The biggest question mark and hole to fill on the depth chart for Notre Dame this off-season, will be the position of safety.

Going into spring camp next month, the Irish will have only one veteran with any significant playing time at safety and it is believed both positions are completely up for grabs.

With Tom Zbikowski, David Bruton and the recently graduated Kyle McCarthy, Notre Dame has had a few very good safety’s in the recent past.

In order to field a strong defense in 2010, Brian Kelly will want to fill this position with the best available options. More to the point, he will be well served to lock up an elite prospect at this position in his next recruiting class.

Here are the top 16 candidates to play safety for the Fighting Irish in 2010:

The Rookies

Austin Collinsworth (Freshman) WR/S

The son of former NFL stand-out Chris Collinsworth, the young Austin was a great all-around athlete in high school who played safety, wide receiver and quarterback. It may be a year or two before Kelly begins finding him a position, so the chances of him starting at safety are fairly low as of now.

Lo Wood (Freshman) CB

With the body type of a smaller cornerback, Wood will probably stay at his natural position. However, with such a depleted depth chart at the safety position, it is not inconceivable that he could impress the coaching staff enough to get on the field at some point next year.

Spencer Boyd (Freshman) CB

Like Wood, Spencer Boyd has the body type of a smaller cornerback and will need to bulk up in order to see some playing time in the immediate future. However, he has impressed with his speed and play making ability, so we can’t rule him out just yet.

Chris Badger (Freshman) S

Badger joins Wood and Boyd as early enrollees this spring which will undoubtedly help their chances of seeing the field sooner rather than later. Badger is bigger than the other freshman defensive backs and safety is his more natural position. It still may be a long shot for him to start in 2010, but it could happen.

The Playmakers

John Goodman (Junior) WR

The athletic Indiana product had some moments of brilliance last year in his limited action as receiver and wildcat quarterback and may very well stay on the offensive side of the ball. Still, Goodman possesses great size and speed and could be an ideal candidate for safety with his soft hands.

Shaq Evans (Sophomore) WR

Besides Michael Floyd, Evans is probably the most highly regarded recruit at the receiver position to come to Notre Dame in some time. As a freshman he played very little, had some ups and downs, and struggled with being away from his native California. Coach Kelly will probably want to keep the budding star on offense, but a move to safety would give the team in instant athletic freak roaming the defensive backfield.

Deion Walker (Junior) WR

Walker has been a bit of a mystery over his first two seasons in South Bend after coming to Notre Dame with a decent amount of fan fare. Since he hasn’t logged many minutes at wide receiver, he could be a prime candidate to move to safety with three years of eligibility left. With his mix of size and speed Walker could start right away for the Irish in 2010.

Jonas Gray (Junior) RB

After a freshman season that saw Gray become a very capable backup, the 2009 sophomore campaign ended in a step back for the powerful runner. He doesn’t have ideal size or speed to play safety, but Gray has quickly found himself squeezed out of carries at running back and could fall as low as third or fourth string in 2010. He may be a bit of a project, but Kelly might consider making the move.

Cierre Wood (Sophomore) RB

Here’s a player who was one of Notre Dame’s biggest running back recruits over the past decade, but did not see the field as a freshman in 2009. We’re left wondering what this guy has, but all indications are that he is supremely talented. He doesn’t have ideal size to play safety, but with four years of eligibility left and at least two runners ahead of him on the half back depth chart, Wood may make the switch.

The Corners

E.J. Banks (Sophomore) CB

Banks did not play as a freshman last season, but could be ready to contribute significant minutes in the defensive backfield in 2010. Even though he is undersized, Banks is a tremendous athlete with a variety of skills. With a few veteran corners ahead of him on the depth chart, Kelly could move him to safety.

Gary Gray (Junior) CB

Although he didn’t start for most of the season and played fewer minutes than three others at his position, Gray might have been Notre Dame’s most consistent corner in 2009. He has all the tools to be a great corner, but those same tools would also make him a great safety as well. With a good amount of eligibility left, Gray might be moved to safety if Coach Kelly solidifies the depth at corner.

Robert Blanton (Junior) CB

After a pretty successful freshman campaign, Blanton took a step back last season seemingly losing that special swagger and playmaking ability from 2008. Although he will probably lock down a starting spot at corner, Blanton has the length that could turn him into a great safety for the Irish. Some improved tackling and added weight could make him an ideal candidate for the switch.

The Leaders in the Clubhouse

Dan McCarthy (Junior) S

The younger brother of graduating and fellow safety Kyle McCarthy, Dan has been slowly making a name for himself in South Bend while pushing for playing time. McCarthy actually came to Notre Dame with more fan fare than his older brother, so it isn’t crazy to think that he will someday start at safety for the Irish.

Jamarious Slaughter (Junior) S/CB

Slaughter found himself inserted into the lineup last season and played his first significant minutes of his career in 2009. He replaced Harrison Smith at safety for the latter part of the season and although he didn’t make much of a difference, he didn’t play terrible. With another off-season under his belt, Slaughter could find himself starting at safety from day one.

Zeke Motta (Sophomore) LB/S

One of the top recruits from last season, Motta played a decent amount on special teams and mop up duty on defense as a freshman. Known to be one of the strongest and best conditioned athletes on the entire team, he will be one of the favorites to start at safety in Brian Kelly’s first season at Notre Dame. His size has been trending towards linebacker, but if his speed can be improved Motta will probably start for the next three years at safety.

Harrison Smith (Senior) S/LB

A week ago, Brian Kelly let it be known that Smith was having a tremendous off-season and would be moving back to safety next season. Given his experience, it is hard to believe he won’t be the top safety all year long. Still, Smith struggled mightily in 2009 after making the transition from linebacker to safety, making many wonder if he has the tools to succeed at safety. Perhaps with a less complicated defensive system and the encouragement and support of a new coaching staff, Harrison Smith will flourish.

Related posts

• Manti Te’o Gives Irish Fans a Late Christmas Gift (0)
• Notre Dame-Stanford: How The Irish Can Win (0)
• Time For The Players to Take Their Season Back (0)

Eight months have passed since the Irish left the field in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a victory in the Hawaii Bowl. Now, spring ball has ended, the long summer months have passed and it is time for another season of Notre Dame Football.

Invading South Bend for the first time is the University of Nevada Wolf Pack, a team bursting at the seams with offensive talent. Will the Irish be able to slow down the Pistol offense and keep Nevada at bay?

Conversely, will Nevada be able to shut down the vaunted Irish aerial attack? Will Notre Dame find its running game and play up to its potential starting in this season opener?

Let’s go inside the huddle and take a look at the action inside Notre Dame Stadium.

Well, Tom Hammond and Pat Hayden are back for another year broadcasting Irish football on NBC. I cannot say I’m too excited about this goofy duo doing play-by-play once again for Notre Dame.

James Aldridge and freshman Theo Riddick are back for the opening kickoff. Weis has said he wants Aldridge back there because of his veteran presence. That may be a good move but don’t expect Aldridge to be much of a threat bringing the ball up the field.

The Irish come out with three straight passing plays, including a broken on a fake reverse, followed up by several solid running plays.

Following a swing pass to Allen nets negative four yards, Weis dials up a Wildcat formation with Allen taking the snap. This was a bit of a surprise to see as many believed we might see John Goodman in this type of formation.

After an Irish timeout on the first drive (another frustrating staple of the Weis era), Clausen connects with tight end Kyle Rudolph for a touchdown on third and sixteen. This was a nice pass by Clausen but Rudolph was covered even if he had a good six inches on the Nevada defender. It might have been picked off if the Irish were playing USC.

On Nevada’s first drive they are proving they can run the ball effectively. The Irish are blitzing heavily and over pursuing Wolf Pack running backs, something that was a major concern of mine.

Now two big plays swing the momentum in favor of the Irish defense: A big sack by linebacker Brian Smith followed by a missed field goal by Nevada.

After a two yard rush by Allen, Clausen goes deep to Tate on a play that was called out of bounds. After a review the call was overturned and the Irish move 36 yards. This looked like a good call as Tate seemed to have control of the ball with a foot inbounds.

Clausen continues to look sharp as the first quarter comes to an end. To start off the second stanza, Clausen fires a laser beam to Michael Floyd for a 26 yard touchdown. The Irish offense is starting to heat up.

Nevada seems a bit shell shocked and is abandoning the run already. Kaepernick is sacked again by Brian Smith and follows that up with two quarterback scrambles that cannot net his team a first down.

Notre Dame’s third offensive series begins with a powerful nine yard run by James Aldridge followed up by a spectacular 70 yard screen pass to Floyd for another touchdown. Clausen is looking as if he hasn’t missed a beat from his Hawaii Bowl performance.

The Wolf Pack come back after the kickoff with an absurd delay of game call on first down. Clearly, Nevada is rattled and not comfortable with their offensive attack. Kaepernick throws two more incompletions and Nevada is forced to punt again.

Another new created by Weis as Irish backup quarterback Dayne Crist completes his first pass to Rudolph but the Irish drive stalls after a reverse and pitch to Allen leave them at fourth and ten.

Nevada returns to their running game and is moving the ball down the field as the Irish defenders are blitzing their way out of position. It looks as if Nevada may be mounting a comeback but the Wolf Pack are left with a fourth and inches.

Should they kick the field goal? Coach Ault decides to go for it but Nevada is stuffed in the backfield and the ball is turned over on downs. Veteran linebacker Toryan Smith blew up the play and the Irish defense is gaining more and more confidence.

At this point, this game is going as good as one could expect for Notre Dame. The offense is balanced, Clausen is throwing accurately, and the running game is making progress. On the other side of the ball, the Irish defense is looking strong and not allowing Nevada any points.

On the next drive Notre Dame simply imposes its will on Nevada. Allen runs for 11 yards and also takes a screen pass for another 24 yards. Sophomore Jonas Gray runs for 19 yards down to the one yard line that was very close to being a touchdown.

Allen finishes the drive off with a stretch run to the right for a touchdown. It’s hard to believe that’s only Allen’s fourth rushing score as a Golden Domer. I guarantee he puts another ten in the end zone this season.

Notre Dame continues to blitz heavily and is forcing Nevada to play out of its comfort level. However, Kaepernick is able to complete a couple long passes as well as escape sacks and run for yards as the Wolf Pack are threatening to score once again.

With little time left in the half Nevada is forced to take a shot at the end zone but the pass is intercepted by Irish cornerback Robert Blanton as the clock hits zero. Nevada just can’t seem to buy a break today.

After the first half it is surprising how effective the Irish offense has been, but it is even more amazing how well the Irish defense has looked. They have given up a few big plays on the ground and through the air but absolutely refuse to let Nevada sniff the end zone.

Coming out of halftime the Irish kickoff coverage once again stops Nevada for a minimal gain. Has there been a better coverage unit in the nation over the last year than Notre Dame? Nevada utilizes their strong running game once again as the Irish continue to over-commit with their aggressive blitzing.

However, the Irish stuff the run on first down and force an incompletion on third down ending Nevada’s promising drive. But, after a tremendous punt the Wolf Pack pin the Irish on their one yard line.

Once again the Irish respond with three strong runs by Armando Allen who appears seconds away from breaking a long touchdown. On first and ten, Clausen throws a slightly under thrown deep ball to Floyd who comes down with it, shakes off the defender, and scampers unmolested for an 88 yard touchdown. Game over.

By the way, is there any doubt that Michael Floyd is one of the best receivers in the country? He’s got great size, great hands, runs smooth routes and has shown top notch speed thus far. Floyd is truly a scary talent.

It’s quite amazing that Notre Dame has kept the potent Wolf Pack offense off the scoreboard, but Nevada isn’t giving up yet. Another long pass on first down and Kaepernick has his team moving again.

Unfortunately, Nevada cannot sustain any consistent momentum and Kaepernick ends up being picked off by Irish safety Kyle McCarthy. The nightmare continues for one of the nation’s best offenses in 2008.

On the next series, Gray gets stuffed for a loss of a yard followed by a three yard rush by Aldridge who injures his shoulder on the play. That ends the day for Aldridge who was playing well in his new limited role.

A pass to Gray out of the backfield comes up short of the first down leaving a fourth and three. And for the 1,242 time in the Charlie Weis era, Notre Dame will be going for it on fourth down. This time, Clausen is unable to connect with Tate and the Irish turn the ball over on downs.

Nevada takes advantage of the excellent field position and follows up two strong running plays with an eight yard completion into Irish territory. However, the receiver was drilled into the ground by corner Gary Gray in the hardest hit of the game so far.

Notre Dame continues its incessant blitzing and over pursuing as Nevada moves the ball down to the five yard line on a 24 yard swing pass. After a timeout, Kaepernick runs an option to his left and pitches the ball, but it is mishandled and dropped by the Wolf Pack running back.

Kapron Lewis-Moore, playing in his first game for Notre Dame, recovers the fumble. It’s just been that kind of day for Nevada who are not used to being shutout in the first quarter let alone an entire game.

In the last series for Clausen, the Irish get a couple long runs from Allen and Gray, along with another long completion to Golden Tate. However, the drive stalls and the Irish are forced to punt.

Nevada takes over the ball and freshman sensation Manti Te’o officially makes his introduction to everyone around the country. After chasing down Kaepernick on an earlier drive, Te’o lays another big hit on the Nevada running back Taua on first down.

On third down, Te’o lands another huge hit on a broken screen play, dishing out another vicious tackle to the helpless Wolf Pack running back. That’s only a handful of plays for Te’o and three memorable hits.

That’s a pretty nice start to a college career for Te’o who looks like he’s playing at another speed than everyone else. It will be difficult for Weis to keep him off the field for long stretches of time this season.

After a Nevada punt, Crist completed a pass to Deion Walker for fifteen yards and the Irish run the ball for the next five plays, giving all the carries to freshman Theo Riddick. Notre Dame has officially put the game on cruise and is milking the clock to preserve the victory.

The Wolf Pack force a punt but once again are unable to mount any offensive attack as their backup quarterback has come into play. On the ensuing punt, sophomore John Goodman shows some nice awareness and almost takes it to the house before being brought down by a defender.

On Notre Dame’s tenth drive of the game, they are content to hand the ball off to junior tailback Robert Hughes who is seeing his first action of the game after being suspended for the first half. Hughes carries the ball six times before the game clock runs out and the Fighting Irish cap off their first shutout in eight years with a 35-0 dismantling of Nevada.

Be sure to check back for my Outside the Irish Huddle recap of today’s game as I look at the positives and negatives to take away as Notre Dame now prepares to invade Ann Arbor next weekend.

Related posts

• Utah at Notre Dame Football Tickets | November 13, 2010 (0)
• Tulsa at Notre Dame Football Tickets | October 30, 2010 (0)
• Western Michigan at Notre Dame Football Tickets | October 16, 2010 (0)