Notre Dame Football: Takeaways From Brian Kelly’s Pre-Georgia Press Conference

Notre Dame Football Head Coach Brian Kelly met with the media to discuss the game against Georgia. Kelly touched on several topics including Alohi Gilman, Durham Smythe, Georgia frosh Jacob Fromm, Georgia’s Running Backs and Notre Dame’s independent status.

Here are the news and notes from today’s press conference:

Alohi Gilman’s Appeal Denied

Notre Dame desperately needs help at the Safety position. Navy transfer Alohi Gilman will not become part of the solution in 2017. Kelly announced Tuesday that the NCAA denied Gilman’s appeal. Gilman must redshirt this season. When Gilman steps on the field next year, three years of eligibility remain for the Irish Safety.

Durham Smythe Progressing Through Concussion Protocol

Fifth-year Senior Tight End Durham Smythe took a nasty blow from a  Temple defender on Saturday. Due to the hit, team doctors and trainers removed Smythe from the game. He entered the concussion protocol immediately. If Smythe passes all medical tests on Tuesday, he will practice with full pads for the rest of the week.

Georgia Dynamic Duo

Kelly praised Georgia Running Backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. Kelly said of the two Running Backs, “You are going to see two guys that will be NFL players and have great careers.” If Notre Dame wins or losses hangs upon whether or not Notre Dame stops the two-headed monster in the backfield.

Don’t Sleep on Freshman Quarterback Jacob Fromm

The Notre Dame Head Coach did not hesitate to praise Georgia Freshman Quarterback Jacob Fromm. Fromm entered the fold as Georgia’s signal caller when incumbent starter Jacob Eason suffered a severe knee injury. Kelly said, “They are in very capable hands (with Fromm).” Fromm makes his first start against Notre Dame under the lights on Saturday.

Next: Notre Dame Football Grades: Defense vs. Temple

Independent Advantage

During Kelly’s opening remarks, he lauded Notre Dame’s independent status. He said, “This is the great part of being an independent football team. You get these kind of games.” Too be fair, Ohio State and Oklahoma play at the same time on Saturday. Both teams belong to a conference. While his comments ring somewhat true, Kelly’s characterization of Notre Dame’s advantage to scheduling an opponent simply based on the Irish football program’s independent status completely misses the mark. In reality, the College Football Playoff committee drives the majority of these scheduling decisions. Alabama played Florida State. Michigan battled Florida. Scheduling a team like Georgia says more about how teams want to impress the committee than it says about the Irish remaining independent.