The Notre Dame Fighting Irish came out of the gates on fire last season, but a litany of injuries, bad defense and turnovers derailed the Irish's championship hopes and sent them spiralling out of the national spotlight. 2015 could very well be a different story, but there's still plenty to address before we punch Notre Dame's ticket to the College Football Playoff. Here's three things we've learned about them so far in fall camp:
Malik Zaire flashing incredible potential
It's Zaire's team now with Golson off to FSU, but a spotty spring performance has some fans and pundits worried about whether or not he's ready to take the load in South Bend.. He's a fantastic dual-threat weapon at his best, but he sometimes rushes his decision-making and befuddles the coaching staff by failing to efficiently and patiently cycle through his progressions. If he can continue to get that tightened up, the Irish should be in very good shape heading into Week 1.
Nic Weishar turning heads
Notre Dame wasn't sure what kind of impact freshman tight end Nic Weishar would have this year, but according to NBC's Keith Arnold, the skill he's shown in fall camp has the coaches thinking he could be a breakout player for them.
"He’s lit up fall camp and he is also taking advantage of nagging injuries that have slowed down Alizé Jones and Durham Smythe. It sounds like he’s a ball hawk and it also sounds like he’s developed quite a rapport with Malik Zaire. So keep an eye on Weishar."
Justin Yoon giving kicking team a reliable presence
In his last year with Notre Dame, place kicker Kyle Brindza has a frustrating, ineffective go-arounding -- missing ten of his 24 field goal attempts, including two that may have cost the Irish key victories. The onus is now on freshman Justin Yoon to salvage the kicking game, getting his reps in camp in hopes of translating his raw talent into production come the regular season. He's produced so far and the coaching staff is happy - now he just has to do it in the regular season.
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