Notre Dame Spring Preview: Restocking the Secondary

The past several weeks UHND has examined some of the pressing issues facing head coach Brian Kelly’s squad heading into the spring practice session, including looking into Notre Dame’s pass rushing issues and going over the new faces at wide receiver. With practices set to begin this week, the final spring preview will take a look at how Notre Dame expects to fill the holes in its secondary.

The Irish pass defense struggled in 2015 and failed to live up to its level of talent, ranking No. 57 in the nation in passing efficiency and No. 96 in interceptions. Making matters worse is the fact Notre Dame must replace two important pieces of what was already a pedestrian secondary given the NFL departures of starting cornerback KeiVarae Russell and starting safety Elijah Shumate. Fortunately for Irish fans, what Notre Dames loses in experience it’s replacing with talent, even if that talent is mostly untested. So which players will step up to fill the void in the secondary?

Cornerback

The one known commodity at cornerback is Cole Luke who started opposite KeiVarae Russell last season. Luke filled in admirably when Russell missed the 2014 season for academic misconduct – limiting Stanford’s Ty Montgomery, a third-round NFL draft selection of the Green Bay Packers, to 12 yards receiving while racking up two interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble, and four tackles – and will assuredly take Russell’s spot as the No. 1 corner. But who will start opposite Luke?

Nick Watkins (Junior)

Nick Watkins is the most likely choice to permanently enter the starting lineup. A one-time blue chip prospect from Texas, Watkins was coveted by nearly all of the major programs and held offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU and Texas. Although Watkins has limited experience, he made the most of the time he was given and filled in admirably as a starter against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl when cornerback Devin Butler went down with a broken foot.

“He didn’t give up any big plays,” Kelly said after a Fiesta Bowl contest where Notre Dame’s defense gave up many big plays. “We just asked him to play top-down and keep it in front of you, make the tackles, let the front seven handle what they can handle.”

Devin Butler (Senior)

While Nick Watkins’ raw skill set will likely earn him the starting nod over Devin Butler, it’s worth noting that when KeiVarae Russell was lost for the season last year due to injury, the coaching staff leaned on Butler over Watkins, not only because of his experience but due to his dedication.

Butler, a former 3-star prospect out of Washington D.C., was recruited to play under former defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s zone-heavy scheme and has battled successfully for playing time under current defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder’s more aggressive play-calling. But determination can only get you so far.

Butler’s 4.64 time in the 40-yard dash simply cannot compare to the athleticism offered by man coverage cornerbacks like Watkins (4.5 40-yard dash) or Russell (4.34 40-yard dash), which limits his ability to play over mistakes.

Shaun Crawford (Sophomore)

Despite his small stature at 5-feet-9, Crawford was making a name for himself in camp last summer as a freshman before an ACL tear sidelined his season. His dominance was enough to catch the attention of more senior members of the defense.

“Shaun Crawford is incredible,” former Notre Dame defensive back Matthias Farley told the media shortly before Crawford’s injury. “He’s so fast and quick and always around the ball, which has been exciting to watch.”

While Crawford likely won’t beat out Nick Watkins for the starting cornerback position, he’s likely to win the starting nickel spot.

Safety

Notre Dame returns former 5-star free safety Max Redfield who, despite his inconsistent play in 2015, will likely remain one of Notre Dame’s starting safeties. But who will replace strong safety Elijah Shumate?

Devin Studstill (Freshman)

It may be hard to imagine a true freshman roaming the back end of Notre Dame’s secondary given the inconsistent performances at safety last season, but it’s a strong possibility. A 3-star prospect from Florida with solid offers from the likes of Miami, Michigan State and Wisconsin, the Notre Dame coaching staff badly wanted Studstill in a blue and gold uniform. And given his size (6’1”) and speed (4.5 40-yard dash), it’s hard to feel Notre Dame didn’t pluck a gem away from the Sunshine State.

One look at Studstill’s high school film and it’s clear his strongest asset is his ability to quickly diagnose and attack plays as they happen, a trait that has been missing from Notre Dame’s safeties. What remains to be seen is whether VanGorder’s notoriously complex schemes will be too much for the young safety to handle, but as of now Studstill is a solid bet to take Shumate’s place.

Drue Tranquill (Junior)

Tranquill made his first start at strong safety against Georgia Tech last season and was instrumental in Notre Dame stuffing the Yellow Jackets’ triple-option attack, recording four tackles, two tackles for loss and a pass defended in the first half alone before tearing his ACL, the second ACL injury of his career at Notre Dame.

Given the Indiana native’s size and athleticism a debate has emerged over whether Tranquill should make the move to linebacker. Should Devin Studstill win the starting safety spot, it’s possible Tranquill may see a position switch.

Nicky Baratti (Senior)

Barratti’s career at Notre Dame has been an injury-plagued one, missing most of his sophomore and junior seasons with shoulder injuries. Despite the setbacks the former high school quarterback has kept an upbeat attitude.

“Although it hasn’t been what I dreamed of playing-wise, it’s been a great experience,” Barratti told Notre Dame’s student newspaper. “I could not be more grateful for that, or for this university.”

While it’s doubtful Barrati makes a serious push to replace Shumate, he does bring four years of program experience to the position.

Scott Janssen is a blogger for the Huffington Post and has authored several nationally-featured articles, including an appearance on MSNBC as a sports contributor. He talks football 24 hours a day, much to the chagrin of his wife and those around him. Scott can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.