Quick hitters: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman offers injury update
While the rest of his team went through pre-practice warmups, freshman Notre Dame receiver KK Smith rode a stationary bike off to the side. He wore street clothes and he had his left arm in a sling.
Irish coach Marcus Freeman gave an update on Smith at his Wednesday press conference, and he discussed several other key areas on Notre Dame’s roster as well. Here are five significant quotes from Freeman’s first media availability of fall camp.
On freshman receiver KK Smith
“He had a shoulder surgery. I don’t have a timetable on his return. It won’t be for a couple months. He got surgery in the summer.”
On how good Notre Dame’s cornerback room can be
“Really special. You look at Cam Hart, he’s a veteran. He’s made a huge jump in a year. I’m saying a guy that has been a starter, he’s made a huge, huge jump over the summer. Just in terms of his work ethic off the field, I think his film study, he’s made a huge jump. Benjamin Morrison, we know, had a great year last year. He’s done some really good things. Clarence Lewis is experienced, and then Jaden Mickey is experienced.”
“I challenged [cornerbacks] coach [Mike] Mickens a little bit. Clarence Lewis will play some nickel for us and we know Jaden Mickey will be there. Who’s gonna be that next corner to emerge? Is that Christian Gray, Micah Bell or one of those young guys? Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker? Somebody’s gotta emerge as that fourth corner, when we’re in nickel.”
On Notre Dame’s young linebackers
“It’s easy to just throw Marist [Liufau], Jack [Kiser] and JD [Bertrand] in there and feel really good about calling all these different defenses. But we’re gonna have to count on [Jaylen] Sneed, we’re gonna have to count on [Noah] Ziegler, count on a couple of those young guys who just got here in January.”
“I’m gonna challenge [defensive coordinator and linebackers] coach [Al] Golden, ‘Hey, get some of those older guys the reps they need and get them out of there.’ Let’s put the younger guys in with the ones and see how they’re able to perform. … Instead of making them comfortable with the twos, get them in there with the ones and see if they can perform. We have to develop that group.”
On Notre Dame’s running back depth
“We’ve known about JD [Jadarian] Price, right, he’s been here a year. He did a heck of a job last spring before he got hurt. Gi’Bran Payne did a great job this spring. Devyn Ford, the transfer from Penn State, and then Jeremiyah Love is an incoming freshman. I think out of that whole group, at Notre Dame, we have two snaps [of college experience]. … Devyn Ford’s played a little bit more at Penn State, but he also had a year where he didn’t play.”
“It’s really inexperienced on the field, so we have to get those guys as much experience here in these however many practices we have before we play that first game, so we know who we can truly count on. It’s a deep group, a talented group, just inexperienced.”
On transfer defensive backs Thomas Harper and Antonio Carter II
“Obviously, Thomas Harper has been here longer, even though he didn’t practice in the spring. He’s gotten to really understand the defense and the expectations. And he’s played a similar position when he was at Oklahoma State, so his transition probably isn’t as drastic as Antonio Carter, who played corner at Rhode Island and we’re playing at safety.”
“A little bit of a transition for Antonio, and he just got here in June. So, two different situations, but both of them I expect to help us this year.”
