Notre Dame, Ind (UHND) — Charlie Weis’ first official depth chart was released Sunday and a few questions appear to have been answered. Notre Dame had some question marks at backup quarterback, cornerback, and along the defensive line heading into the summer and for now there appear to be at least some short term answers.
At quarterback, David Wolke is listed as the #2 QB behind Brady Quinn. The backup spot was up for grabs this summer between Wolke and incoming freshman Evan Sharpley. Wolke has secured the #2 spot for now however.
Mike Richardson pretty much secured one of the cornerback spots heading into fall camp, but the other was up for grabs. Junior Ambrose Wooden is listed as the starter opposite Richardson with sophomore Leo Ferrine backing him up.
Notre Dame is very thin along the defensive line heading into the season. Dwight Stephenson will play at defensive tackle and backup Derek Landri. Freshman Patrick Kuntz also cracked the depth chart and is listed as another backup for Landri.
On the offensive side of the ball there weren’t many surprises. At center, Bob Morton moves back into the starting role that he played as a sophomore. Last season Morton moved over to guard to let John Sullivan into the lineup. The first depth chart of the year however has Sullivan backing Morton by at the center position.
Another freshman, Asaph Schwapp, has moved into the #2 full back position behind Rashon Powers-Neal. Schwapp reported to camp is great shape and has performed well enough to backup Powers-Neal. Fellow freshman Paul Duncan and Michael Turkovich have also moved into backup roles at the two tackle positions along the offensive line.
On defense, a few freshmen have found their way into the 2-deep as well. Both safety positions will be backed up by freshmen with Kyle McCarthy and David Bruton. Steve Quinn is also listed as one of Maurice Crum Jr’s backup at Apache linebacker.
One area where there still seems to be questions is in the return game. Notre Dame lists 5 different kick returners and 3 different punt returners. The list of kick returners include Chase Anastacio, Brandon Harris, Justin Hoskins, Ambrose Wooden, and David Grimes. With Grimes, Hoskins, and Harris also being listed as punt returners.
Notre Dame’s lack of depth this season is evident with the number of freshman that are listed on the 2 deep depth chart this year. A rather high number of freshman should see playing time this year despite a fairly low class ranking coming out of high school. There will be some hidden gems in this year’s freshman class, but having to rely on a large number of freshmen is not a completely desirable position to be in.
