Four of Notre Dame’s captains were obvious picks. The fifth wasn’t, even if Jaylon Smith is the program’s top talent. The linebacker figures to lead from the front.
It’s difficult to find a measured opinion of Jaylon Smith around Notre Dame.
Head coach Brian Kelly called the junior linebacker the program’s best player on defense “by far” while quarterback Malik Zaire compared Smith to LeBron James. The offense thinks enough of Smith to put asterisks by plays that don’t work because of him, with the assumption mere mortal linebackers won’t get to balls that Smith does.
“He’s just a freak athlete,” Zaire said.