Notre Dame Football: Top 5 position battles to watch in spring 2018

With practices now in full swing, here’s a look at some of the most intense Notre Dame football position battles to watch this spring.

As controversial as his time with the Irish has been, head coach Brian Kelly and his recruiting staff have done a fine job of fine-tuning the recruiting process to the team’s specific needs. While the talent hasn’t always translated onto the field, the Irish have seen a bump in recruiting status over the past couple of years.

With the roster now set, Kelly and his fellow coaches are now tasked with determining who will start against Michigan in Week 1 of the 2018 regular season. While these decisions won’t be written in stone, they certainly give an advantage to those who are provided the opportunity to control their own destinies as starters.

With that said, here’s a look at some of the most intriguing position battles that will take place over the course of the Blue-Gold game and beyond.

5. Cornerback

With junior Julian Love all but a lock to serve as Notre Dame’s No. 1 corner, it will be junior Troy Pride Jr. and fifth-year senior Nick Watkins who battle it out for the No. 2 spot. Both players saw a significant amount of time on the field in 2017, so their placement on the depth chart will rely heavily on their performances this spring.

As it stands right now, Pride is in a bit of a better place than Watkins. According to Kelly himself, Pride has been the most consistent Irish cornerback this spring. That is a significant compliment for a player who has struggled with consistency his entire college career, bouncing between starter status and irrelevancy throughout his freshman and sophomore seasons.

After ceding the starting job to Pride over the last four games of the 2017 season, Watkins’ announcement that he would be returning for a fifth year came as a bit of a surprise. Watkins also saw his fair share of ups and downs last season, but finished with a respectable statline of 37 total tackles, eight passes defensed, and one interception over 12 games.

In terms of physicality, Watkins has a few inches on Pride, but the latter boasts speed that rivals anyone on the field. Considering the struggles of both players to find consistency, we may end up seeing a variety of starts from each. Regardless, keep an eye on this position as the defense rolls out its first unit in the Blue-Gold game.