Observations From Watching Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football 2021 Spring Practice No. 2 Video Clips
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Notre Dame held its second of the spring Tuesday morning and released three minutes of video. Here are some personnel-related observations from the clips.
A disclaimer, as always: These videos are only a small portion of practice and are not indicative of final decisions on the depth chart. They do, though, offer a glimpse of who worked where for all or part of the day’s practice, and that helps identify contenders for open starting jobs. It’s generally safe to assume returning 2020 starters are playing with the first team.
• Tosh Baker (left tackle), Dillan Gibbons (left guard), Zeke Correll (center), John Dirksen (right guard) and Josh Lugg (right tackle) were on the offensive line together once again in all the available clips. That was the first-team group Saturday. Blake Fisher (LT), Rocco Spindler (LG) and Andrew Kristofic (C), Quinn Carroll (RG) and Michael Carmody (RT) appeared to be the second-team group.
• In drill work, a clip at the 2:15 mark of two defensive linemen practicing against a full offensive line (made up of other defensive players) featured Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Jayson Ademilola together. Both were three-technique tackles in 2020. Head coach Brian Kelly indicated Saturday Tagovailoa-Amosa will play some defensive end.
• These are only receiver vs. defender one-on-ones, but interesting nonetheless:
-At 2:46 seconds, Drew Pyne completes a pass to Joe Wilkins Jr. along the sideline. Cam Hart was in coverage. Wilkins appeared to get some work as the No. 1 boundary receiver Saturday.
-The next clip is a Jack Coan pass intended for Jordan Johnson that TaRiq Bracy intercepts. Both played the field side at their respective positions in 2020.
-At 3:10, Pyne finds Lawrence Keys III against safety D.J. Brown. That’s followed by Tyler Buchner, the No. 3 quarterback, completing to freshman Lorenzo Styles Jr. with Hart in coverage. Coan wraps it up with a long touchdown to field receiver Braden Lenzy against 2020 starting field corner Clarence Lewis.
• In the first 11-on-11 rep of the video (4:00), Tagovailoa-Amosa is lined up at defensive end and goes against Lugg. Kurt Hinish is next to him. J.D. Bertrand and Marist Liufau are two of the linebackers in the play. Hart, Brown and Houston Griffith are on the field as defensive backs. Coan’s pass is tipped by Hinish. Keys and receiver Xavier Watts are on the field together.
• At 4:30, it’s back to one-on-ones and smaller drills. Pyne hits running back Kyren Williams, who is greeted by Brown, linebacker Drew White and linebacker Jack Kiser. The next play is Coan connecting on a long ball with Wilkins and Lewis covering. Williams is blocking, while Liufau and Griffith are in the foreground.
Buchner follows with a short pass toward Watts that’s broken up by Ramon Henderson. Bertrand, linebacker Osita Ekwonu and safety Justin Walters are in the vicinity. He then completes to Keys on a crosser with Bertrand trailing. Ekwonu, Walters and Henderson are on the field again. So is tight end George Takacs.
• At 5:21, still in what looks like seven-on-seven, Coan finds running back Chris Tyree out of the backfield. Linebacker Shayne Simon is seen pursuing him. Safety Litchfield Ajavon eventually stops him. Coan’s next throw is over the middle and intended for Takacs, but broken up by Walters. Bertrand and linebacker Bo Bauer are in the shot.
• Full 11-on-11 resumes at 5:43 with Buchner at quarterback. He hands off to an in-motion Keys, who has tight end Cane Berrong as a blocker. Ekwonu, Walters, cornerback Philip Riley, defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio and defensive end NaNa Osafo-Mensah are on the field. Not all five are visible on this play, but the offensive line looks like the second-team unit.
• Another 11-on-11 group at 6:12 has Hinish, Tagovailoa-Amosa and Ademilola as an apparent three-man front with linebacker Isaiah Pryor nearby. Lewis, Griffith and White are also on defense. Pyne is the quarterback and throws on the run to receiver Avery Davis. Takacs and Williams are rolling out in front of Pyne.
• The 6:40 mark is Buchner in 11-on-11 with Fisher, Spindler, Kristofic, Carroll and Carmody blocking and running back C’Bo Flemister next to him. Carmody and Carroll pass off and block a Rubio and Will Schweitzer stunt. Johnson runs a slant. Buchner appears to target Takacs, but it’s intercepted by Walters. Bertrand, Bauer, Henderson and defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina are also on the field.
• On the final play, Coan hands off to Flemister with that first-team line in front of him. Jordan Botelho, Simon, Bertrand, Pryor, Brown, Hart and safety K.J. Wallace are visible on defense. The defensive line aside from Botelho isn’t clear.
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