Notre Dame Spring Outlook

In about four months, Notre Dame football will start again. This time, Trevor Laws and Tom Zbikowski will be nowhere in sight, but Sean Cwynar will be there. Yes, spring practices will start. Here are some things to look for.

Position Changes

Pat Kuntz from NT to DE: Pat Kuntz is now a nose tackle. He was a very energetic lineman and batted down a lot of passes. He was always having fun. However, all Irish fans and hopefully Corwin Brown knows that Notre Dame has to build this line around Ian Williams, who will be a sophomore. Williams was great in run defense when he started the final three games when Kuntz went down with an injury. Trevor Laws, Dwight Stephenson, and possibly Justin Brown will all be gone. Kuntz will be a started and hopefully can improve in run defense. If not, he may find himself on the bench in favor of Derrell Hand or Paddy Mullen.

Luke Schmidt from FB to ILB: The Irish had success in 2006 with a back moving to linebacker. Luke Schmidt has been behind Asaph Schwabb for the past two years. He is too talented to be playing on special teams. He has the skill to play linebacker. His size is perfect for in inside linebacker. I don't see how this move would be bad. He isn't a starter. There is no risk. Only a reward.

Harrison Smith from S to WR: Notre Dame has a lot of depth at wide receiver, but Smith is very athletic. Notre Dame has two types of receivers. Big, tall posession receivers like Duval Kamara, Robby Parris, and DJ Hord and speedy receivers like David Grimes, George West, and Golden Tate. Smith could play both ways as well. He has the ability to play almost anywhere on the field.

John Ryan from OLB to DE: Ryan was a disaster at OLB. He was being pushed around and couldn't get to the QB in time. Defensive end may be a long transtion, but it would be worth it if he can be effective in the pass game. Brian Smith and Kerry Neal solidified themselves as future stars at outside linebacker. Moving Ryan can't hurt.

Early Enrollments

Right now, Notre Dame has 21 recruits. It appears that not very many of them will come early. Notre Dame used most of its scholarships for the 2007 class. There will be one for sure.

Sean Cwynar: Cwynar appears to be the only player that will be in South Bend for the Blue & Gold Game. Cwynar is a big defensive end for Marian Central Catholic HS in Woodstock, Illinois. He has great size and great power, but his best quality is his intensity. He plays at full throttle every play. He has a great determination, which was missing on 2007's team. He will contend for a starting spot due to the absence of Laws and Stephenson. He should be a quality player for the next four years and a part of the Irish teams of the future.

Captains
Last year, Notre Dame had 5 total captains. The seasons tarted with John Carlson, Travis Thomas, Tom Zbikowski, and Maurice Crum as the captains. However, Travis Thomas had avery dirty play in the Penn State game that resulted in him losing his captain spot. John Sullivan replaced him right afterwards. Maurice Crum will be the only returning player if he is offered the 5th year as is expected. Here are my 3 captains for next year.

Offense-Sam Young: Young has already shown that he cares about this team. He is a great offensive tackle. He was the top recruit on the offensive line for the 2006, and although he underperformed in 2007, he is expected to be the anchor of the offense in 2008.

Defense-Maurice Crum: I can't see how he would lose his position. He didn't do anything stupid like Thomas and he played great for most of the year.

Special Teams-David Bruton: Bruton plays with the most intensity out of any player on Notre Dame. He isn't the most talented, but he is always making plays. He deserves to be a captain.