But I’m not going to go into the season with trepidation that we’re not going to get prepared to play whomever we need to play,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said on the local radio show Sports Beat. April 24 – 2010 Blue-Gold Spring Football Game. April 7 Fri. April 9Sat. March 12, 2020 12:37 pm. 3. Notre Dame needs new leaders to emerge on all three levels of the defense. • Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated. But the 2018 class is vital to success at linebacker, and it will play a major role in the entire defense once again being a championship caliber group. The time from the Blue-Gold Game to fall camp in August, is the longest stretch between seeing Notre Dame players in pads. 4. “We’ve got a veteran football team that knows how to play the game. Corners Make Strong Progress — The cornerback position will be the most watched this spring, at least it will when I’m at practice. Some of the team’s youngest standouts proved themselves against USF. We’ll also get a first meaningful look at Kevin Austin Jr., since last spring. Crawford staying healthy and Bracy taking his game to the next level are legit question marks, and we need to see them both accomplish those feats. If those three young ends rise to the level I hear they can, and their talent dictates, do not be at all surprised if in the fall we see an edge rotation that is even better than it was in 2020. In fact, part of me wants the battle to go into the fall, because it could mean a lot of players step up and perform well this spring. SBN Reacts: How confident are you with the Notre Dame football program? Griffith has the tools to become a standout, and he needs to step up this spring and be assertive, make plays and play like a veteran. Just behind the Tigers are the Western Michigan Broncos, Notre Dame’s third opponent of the 2020 season, with eight and Louisville and Stanford each had seven. There are two young drops that I’m really looking forward to seeing this spring. March 29Wed. Notre Dame needs at least one more cornerback - and ideally two more - to step up this spring. April 10Mon.,April 12Wed. But as Kelly has said many times, the most important aspect of preparing for the 2020 season will be having enough time for conditioning over the summer and that the team begins fall camp on time. Notre Dame Basketball: Still No Word on Reason for Departure of Assistant Coach Ryan Ayers, The sudden and pithy announcement yesterday surprised everyone, and nothing new has been uncovered (besides Robby Carmody’s continuation as the unluckiest kid in college hoops). Sixth-year cornerback Shaun Crawford has the work ethic and attitude to be one of those players, but he’ll need to grow into that role and also be vocal to truly be the kind of leader the young secondary needs. If that happens, and if Oghoufo takes his game to another level, it will put Notre Dame in position to have an elite drop rotation in 2020. “We were able to have nine spring practices,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said on a video call with the media. Putting together another outstanding defensive performance in the fall is key, and a strong spring will be a great first step towards making that happen. And because today (or yesterday) is the first day of spring, it also means that the slow procession toward the football season begins now! 2018 Class Steps Up — I didn’t discuss the Buck position working out as a key this spring, because position battles can go into the fall. If he ever taps into his full potential he could be a star, but will that happen this spring or in 2020? April 16 – Notre Dame Football Coaches ClinicSat. If the veterans progress and at least two corners emerge and force their way into the rotation it will be a successful spring. Limiting further injuries would also play a major role. A good spring for Notre Dame means Oghoufo gets stronger, continues developing the necessary technique at the position and becomes a playmaker on the edge. Whether its staff members or teammates, everyone I talk to says Ademilola is poised to become a difference maker for the defense in 2020. The Young Edge Players Shine — I won’t be surprised if Hayes is limited this spring, and honestly it’s probably good to limit him, or even leave him out. The winter began the process of new leadership being established. The name I keep hearing as a possible breakout player is rising junior Justin Ademilola. 6. I kind of know what we have.”. The different conferences and the NCAA have yet to determine when college athletes will be able to return to their respective campuses to resume training, but once social distancing guidelines were extended through the month of April any hope of the Notre Dame football team making up its remaining 14 spring practices was all but eliminated. March 31Wed. I’ve talked about the Ademilolas and Oghoufo at defensive end, and Franklin is going into year three inside, and he’s now another year away from his lower body injury. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish spring football practice schedule is as follows: 2010 Spring Football Practice DatesFri. Notre Dame will have to replace four defensive captains from its 2019 defense, and the on and off field leadership that Khalid Kareem, Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott provided allowed the Irish to overachieve on defense last season.