IBB Fighting Irish Season Preview

With only 8 days left until the Irish take the field against San Diego State, here's the Irish Band of Brother's season preivew of the 2008 Notre Dame Football Season:

Special Teams
PK Brandon Walker
KO Ryan Burkhart
P Eric Maust
Long Snapper Kevin Brooks (Darius Fleming)
Short Snapper Braxston Cave
KO Ret Armando Allen and Golden Tate
P Ret Allen

It's now the Charlie Weis and Brian Polian show that's in charge of the special teams. Last season's disaster had nine coaches involved and no organization whatsoever. Besides the switch, another good move Coach Weis made was when he went to the special teams guru at Blacksburg, Virginia, in Frank Beamer. Beamer helped both Weis and Polian get a better understanding of how to run special teams from a head coach standpoint and new schemes to help improve the Irish unit.

It has definitely been fun to watch Weis during camp this summer as he has been involved full-throttle with every aspect of special teams!

Ones to Watch: Walker and Allen

Brandon Walker was ineffective last season from anything outside of 35 yards. This summer he has made major improvements in every aspect of range and consistency. That will be a good thing because he could be called upon early if the offense struggles to put the ball in the endzone.

The speed acquired by the Irish is probably close to the Holtz era as you can get, and that starts with Armando Allen. His added strength and bulk has been noticed and I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a few back to the house this season.

Offense

Offensive Line
LT Mike Turkovich
LG Eric Olsen
C Dan Wenger
RG Chris Stewart
RT Sam Young

This is the biggest question mark heading into the season opener with San Diego State. On paper, you almost have the exact same unit as last season except for the addition of Stewart. So far the Irish coaches feel confident in this unit, not only because of a verteran group, but from the depth that's behind them. The backups of Matt Romine, Paul Duncan, Braxston Cave, Trevor Robinson, and Taylor Dever, could be starters on most teams, and can fill in nicely if one of the starters goes down to injury.

Overall, the coaches are very excited about how physical this unit has been during camp. During practices, this group has shown signs of dominating.

Ones to Watch: Sam Young and Trevor Robison

Sam Young is going to show folks this season why he was a high school All-American. Finally Young is 100% healthy and it has shown through his added weight and dominating force against the defense.

Robison, meanwhile, is like a man among boys. He, physically has NFL size right now to start on Sundays. Trevor is still picking up the nuances of the collegiate game, but it won't be long for him to be on the field for the Irish.

Running Backs
RB Armando Allen, Robert Hughes, James Aldridge
FB Asaph Schwapp, Luke Schmidt, Steve Paskorz

Hopefully this will be an embarassment of riches at the running back position with the three headed monster of Allen, Hughes, and Aldridge. All three backs will play this season, but mainly you'll see two of them being featured in a single game with Allen as the change of pace back and Hughes or Aldridge being the battering ram.

It still could be a game time decision as whether or not Asaph Schwapp will be the opening day starter. Luke Schmidt and Steve Paskorz have pushed Schwapp all camp long and will, no doubt, see action this season. My money is on Schwapp, but not for long!

Coach Holtz did a great job of delegating his stable of backs and putting them in several formations. Look for Coach Weis to do the same with two back formations and Allen lined up out at the slot. This group will definitely pound the ball and make the Irish offense well balanced.

Ones to Watch: Hughes and Schmidt

Hughes came into his own at the end of the season and has since picked up where he left off with spectacular runs. He has not changed any of the coaches minds about his ability to run over defenders or run right by them.

Schmidt is finally going to get meaningful minutes not only at fullback but at tight end as well. His talents as a blocker, runner, and pass catcher will be showcased this season. He will not disappoint anyone, that's for sure!

Quarterback
Jimmy Clausen
Evan Sharpley

Clausen is healthy as ever and you'll notice from the get go. Major improvements have been made to his physical appearance with added weight and muscle, as well as, his accuracy and zip on his passes. Clausen has all the intangibles for a good year: Maturity, Development, and better weapons to choose from.

Sharpley has solidifed the backup roll and could see some action if Clausen needs a breather from getting injured or in mop up duty. Hopefully it will be the latter in this situation.

Ones to Watch: Dayne Crist

The heir apparant to Clausen at QB will not showcase his talents until the Spring, but what he has shown during the summer will give Irish fans hope for the future. At this point in time, Crist is better than Brady Quinn was as a Freshman. We shall soon see if he turns out that way.

Tight End
Kyle Rudolph
Will Yeatman
Luke Schmidt

The loss of Mike Ragone hurt and his athleticism will be sorely missed, but don't feel sorry for the Irish. Rudolph is the real deal, Yeatman is a reliable blocker and catcher, and multi-purpose player Schmidt will showcase his skills.

Ones to Watch: Rudolph
This off season and during camp, the tight ends were one of the pleasant surprises and that was mostly because of Rudolph. His soft hands and knack for quickly getting separation from defenders makes him a deadly weapon in the Irish attack. Look for him to be a major player in the offense.

Wide Receivers
Duval Kamara
David Grimes
Golden Tate
Michael Floyd

Size, speed, and big plays is what you should expect from this unit. Tate and Floyd will have breakout years, while starters Kamara and Grimes do all the little things to keep this Irish Offense going. Depth is a strength for this unit as regulars Robby Parris and George West have been relegated to Notre Dame's fifth and sixth options. Waiting in the wings will be freshmen John Goodman and Deion Walker.

Ones to Watch: Tate and Floyd

Golden Tate has progressed into a true receiver, instead of the "Fly" route guy. He made it his mission to understand his routes and roll as a reciever. It will show from day one, trust me.

As for Floyd, he's as good as advertised. In my opinion, he's the most technically sound receiver we have in terms of route running and reliable hands. I'll be shocked if he does not make some Freshman All-America Teams.

Defense
The biggest acquistion is not the heardled freshmen class, instead, it's the addition of defensive coach Jon Tenuta. From day one, Tenuta and Corwin Brown have hit the ground running. This defense will creat a lot of problems for opposing offenses, plus the knowledge the players and coaches recieve from Tenuta's defensive prowness will give them a huge advantage.

Defensive Line
DE Patrick Kuntz, Ethan Johnson
NT Ian Williams
DE Mo Richardson, Justin Brown

This was another question mark heading into the season, but since has been less complicated with the reinstatement of Kuntz and the emergence of Williams and freshman Johnson. Overall this unit is strong and will have great depth.

Ones to Watch: Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore

Johnson is another one of the freshmen that will definitely see action against the Aztecs next Saturday. His power and speed off the ball has given coaches an air of relief.

Lewis-Moore has gotten the attention of the coaches, especially Coach Weis. If he was a little heavier, he would have easily been a starter opposite Kuntz at end. You'll definitely see him on the field soon enough though.

Linebackers
SAM Harrison Smith
ILB Maurice Crum
MLB Brian Smith
WIL John Ryan, Kerry Neal

Tenuta's bread and butter has given Irish fans something to look forward to. Notre Dame has improved the overall speed of this unit with the insertion of Harrison Smith and freshmen playmakers Steven Filer and Darius Fleming.

These guys will be a lot more physical and will be in on a lot more plays. They have great flexibility in that Harrison Smith can be moved all over the place, as will Sergio Brown too. Because of all these options and looks they will give offenses, the Irish linebacking corps will be one of the much improved areas of 2008.

Ones to Watch: Brian Smith and Crum

Brian Smith is such a great athlete that both Corwin Brown and Jon Tenuta moved him to the inside. His penchant to get to the ball is remarkable and his play reminds me of Irish greats Demetris Dubose and Courtney Watson.

Crum is going to make his last year in South Bend memorable. His dedication and leadership has helped the younger players tremendously. Here's too another great season for MO!

Secondary
DB Raeshon McNeil
DB Terrail Lambert
FS Kyle McCarthy
SS David Bruton

The best unit coming into camp is still the best even after losing Darrin Walls for the season. Veterans, strength, speed, and talented newcomers have paved the way for Notre Dame to not replace, but reload in the secondary. Expect great things from this unit.

Ones to Watch: Bruton and Robert Blanton

Pound-for-pound David Bruton is the best player on the Irish roster. After having a breakout year last season, the Miamisburg, Ohio, senior will guide the Irish defense to higher standards. Bruton, like Trevor Laws last season, will play his way into a higher pick in the NFL Draft.

Robert Blanton is pushing the starters really hard for playing time. Since the first day he arrived on campus, Roberts swagger and competiveness is what this Irish team needed. He'll definitely see time very soon in different defensive packages because he's a bonafide playmaker.

Season Predictions

San Diego State: The Irish will open the season on a high note (W, 31-14)

Michigan: This game will be the defining game of the season for the Irish. It will be a lot closer than it should be (W, 17-13).

Michigan St: If the Irish win then they'll be on a roll of major proportions! Unfortuantely, I believe State is the 2nd best team the Irish face (L, 28-27)

Purdue: A close call, but the Irish prevail (W, 24-17)

Stanford: ND builds momentum (W, 31-10)

North Carolina: The second loss of the season from the ACC surprise team of the year (L, 21-17)

Washington: Irish walk all over the Huskies (W, 28-9)

Pittsburgh: Big upset win for the Irish at home (W, 31-24)

Boston College: Notre Dame finally gets the best of Fredo (W, 42-31)

Navy: No overtimes and no doubt about it (W, 31-3)

Syracuse: Really? (W, 42-13)

USC: It will be tough and will definitely not be 31 or 38 point blowout (L 31-23)

Cotton Bowl vs. Texas Tech: Shootout in Dallas. Can anyone say chicken soup? (W, 35-34).