophomore with four seasons of eligibility remaining, including 2018.
Depth chart: At least somewhat due to a foot injury, White (above, on right) fell down the depth chart this spring. Junior Jonathan Jones entrenched himself as the backup Mike linebacker behind senior Te’von Coney, while sophomore Jordan Genmark-Heath moved from safety late in the spring and immediately positioned himself as the backup at Buck behind fifth-year Drue Tranquill. At best, White is in the mix with early-enrolled freshmen Jack Lamb and Bo Bauer on the defense’s third-string.
Recruiting: A consensus three-star recruit, White chose Notre Dame from a lengthy offer list including the likes of LSU, Michigan and Ohio State.

CAREER TO DATE
White saw no action his freshman season, preserving a year of eligibility.

SPRING
White never came up in conversation this spring, though that certainly traces in part to his foot being in a boot with crutches at his side for much of the stretch.

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Every tackle White records on defense should register with some amount of surprise. There are simply too many established veterans ahead of him for White to see much, if any, playing time this season on that side of the ball.

“But that does not mean a year spent preserving eligibility is on the horizon. It does not even mean White will not log tackles.

“Notre Dame’s lack of defensive depth stood out in spring practice whenever the view turned to special teams. Most pertinently, Irish special teams coordinator Brian Polian lamented the dearth of available bodies for his kick and punt coverage units. White could be a prime candidate to help out in those regards, and given his penchant for finding the ballcarrier, he could tally as many as 10 tackles, which, given only a smattering of chances, is actually a notable figure.

“The transfer of junior Josh Barajas (to FCS-level Illinois State) does open an opportunity for White to see some mop-up duty at linebacker, but sophomores Jonathan Jones and Jamir Jones (no relation) would theoretically be ahead of White in those spots.”

2018 OUTLOOK
When Tranquill moved to the interior role of Buck linebacker, he greatly reduced the chances of White seeing time this season. Rather than Jones or one of the freshmen earning starting honors and White working as the backup, each of those roles was knocked down a rung, not to mention Genmark-Heath joined the fray.

All that is to say, White should see time on special teams this season, but that may end up the extent of his work.

DOWN THE ROAD
Part of White’s fall down the depth chart is a credit to the linebackers coming in behind him. Bauer and Lamb — and in a different respect, early-enrolled Ovie Oghoufo and incoming freshman Shayne Simon — were brought in by former defensive coordinator Mike Elko and new defensive coordinator (and linebackers coach) Clark Lea. Elko and Lea knew what they were looking for to fit their system. They targeted Bauer and Lamb and Co. with that in mind.

Could White move back up the depth chart? Of course. Coney and Tranquill will be at the next level in a year, and even if Jones and Genmark-Heath establish themselves as the backups du jour, that is still a big step from proving worthy of a starter’s workload. White will have that chance next offseason, albeit alongside the two frontrunners, the current class of freshmen and a few more in the recruiting class of 2019 (starting with consensus four-star linebabckers Osita Ekwonu).

Monday’s Leftovers & Links: Consensus four-star guard gives Notre Dame four OL commits

rivals.com

By Douglas FarmerJun 18, 2018, 1:05 PM EDT

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Notre Dame hosted a promising group of recruits over the weekend, and the effort has already paid a handsome dividend. Consensus four-star offensive guard Zeke Correll (Anderson High School; Cincinnati) cut short his selection process with a Monday morning commitment to the Irish.

I AM 100% COMMITTED TO NOTRE DAME! #GoIrish ☘️🏉 pic.twitter.com/izGZowQMIj

— Zeke Correll (@zekecorrell) June 18, 2018

Correll had been expected to visit Ohio State this coming weekend and make his decision after that. Instead, Correll chose Notre Dame over the Buckeyes, Stanford and Clemson, becoming the 14^th commit in the Irish class and fourth offensive lineman. Rivals.com rates Correll the No. 11 recruit in Ohio and No. 14 guard in the country.

Three of those four linemen are four-star prospects, including Correll, as are all four of the pledged defensive line recruits. If iron sharpens iron, then those practice sessions in the trenches should lead to many sparks flying the next few years.

That is especially true of the offensive quartet, as the practice work may be the vast majority of work they see for a couple seasons. Current Notre Dame junior Tommy Kraemer should remain a starting guard through 2021, and the freshman and sophomore classes have a few guard possibilities, as well, in the likes of sophomores Josh Lugg and Dillan Gibbons and freshman John Dirksen.

At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds already, Correll has the muscular frame wanted on the inside of the offensive line, and his discipline in blocks sets him apart from most high schoolers.

Continued mailbag request
A litany of reader questions were received in the last week. A handful were set to be answered this morning, but Correll’s commitment bumped those thoughts down the editorial calendar a bit. In the meantime, any more criticisms, questions or meanderings are welcome at insidetheirish@gmail.com.

INSIDE THE IRISH READING:
— If Notre Dame is 33-to-1 for the title, what does that actually mean?
— No. 52 Bo Bauer, four-star linebacker, early-enrolled freshman
— Indiana LB stays close to home with commitment to Notre Dame
— No. 33 Shayne Simon, four-star linebacker, incoming freshman
— No. 47 Kofi Wardlow, defensive end
— Notre Dame adds commitment of four-star linebacker Ekwonu to stellar defensive line haul
— No. 45 Jonathan Jones, linebacker
— No. 44 Jamir Jones, linebacker-turned-defensive end
— No. 42 Julian Okwara, defensive end
— No. 41 Kurt Hinish, defensive tackle

OUTSIDE READING:
— Notre Dame reels in Rivals250 LB Osita Ekwonu
— Can Notre Dame contend for the national championship? ($)
— D1 football to offer more participation opportunities
— ‘Bull Durham’ at 30