Notre Dame Football: 5 things to watch during 2019 Blue-Gold game

3. Avery Davis at cornerback

If Avery Davis’ college football career was a party game, it would undoubtedly be pin the tail on the donkey. You kind of know where you want to put him, put every time you take that blindfold off you realize you were just a little off. As for the 2019 season, the Irish are hopeful that they finally got it right.

After serving his first season in an Irish uniform at quarterback, Kelly knew that Davis’ versatility and athleticism would be better used elsewhere. With Josh Adams moving on to the NFL and Dexter Williams in line to miss the first few games of the season, Kelly decided to move Davis to running back for the 2018 season.

While Davis saw some success, particularly earlier in the season, he remained underutilized as he fell behind Jafar Armstrong, Tony Jones Jr., and Williams on the depth chart. Next thing he knew, it was another season in the books and little to show for it.

However, both Kelly and Lea are confident that they may have found the perfect place for Davis to exhibit his athleticism on an every-down basis. With fifth year senior Shaun Crawford recovering from a season-ending injury and little experience behind him, Davis is in line to earn significant time at a nickel position that would benefit greatly from his presence if Crawford isn’t good to go.