Notre Dame’s Jamoris Slaughter was denied his appeal for a 6th year of eligibility on Wednesday bringing about an end to his injury riddled Notre Dame career. Slaughter and Notre Dame had hopes that his appeal would end up in his favor, but those hopes were dashed and now the Irish and Slaughter both need to move forward.
Slaughter tore his Achilles tendon against Michigan State earlier this season and missed the final 9 games of the regular season and the BCS Championship game. He also missed his entire freshman season after being injured in a high school All American game. Those two injuries and lost time were the basis for Slaughter’s request for a 6th year, but unfortunately it was not enough to grant the safety an additional season in South Bend.
Slaughter had the following to say in a statement released by Notre Dame:
I understood that a sixth year was far from a guarantee. It is sad to know that my time at Notre Dame as a football player is complete, but it doesn’t lessen my love for this university and its football program. This decision simply begins the next chapter of my life and I’ll be forever grateful for my coaches, teammates and all the Irish fans that supported me throughout my career.
He also added the following on Twitter:
It's been great ND! Hey you know what they say when one door closes another one opens! #NFLDREAMING
— Jamoris Slaughter™ (@J_Slaughter30) February 13, 2013
And his head coach Brian Kelly added:
I appreciate the NCAA taking the time to thoroughly look into Jamoris’ application for a sixth year. Jamoris is a first-class young man and most importantly leaves Notre Dame with his degree. We wish him all the best as he now pursues his dream of playing in the NFL.
Having Slaughter back would have been a great luxury for an Irish secondary that somehow survived the loss of three starting caliber players in 2012 – Slaughter, Austin Collinsworth, and Lo Wood – given that 2012 senior Zeke Motta is out of eligibility as well. Having Slaughter for one more year would have allowed the Irish to return a set of four one-time starters in the secondary with Matthias Farley entering just his junior year at safety and cornerbacks Bennett Jackson and Keivarae Russell both back as well.
Without Slaughter back, Notre Dame will have some healthy competition at safety heading into the 2013 season with a host of characters ready to challenge for playing time. Notre Dame returns Nicky Baratti, John Turner, Austin Collinsworth, Chris Badger, Elijah Shumate, CJ Prosise, and Eliar Hardy at safety along with Farley. Notre Dame also brought in 5-star prospect Max Redfield in this year’s recruiting class. Of that group, Baratti, Prosise, and Redfield seem the most logical to step in for Motta.
For Slaughter, this brings about a disappointing end to a once promising Notre Dame career. On top of his two major injuries, minor bumps and bruises along plagued the rest of his collegiate career preventing him from ever really reaching his full potential. We saw a glimpse of what Slaughter was capable of when he stole the defensive show in the 2012 Champs Sports Bowl against Florida State, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to carry over that success during the 2012 season due to his injury.
Slaughter was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine last week though and will now focus on his NFL future. Given his injury it seems likely that his best bet heading into the 2013 season will be a undrafted free agent deal, but with his athleticism, he has a good chance to stick as a special teams player at least.
Well, Michael the Archangel, let’s do a little horsetrading. How about this? We give you, as safety coach, Shumate to start this year, and use Wood and Luke to back up Jackson and Russell. Meanwhile, you get busy with Redfield, Prosise, Baratti, then next Spring take Shumate back as starting corner. So in 2014 the starting defensive backfield is:
CBS: Russell and Shumate
Safeties: Redfield and Farley
Reserves:
CB: Luke, Kinlaw and Butler
Safeties: Baratti, Prosise,Hardy, Collinsworth
Would that work for you??
Does anyone else think it’s crap the NCAA didn’t let him stay? He didn’t even play a third of the season.
Thanks to Jamoris for being an exemplary athlete and performer at ND.
Here’s wishing you all the fulfillment of your dreams, either in or beyond the NFL.
What an outstanding coach he could be someday when his playing days are over.
I’ve read his presence among the other DBs this year commented on by current players
and coaches as invaluable.
One memory I’ll have is Jamoris as a key in stopping cold that pesky Navy offense that
riddled us two or three years, and his
superb ball-hawking skills at safety and LB.
Now how ’bout switching Shumate back to his natural safety position so as to
get him on the field even more, although his coverage skills as the fifth DB last year
could certainly place him as duranko mentioned as CB heir apparent to B.Jackson
with the abundance of quality safeties available like Collinsworth, Barati, Redfield, and who knows
how well Prosis, Hardy and Turner develop.
Having that kind of depth among DBs is a long-awaited hope come true.
well, good luck to Slaughter as he tries to make the NFL.
The Irish are not without malleable clay at the safety position.
Badger is now four years away from high school, as is Collinsworth. Auston had 18 tackles in 2011.
Eilar Hardy, who claims he’s ready after the injury, will be in his third year in the Fall.
Baratti got good minutes last year. Prosis was well thought of at Cat when he filled in the depth chart when Spond was questionable.
Shumate is always a possibility (though he may be Bennet Jackson’s heir apparent as a starting CB in 2014.) And there’s Turner.
Finally, who is more qualified to play based on pedigree and high school performance.
KeiVarae Russell as a cornerback starter in 2012 OR
Max Redfield as a back up safery in 2013?