When Jafar Armstrong committed to Notre Dame, people were talking about his future as one of the program’s top receivers. He was a four-star wide out, ranked No. 33 at the position in the 2017 class and there were high hopes for him to take over when guys like Equanimeous St. Brown and Miles Boykin graduated.
Since there was no immediate need for a receiver and because Armstrong was an above-average runner with a strong 6-1, 215-pound frame, he made the move to running back.
The rest is history.
Dexter Williams has graduated, leaving a hole in the backfield, but Armstrong rushed for 383 yards and seven touchdowns on 5.3 yards per carry as a sophomore, looking like the team’s best backup. The 2019 starting role looked like his to lose, but guys like Tony Jones Jr. and Jahmir Smith were going to push him.
The spring game only reaffirmed his position atop the depth chart, having one heck of a game as potentially the offense’s top performer. He had nine carries for 85 yards and looked explosive all day long.
If there was any doubt about who the starting running back would be come 2019’s kickoff, that has been put to rest.