With a week to go before Notre Dame’s highly anticipated season opener at Ohio State, Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Reese spent Saturday’s practice took some time to answer questions.
Some of Rees’ answers are broad, while others are shorter. Let’s start with the short answer first.
Can you run tempo with a first-time starting quarterback? The first starter was Tyler Buchner whose name was half of Reese’s answer.
“We’ll find out on Saturday,” Rees said.
What is the offensive identity of quarterback Buchner at Notre Dame? The answer is longer, but without more revelation.
“I think we’ll find out within a week,” Rees said. “You know, I’m not going to reveal anything, but I think we’ll find out in a week.”
Notre Dame’s starting left back Jarrett Patterson was sidelined for about a week and a half with a sprained foot. After practice on Saturday, he wore a T-shirt and shorts and walking boots with his uniformed teammates.
“It’s up to the coach ( Marcus ) Freeman ,” Reese said to Patterson’s September 3rd. “I don’t answer these questions.”
How about the running back?
The four available scholarship running back Reece and the offense available are junior Kristelli , sophomore Logan Diggs & Audric Estime & FreshmanGi’Bran Payne.
“We feel like we have three (or) four defenders now that can really help us win games,” Rees noted. “All have a little bit of a different identity. Our job is to maximize it. Also in the middle of the race, you can start to feel okay, this guy ran well today, let’s stay with him. Having a very specific character, a very specific part of the game plan, allows us to diversify our exposure a little bit. So, we feel good about all three right now.”
Estime is the least known player, having dribbled just seven times for 60 yards as a freshman in 2021. After watching him at Notre Dame’s fall training camp, it could easily feel like an upcoming party.
“Unveiling it can be a heavy word,” Rees said. “But yeah, we have a lot of confidence in Aldrick’s ability. He has worked really hard this offseason to put himself in a position to have an impactful year for us. But again, we have three of our Know the guys who can play. Two of them played more than Aldrick, but Aldrick did a great job throughout training camp.”
Diggs is Notre Dame The second most experienced running back. He had 52 carries for 230 yards as a freshman in 2021, but he tore the labrum of his shoulder in April’s Blue and Gold game, prompting him to wear the red “no touch” typically reserved for quarterbacks The jersey starts training. Diggs took off the red and donned the blue just over a week ago.
“He did a great job for us,” Rees said of the Louisiana native. “Logan’s talent is evident when you watch him play. I think he’s comfortable running and hitting the ball. I think he looks comfortable. I think he’d love to get back there. I think when you When you’re out for a long time, really twice, when you’re not out, you definitely lose the feeling of being part of the team. I think now that he’s back, everything’s changing, he’s really hungry to play, he Wanting to prove he can play at a high level.”
These backs will be running behind the lines being developed by Harry Hisstand, who was in South Bend (2012-17) Some excellent lines were built on the first job.
Notre Dame’s offensive line will be the team’s biggest improvement this year. Take it to the bank. Getting him back will be crucial for Reese and the offense.
“It’s really cool, like at some point in training camp, it clicks and you start to see, well, that’s exactly where it’s going to look It looked like Coach Histend was leading that group,” Reese explained. “You can see how they run, the way they take off the ball, the way they communicate, the way they operate. All these things you start to see clicks and you’re like ‘that’s exactly why he’s in charge of that room’ .
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“We’re glad he’s back,” Reese continued. “He’s been a huge supporter of mine and obviously a great leader in that room. He had a huge impact on the progress of these people.
Losing captain at training camp Avery Davis Torn ACL made the team thinner, then added Safety Xavier Watts mix. Sophomore Jayden Thomas and veteran Joe Wilkins Jr. There were also injuries during training camp, but Reese loved the job of a first-year catch coach Chansi Stuckey Done.
“I think, we did a great job throughout training camp,” Rees noted. “Coach Stuck has really improved that room, he’s done a really good job of technically getting the players better in the areas they need to be.” . That’s why he’s here, and we’re excited about what Coach Stuck is doing and preparing for these guys.
“I want you to look at the first group, you feel good about those jogging outside,” he continued. “It’s been great to have (Jayden Thomas) back. He’s given us a really good camp. Shooting, we feel good about the guys out there. We’re going to try and put everyone in the position they do best.
Tight end coach Gerald Parker is another new coach on the offense. Parker was West Virginia’s offensive coordinator for the past two years before being hired as the tight end coach at Notre Dame. Reese was able to rely on Parker during their time together.
“He came in and became famous,” Rees said of Parker. “He’s been incredibly helpful and fits in our room perfectly. Like we can have back and forth, conversations about different areas of the game plan, getting someone you can really trust into the game plan and say ‘Okay, What are your thoughts here. Let’s play these back and forth. He’s been a valuable member of what’s going on with us at the moment. He’s sharp, he’s got a great manner, he’s great with our players. I trust him, like I’ve worked with him for the same 10 years. He’s done a great job since he came in.
“We all have different backgrounds,” Rees continued. “We have a proverb ‘No one thinks too much when we all think the same’. So, I think you can contribute as many different perspectives as you can in a group, the more ideas you flow in, I’ve said it a million times, I’m not going to act or pretend I have all the answers. I don’t want to get all the answers. I want input and perspective and a different way of looking at things in order to make our team better. We had some really great situational conversations. There were some line ideas, some line nuance stuff, some training ideas that really inspired what we were doing as an offense, things that wouldn’t have happened without him. So, I think when you have people from different perspectives and different paths, it ultimately helps to develop a good employee. “
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