Quick Hits: Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly's press conference before Louisville
Notre Dame released its two-deep depth chart before head coach Brian Kelly's Wednesday press conference.
The starting linebackers for Monday's season opener at Louisville are listed as Drew White (middle), Asmar Bilal (buck) and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (rover). Junior Jonathan Doerer was named as the starting place-kicker.
The updated two-deep depth chart for #NotreDame. pic.twitter.com/1O6khZ8AEH
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) August 28, 2019
Kelly addressed questions from reporters. These were the most significant topics he addressed:
Kelly praised new Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield. He said offensive tackle Mekhi Becton “will be a high draft pick.” On starting quarterback Jawon Pass, “Big, physical. I think they’ve put together an offense that really suits him well.”
Kelly said sophomore wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. remains on the team and plans to stay enrolled at Notre Dame. He declined to address Austin’s situation. Irish Illustrated reported this week that Austin is out for the season with a university-imposed suspension.
Sophomore Lawrence Keys III was named as a starting receiver, as expected. Kelly said, “Everybody can see that when he touches the ball, he has great speed. One of the things that he does that’s a little different than our guys is that he can catch the ball at full speed.”
Kelly said senior defensive end Daelin Hayes has stood out to him in camp and that he's not been talked about enough.
Graduate senior Shaun Crawford earned the nod as the No. 1 field cornerback. Kelly said, "I think you will see more rotation at the field (cornerback) than getting (boundary corner) Troy Pride Jr. out of the game."
Kelly mentioned defensive end Isaiah Foskey, punter Jay Bramblett, running back Kyren Williams and rover Jack Kiser as freshmen beyond safety Kyle Hamilton that have impressed. He expects Kiser to make an impact on special teams this year.
Kelly said White has shown improvements in his pass coverage and shouldn't just be known as a run-stopper. He added, "but not to the level where he's walking around saying, 'I'm the starter from here on out.'" Kelly said other linebackers should rotate.
