Notre Dame Football: C.J. Holmes Injury Impacting the Irish

Freshman running back, C.J. Holmes, sustained an injury during spring practice and it has a program-wide effect on Notre Dame football.

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As the only running back who signed with Notre Dame in the 2017 class, C.J. Holmes was meant to be in the rotation this season in one way or another. The shifty back with a big frame and great hands out of the backfield had a lot of potential.

Considered a member of the backfield rotation before ever stepping on a Notre Dame field, Holmes was hoping to begin his college journey strong in South Bend. Now, we wait to hear of the significance of the injury and how it’s going to impact the rest of his career.

For Notre Dame, they still have options. But having Holmes as a member of their committee this season was an essential part of their College Football Playoff push. As they try to regroup, they’re searching for multiple options to fill his spot as an explosive back likely used in the passing game.

In Brian Kelly’s post-practice press conference, he addressed the injury with some sadness in his voice. “He seperated his shoulder,” Kelly told the media. “We’ll get an MRI and know a little bit further on Monday. Once that calms down a little bit we’ll get a picture of that. He had an open repair on that same shoulder sophmore year of high school. We’ll get an MRI on it and see what that looks like and then go from there to see if we’ll have to do any further work on it.”

This is a clear blow to the team and could lead to an adjustment in the running back depth chart. With the emergence of Tony Jones Jr. who took first-team reps with the team in practice, the Irish backfield is already starting to change.

Holmes may have been the guy out of the backfield for Notre Dame, but if Jones moves into the starting role, it could mean more action for him and Josh Adams and less for the rest of the depth chart.

Brian Kelly and Chip Long have already begun adjusting to life without Holmes. Without knowing the foreseeable future, these coaches must make the necessary changes to stay the National Championship contenders they are right now. Moving Jones was one step in the process, but not the only move Kelly and Long made.

Redshirt freshman Deon McIntosh has also been moved to adapt to the situation. As a freshman, McIntosh was moved from running back to wide receiver because of his speed and great hands. After Holmes went down, McIntosh was moved back to running back and put in the rotation, primarily as a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

There is now a lot of adaptation for Notre Dame. They had Holmes marked as the primary receiving back who could see a lot of action as a true freshman. No one knows how long this injury is going to impact Holmes or his future playing career. After being the second time the shoulder has been injured, there’s no knowing what the timetable is for his return.

With a lot of uncertainty now in South Bend, the team must adjust and change for the future. They’ve already taken steps by moving McIntosh and boosting Jones’ reps. If this does turn out to be a lingering issue, it’ll have a major impact on the future of Holmes and this running game.

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Right now, we know nothing for certain. This change is for now but could have a bearing on the Irish when the season rolls around. Finding out the significance of the injury is first priority. From there, Kelly and Long will adjust for the future.