Spring Risers – Defense
First off, I apologize for the lack of updates the last week. That inconvenient day job of mine got in the way of my updates last week, but hopefully I’ll be back with multiple daily updates from now till the end of the spring.
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s a few players who are impressing so far this spring.
- Kapron Lewis-Moore (DE) – Ivan Maisel’s recent report on Notre Dame’s spring practice this year revealed that Weis thinks the sophomore DE is projecting to be the best defensive linemen on the team this year. That is some pretty high praise with Ethan Johnson and returning starter Ian Williams lining up along the defensive line this fall. if Lewis-Moore is really the best defensive lineman this fall, the d-line will be one of the best we’ve had in a while since Johnson is primed for a breakout season and Williams has plenty of experience and talent himself.
- Toryan Smith (LB) – Smith is impressing as he enters his final year of eligibility. Smith’s size in the middle would be a great asset when Notre Dame faces teams that are going to want to run the football like Michigan State and Pitt. His lack of speed might make him a liability against pass happy or spread offenses, but so far this spring he’s gotten plenty of praise from Weis. Smith being able to be an every down player would give the Notre Dame linebacking corps much more versatility.
- Hafis Williams (DT) – Williams has been pushing for playing time along the defensive line and like Smith, his ability to be an every down player would give the Irish defensive line a lot of versatility. Williams is a big body DT would be would a very good compliment to Ian Williams in the middle against run oriented teams.
- Robert Blanton (CB) – So far it appears as though Blanton has been able to keep his hold on the starting cornerback position even with Darrin Walls back with the team and playing well.
- Dan McCarthy (S) – On Monday, Weis said that he decided against giving McCarthy a look at quarterback in the #3 spot because he has been in the mix at safety. This was the first I really heard Weis make mention of McCarthy during his press conferences, but hopefully McCarthy can continue to play well and get in the mix.
That’s all for now. Tomorrow I’ll post about some players on offense making noise this spring.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
I love that we are having arguments about who is the better player in the secondary as opposed to who we need to replace. i do have a problem with everyone assuming T’eo is gonna come in on day one and be a superstar. just look at jimmy and see how that worked out. lots of potential and talent but lets be serious. hopefully something will click in filers head and he can blossom into a player this year.
Frankie…nickel packages or not, McCarthy seemed to get burned a lot more in man coverage than Sergio Brown last year…but I agree…I’d like to see Walls on the field as much as possible. He was one of the few bright spots in 2007 and seems to have that special ‘shut down’ quality.
Toryan Smith is just keeping the Mike LB position warm until Te’o arrives this summer. At least he could turn into a quality back-up.
McNeil played pretty well as a starting CB all last year though. I just hope that we see more of the 3rd CB in nickel situations this year since Sergio Brown got burned a lot in man coverage playing that nickel role.
It’s hard to image that Walls and Blanton won’t be the starting cornerbacks.
Huh, it embedded automatically. Disregard my last.
I don’t think Toryan’s speed would be a problem. If his Scout and Rivals times are accurate, he’s faster than Cushing and Maualuga (according to the NFL draft times).
http://www.nfl.com/combine/top-performers
Don’t feel like embedding. Just drag and drop, you lazy arseholes.