There is something to be said about the first weekend in August. There is an excitement in the air from the Irish faithful and talks of going back to the playoffs. Before there can be real serious discussion on a chance to return to the College Football Playoffs, the start of the 2019 football season has to go through Culver Academy.
A season is not won on day one of camp, it’s a process. There are QB’s to look at, WR’s, TE’s, Punters, RB’s, Offensive Linemen, Defensive Linemen, CB’s, LB’s and Special Teams. There is a lot to do in a short time. One thing’s for sure, Coach Kelly will have a lot to break down by the end of this week and over the next four.
The View From The Stands
The view from the bleachers is amazing. A team committed to each other is on the field. Team 131 has high expectations for the 2019 season. The battle for a starting position is on. At some positions it’s the battle for the number two spot. There are also team leaders on the field. You could hear Alohi Gilman on the practice field behind the media, in return the other defensive players get loud as well.
The offensive side of the field was more office like. The instructions were coming from the coaches of the different positions giving advice and recommended improvements.
Standouts From Day 1
Probably one of the biggest standouts from day one was Kyle Hamilton. He had a pick from Book and two off of Jurkovec. Kyle is a Freshman, originally a three star recruit, he then was bumped to a four star ranking.
Aaron Banks (Jr), goes up against his battery mates who is holding a tackling pad and he bowls the guy over right to the ground.
Jay Bramblett can punt the ball. He way outkicked Doerer in the punting department. Bramblett had some serious air time on most of his attempts. This guy will be great to watch. I know it’s early but I believe he gets the job for punting.
Tony Jones Jr and Jafar Armstrong both looked great today. Very crisp on the rope drills and ball handling drills.
Ian Book
Book had a great day on and off the field. On the field he had great day in the passing department. His footwork looked like he had just gone through a Manning Academy.
Off the field, he handled his press conference like a champ. He kept to the message and and spoke nothing but praise for his team.
Alohi Gilman
You can hear Gilman off and on the field. He is definitely the leader of the defense. Gilman had nothing but praise for defensive mates as well. While on the sidelines, you can hear him coaching up his teammates.
Chase Claypool
Claypool had some pretty phenomenal catches on day one. Claypool had ankle surgery during the off-season. He wasn’t forced to participate in all of the drills on day one.
Chris Finke
Finke brings the energy to the team. Finke will not hesitate to tell you he does not regret coming back for his fifth season. He had a great day on the punt returns as well as his WR activities.
Wrap Up
Day one is in the books. It is very hard to decipher what is going to happen over the next week. We do know that Captains will be chosen at the end of camp. The next media availability will be this Thursday and Saturday. Shake Down The Thunder Sports will be back out the Saturday practice back at Notre Dame.
Go Irish! ☘🏈⚡