Notre Dame Football 2017: Midseason position grades

Notre Dame’s special teams unit, while often undervalued, has been one of their most consistent groups up to this point. Special teams coordinator Brian Polian was added to the coaching staff just this year, marking his second stint with the Irish after working with special teams under Charlie Weis from 2005-09.

Polian has found much success with what was already a fairly stable unit. Senior punter Tyler Newsome averages a healthy 45.7 yards per punt, good for 12th in the nation. Kicker Justin Yoon has also had a decent year, and while his range isn’t anything to write home about, he has been extremely consistent from 40 yards in.

Regarding the return game, the Irish have had their fair share of struggles. C.J. Sanders has been decent, falling just outside the top 50 in kick return average. However, punt returner Chris Finke has had little room to work with, returning 13 punts for only 46 yards. While both parties have improved over the last few games, the Irish will be looking for more out of the group in the future.

Worst Game:

Due to the diversity of a special teams unit, it’s often hard to pinpoint successes and failures of the group as a whole. However, something was off in a Miami game that may have caught this unit sleeping due to the low stakes. Yoon went 1-for-2 on field goals, Newsome averaged under 38 yards a punt, Sanders recorded only 15 yards on his lone kickoff, and Finke didn’t return one punt.

Next: Latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft entering Week 7

Best Game:

As with most tightly contested games, the Irish special teams unit excelled against Georgia. Yoon went 4-for-4 on field goal tries, Newsome booted his best punt of the season (59 yards), and Sanders recorded 84 yards on four returns. While Finke was swallowed up for the most part, Notre Dame’s special teams unit proved their worth in high-pressure situations.