Notre Dame Football: Two-deep 2017 depth chart projection

With the Blue and Gold game done and recruiting wrapping up the Notre Dame football coaching staff turns their focus to who will take the field in the fall.

Just a year after posting a 10-3 record that saw the Notre Dame Fighting Irish going all the way to the Fiesta Bowl, head coach Brian Kelly led his team to a miserable 4-8 finish. That came despite having one of the game’s most coveted quarterbacks. Injuries, a fan’s most satisfying excuse to explain a team’s mediocre play, somehow managed to avoid the Irish for the most part, making it extra curious as to why such a talented team finished so poorly.

Nevertheless, the Notre Dame coaching staff will have to put eleven players on the field come Fall. Kelly will no doubt do all he can to get the most out of whoever he puts in the game, but it will ultimately be up to the players to determine where the Irish end up this year.

Here is a two-deep depth chart projecting just who those players might be:

Defensive backs

Starting Safeties: JR Nick Coleman, SO Jalen Elliott

While Elliott has significantly more breathing room than his fellow safety in Coleman, neither of these positions are off-limits when it comes to roster adjustments. Coleman struggled greatly at cornerback last year. He is hoping a switch to safety will help get his feet off the ground. Elliott did well in his freshman year as a backup but it is yet to be seen if he can handle a starter’s workload.

Backups: SO Devin Studstill, JR Nicco Fertitta / FR Isaiah Robertson

Devin Studstill would be next in line should Elliott not progress as expected. Fertitta and Robertson fall behind the shaky Nick Coleman and could be in line for work unless Coleman flourishes in his new role. Fertitta would probably be the first in line for time due to experience, but there is always the possibility the freshman Robertson performs much higher than expectations.