Notre Dame Football: Follow The Leader

Where will the leadership for the 2016 Notre Dame football team come from?

Nov 21, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish center Nick Martin (72) recovers a fumble during the first quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

As the last season gets further and further away and the next season creeps and creeps up on us, it is only natural that we take stock on what Notre Dame has and what they do not have for the 2016 season.

One thing that keeps getting mentioned consistently (aside from the Kizer versus Zaire battle to be) are the leadership roles on the team. Who is going to lead this Notre Dame team week in and week out? Who are the captains going to be?

For all the uncertainties that we may have of the 2016 Fighting Irish, I believe that one thing is very certain- it’s a guarantee… This team will severely miss the leadership that they had in 2015. The roles that have voids may be too big for the collective that is left in South Bend.

2012	Manti Te'o Tyler Eifert Kapron Lewis-Moore Zack Martin
2013	TJ Jones Bennet Jackson Zack Martin
2014	Sheldon Day Austin Collinsworth Nick Martin Cam McDaniel
2015	Jaylon Smith Nick Martin Sheldon Day Mathias Farley Joe Schmidt
2016	???? ???? ????

One of the reasons that the 2012 team ( or Team 124 if you’re into that whole numbering thing) was so successful and was able to go 12-0 in the regular season despite more than a handful of close games, was that the leadership was so strong. They willed the others on to victory. It was more than noticeable.

Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Justin Thomas (5) fumbles the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish cornerback Matthias Farley (41) during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame defeats Georgia Tech 30-22. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

What was even more noticeable, was the 2013 team and their lack of leadership across the board. It was a big reason why that team struggled and lost some of those close games that they would have won in 2012.

So what do we have in store for 2016? Gone are the five captains the Irish had in Day, Smith, Schmidt, Martin, and Farley. Day and Martin were 2 time captains- so the sting is even greater.

One theory is that one of the captains will be whoever wins the quarterback battle. This is fundamentally unsound. No Irish quarterback has been a captain with Brian Kelly as the coach. He says they have too much in their plate as it is- and he’s probably right. I don’t care how much of a “natural leader” a guy like Zaire is- if he’s the quarterback, he doesn’t need the “C” to have the team follow him.

Still, we sit here and ponder the next season and I can’t help but wonder as to who exactly is leading the charge. This is something that we most certainly will see develop in the spring and it could be the most poignant storyline when it’s all said and done. This Notre Dame team needs leadership- who’s it going to be?

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