Notre Dame football: Which seniors will stick around for 2017?

The mid-level people

These are the players who would almost certainly not be drafted should they opt out of a fifth season, but are talented enough to have a semi-legitimate shot at making it, or at the very least having a big impact for Notre Dame in 2017. So they’ll stay put and try to bolster their resumes for 2018.

3. Tarean Folston

Folston has underwhelmed this year after entering the fall as co-starters with Josh Adams. With each successive week, it becomes clear that Adams is Notre Dame’s new feature back, while Folston is simply a third-down guy, if that. Still, he’s a powerful runner with a lot of potential, and while he might not have enough now to make it in the NFL, another season of collegiate play could allow him to refine his game as a pure power back.

2. Durham Smythe

Smythe is Notre Dame’s best tight end, which isn’t the compliment it used to be. He’s certainly no draft pick, but he could be one of the most experience reliable targets down field Notre Dame has next year. There’s really no reason for him to do anything other than to stay put.

Next: True road games have stymied Notre Dame in the past

1. Colin McGovern

McGovern kind of came out of nowhere to win the starting right guard spot for this season after never really seeing any significant snaps his first three years. But now that he’s on the field for most snaps alongside four other guys with years of eligibility left, something tells me Brian Kelly will like the idea of keeping his offensive line perfectly intact for another year. Who knows? Maybe another strong season and McGovern could be draft material.