Notre Dame Football: 5 Things We Learned From The Spring Session

Another Blue-Gold Game is in the books for Notre Dame football. Here is what we learned about the 2018 team this Spring.

Now that Spring practice has wrapped up for Notre Dame football this year, it’s time to take a look at some of what we learned about the latest version of the Fighting Irish as we head into Summer and anxiously await the Fall.

Here are five things we learned fromn the Spring session.

Brandon Wimbush is the guy at quarterback

Wimbush was he offensive MVP of the Spring game. He was in control of the first team offense. He was poised, accurate with his throws and displayed resiliency when things didn’t go as planned. Ian Book performed well, but it was obvious that Wimbush was the more mature, prepared signal-caller. The job is clearly his to lose and the quarterback battle has been put to bed — for now.

The Irish pass-catchers are very good

You won’t find many teams around the country that feature two huge receivers with the kind of  top-flight speed possesed by Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool. That duo is a mismatch for every defensive backfield on Notre Dame’s 2018 slate. We also saw Chris Finke grow in front of our eyes and look like he could be a force as a possession guy and on intermediate routes. When you toss in Michael Young and a handful of what appear to be solid tight ends, Wimbush will have no shortages of dependable targets through the air.

The offensive line is still a work in progress

We all knew this would be the case, and it was wishful thinking that the unit wouldn’t miss a beat after two of the best lineman in the country moved on to the NFL. They were good — not great — on Saturday. The potential is there for this line, but right now they appear to be the wild card in terms of just how good this offense can be. They’ll need to grow up in a hurry, as Michigan will feature one of the nation’s best defensive fronts.

Drue Tranquill is all in on the linebacker position

One of the first things that popped off the screen in the Blue-Gold game was the bulk that Tranquill added, coinciding with his move away from rover and full on into the linebacker role. There’s no going back now, and according to what we saw on Saturday — why would he? Tranquill had the look of a guy who should contend for all of the most presitigious national awards at his position.

Next: Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game Report Card

Alohi Gilman is the real deal

There was a lot of concern surrounding the safety spot in the defensive backfield heading into the Spring. Gilman squashed that with his performance throughout March and April, culminating with what he did on Saturday. He was everywhere and he was making plays on the ball like he’s been in the system for years. He exudes confidence, and you get the feeling he’s going to be a problem for opposing offensive coordinators who try to confuse him. “Security” is a good word to describe what he gives the Irish at the safety position.