Notre Dame Football: Two role players who could thrive in 2019

Having completed spring practice, the Notre Dame football team heads into fall camp with many young players looking to play roles on the field.

Brian Kelly’s Notre Dame football team is looking to re-load after a successful season that saw the Irish come just short of what many would consider contention for a national championship. When assessing Notre Dame’s season, the best-case scenario is that the Irish were a few explosive plays from playing with Clemson. Simply put, the offense was held in check and couldn’t keep up when Clemson found a groove.

It’s not unreasonable to say that if the Irish offense was able to make an explosive play or two, the game would have been different. Perhaps the overall outcome–an Irish loss–would have been the same, but it’s likely that the Irish could have escaped without the embarrassment of having to take on the wrath of the jokes of college football fans.

Since the Irish returned to the practice field after the beatdown at the hands of the Tigers, the emphasis has been more explosive plays from the Irish offense. Part of the formula for finding those big plays is finding players who fill a role and help diversify what the Irish do on offense. Maybe these players aren’t seasoned enough to be three-down players, but perhaps they can find a specific role.

After all, as an offensive coordinator, part of having an explosive offense is about having as many “tools in the toolbox” as one can have. So what tools can Chip Long utlilize this season to help the Irish offense take it to the next level?