Notre Dame Notebook: Freshman Sensation, Kevin Bauman Shines, Injury Updates

Following the Notre Dame practice today head coach Brian Kelly had plenty to talk about. Here are some news and notes from the Kelly press conference.

POTENTIAL SUPERSTAR UP FRONT

Freshman left tackle Blake Fisher can’t be ignored. Notre Dame has not had a freshman start the season opener at tackle since 2006 (Sam Young), and it appears Fisher is set to break that streak against Florida State.

No one with authority is saying that officially but the clues are splashing down in a steady drizzle from the coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees hinted at it on Wednesday and Kelly reiterated that Fisher, who was in the starting unit on Thursday in practice, has immense potential.

Fisher, who is 6-foot-6 and weighs 335 pounds, was ranked as a five-star recruit and the 29th best overall player by Rivals in the 2021 class.

Kelly said that Fisher is “better than anybody we have.”

So what makes Fisher so good?

“It's the length of a play. You saw it today, right? It's just finishing off plays,” Kelly explained. “He is, from a pass-rush standpoint, he's hard to get around. He's long, he moves his feet well, he's strong, you can't bull-rush him, he can get his hands on you. His development is still there, it needs to continue to grow, but look, you guys were out there, it's hard to compare him to anybody that we've had here.

“Was Ronnie Stanley a better athlete? Maybe. But he certainly didn't have the size,” continued the Irish head coach. “His makeup is elite and when I say makeup, his ability to go out there, his body recovers, most of these guys don't recover. They don't have the ability to bounce back the next day and recover with the workload they get. He can recover. He's got a gift and he is a gifted young man.”

KEVIN BAUMAN ADDS TO TIGHT END DEPTH

On just about any other team, Kevin Bauman, a 6-foot-5, 242 pound sophomore tight end, would be in the running for a starting position. But Bauman plays behind class Michael Mayer, another former five-star recruit that was one of the top freshman tight ends in the country in 2020.

Bauman made two outstanding catches on Thursday in the end zone. One was a leaping grab and the other was in the corner in tight coverage.

Bauman is going to get plenty of snaps if he keeps playing like he did during today’s practice.

Kelly said that Bauman is starting to figure it out.

“He was a bull in a China shop in breaking glass all over the place when he started off and he is refining himself in this position, “ Kelly said. “The tight end works in a phone booth, right? I mean, he's got to be able to slip and get open and he's really refining himself and getting on the edge of linebackers and safeties, and putting himself in positions where now he can use his ability. He's got really good ability, but he was tying himself up a lot. He was a bull in a china shop. He was running into safeties, he was running into linebackers, and he couldn't free himself up. This is just a guy that is developing along the way and we're starting to see that refining, if you will, from the position."

INJURY UPDATES

Junior All-American safety Kyle Hamilton was seen walking gingerly on the sidelines during practice on Thursday. Hamilton was pulled from the remainder of practice. Kelly said Hamilton was pulled because he was “tight, lower back tightness. We held him out for precautionary reasons.”

Senior right tackle Joshua Lugg was also limited during practice with strained his neck, according to Kelly. He was pulled after he got it “snapped back in 11 on 11.”

Defensive end Justin Ademilola missed about a week of practice with a hamstring injury, but the senior was back at practice and playing at full speed Thursday. Ademilola had one of the top defensive plays of the day when he ran with running back Kyren Willams on a wheel route and forced an incompletion.

Sophomore receiver Xavier Watts (hamstring) was still out of practice.

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