Notre Dame Football: 5 freshman who’ll have instant impacts in 2017
By Jacob Wilson
Jordan Genmark-Heath, despite being rated fairly low in comparison to the rest of Notre Dame’s 2017 class, has the potential to be one of the more influential freshmen this year. Notre Dame, after falling outside of the top 100 in special teams efficiency last year, will look to their freshman class to handle some of that work.
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The freshman safety is a perfect fit for special teams and will look to contribute in this way over the course of his first year. The Cathedral Catholic product out of California was rated as both a safety and an athlete coming into 2017. While he may not have the opportunity to contribute immediately on defense, he should have a place on special teams waiting just for him.
As mentioned before, Genmark-Heath was never rated particularly high by any recruiting sites. He has understandably gotten lost in all of the hype surrounding a top 10 Notre Dame recruiting class, but still has all of the physical tools coaches look for in a young player. If he can hone these skills in his first year, he may be able to take over at the recently struggling safety position.
Genmark-Heath decommitted from California only a few days after his official visit with the Irish, a decision that must have had special teams coordinator Brian Polian smiling ear to ear. Again, Genmark-Heath is an exceptional athlete, a trait often well utilized by one’s typical special teams coordinator.
The young defensive back’s ability at the actual safety position is what’s lacking here, but that may be able to be turned around through some hard work from defensive coordinator Mike Elko. Either way, Genmark-Heath’s special teams contributions will be an immediate boost whether he realizes his potential at safety or not.
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With the amount of potential in this year’s Irish recruiting class, it’s possible that anyone, whether on or off this list, could explode onto the scene in a matter of weeks. Regardless of who those players may be, it’s clear that the Irish are going to need a lot of help from this strong class.
Kelly has always done a good job of getting his players on the right track from the beginning, and while last year didn’t exactly go according to plan, expect Kelly to put that behind him in a season that may decide his fate at Notre Dame.