Notre Dame Football: 5 players to watch this Spring

The running back depth was rebuilt by Kelly during the 2017 season. Losing a star rusher like Josh Adams would hurt any offense, but thanks to that aforementioned effort by Kelly, the Notre Dame backfield should be set for another big year.

Two of the most important running backs that are key to Notre Dame’s success in 2018 are Dexter Williams and Tony Jones Jr. Williams is the likely starter this year, but Jones Jr. is going to get a significant amount of the workload too.

While Notre Dame’s quarterback situation is not set at the moment for one particular starter, the running backs look ready to go. More than anything, both Williams and Jones Jr. need to adjust well to being in the spotlight now with Adams out of the picture.

Any running back that racked up less than 300 yards on the ground in the previous year and is expected to pick up the pace for someone like Adams has an extreme amount of pressure on them. Jones Jr. did average more than 5.0 yards per carry in 2017.