Notre Dame football: Report: ND safety Baratti out for year

SOUTH BEND - Perhaps the deepest position on the Notre Dame football team appears to have lost a little bit of that quantity and a whole lot of quality.

IrishIllustrated.com was the first to report Sunday that sophomore safety Nicky Baratti’s apparent shoulder injury will sideline him for the upcoming season — according to a Facebook post by his father, Clarke.

A Notre Dame spokesman wouldn’t confirm the details, instead deferring to ND head coach Brian Kelly’s scheduled meeting with the media around 12:30 p.m. Monday.

The 6-foot-1, 206-pound Baratti played in all 13 games last season as a freshman, primarily on special teams. He recorded eight tackles and an interception for the Irish (12-1).

The Tomball, Texas, product was held out of contact in the spring because of offseason shoulder surgery. The most recent injury is reportedly to the same shoulder. It is not clear when the injury occurred. The Irish held a two-a-day session Saturday and were off Sunday.

Sophomore Elijah Shumate, a converted cornerback, climbed to the top of the depth chart in the spring at field safety — the position that lines up next to incumbent boundary safety Matthias Farley.

Baratti was considered the most serious challenger to Shumate for the spot opened up by Zeke Motta’s move to the NFL. Senior Austin Collinsworth, junior Eilar Hardy and freshman Max Redfield all figure to push Shumate and battle for a spot in the two-deeps.