Notre Dame Football: Ranking every position group for 2018
By Jacob Wilson
It was hard to determine where to place this group as the corners and safeties are in completely different places in terms of last season’s productivity. To highlight the disparity between the two positions, Irish cornerbacks were involved in 10 turnovers last season (seven interceptions, three fumbles) while the back half of the secondary didn’t contribute to a single turnover.
Despite the impending transfer of fifth-year senior Nick Watkins, the Irish will return a solid group of corners in 2018. That group will likely feature juniors Julian Love and Troy Pride Jr., the former of whom recorded three interceptions over the course of 2017. Senior Shaun Crawford will once again factor in as the teams nickel corner.
Maneuvering through the safety position is where things get a bit more tricky. While former Navy transfer Alohi Gilman appears set to start at free safety, strong safety is currently up for grabs. Outside of senior Nick Coleman (who figures to back up Gilman), just about every other capable safety is competing for the starting gig at strong safety.
The most likely candidates for the starting job are incumbent starter Jalen Elliott and junior Devin Studstill. Elliott impressed in the Blue-Gold game and will get first dibs at strong safety, but will be operating on a short leash with Studstill following closely behind. The Irish also have true freshman Houston Griffith, but he doesn’t figure to truly factor in until later down the road.