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Position battles to watch in fall camp for the Irish

By Bobby Norell

Apr 16, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take the field for the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take the field for the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Max Redfield (10) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 8, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Max Redfield (10) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Notre Dame 55-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Safety

It was very evident that the one position or unit Notre Dame wanted to upgrade at during the last recruiting cycle was the defensive backfield. The Irish brought in seven new DBs and a few are expected to compete for some time.

Yes Max Redfield is still there, but to be blunt he has not panned out. Sure, he’ll get his chance to prove himself one last time, but the coaching staff will be looking at the other candidates closely.

Of all the early enrollees Devin Studstill stood out the most. He is expected to seriously compete for the starting job in fall camp. Studstill was so good that he played in front of Redfield most of the time during spring camp.

Avery Sebastian is coming back for a 6th year after he was hurt early on last year. He should provide some depth on Notre Dame’s backline.

Next: Five Breakout Players in 2016 for the Irish

Shaun Crawford was a guy who the staff raved about last fall. He would have played a prominent role on last year’s team but injuries got in the way and he never saw the field. Crawford fits perfectly in at the nickel, and because of that we should see Notre Dame run a lot more nickel packages this upcoming season.

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