Brian Kelly Kicks off Notre Dame’s 2013 Fall Camp

Set to start his fourth season as the head coach of Notre Dame on Monday, head coach Brian Kelly addressed the media on Friday to kick off 2013 Fall Camp.  Kelly talked about a myriad of topics including Tommy Rees, the running back rotation, defensive leadership, and his contract.  We have the full video from the UND YouTube Channel and some notes below.

• Notre Dame’s sole focus since January has been on getting back to the championship game with a better outcome.  Kelly said that “Our focus since our last game has been to get back to the top of the mountain.”
• Kelly and the staff are excited about taking the team the Shiloh for the first few days of camp.  The staff had been wanting to do this for a while, but couldn’t find a suitable venue.  It took some work on Camp Shiloh’s part to accommodate the Irish but Kelly praised their effort.  Kelly noted that there won’t be any cable or internet available for the players one they are there – he wants it to be a team building event.
• Tommy Rees was named the starter for the Temple game because of his experience.  Kelly said he didn’t name Rees the starter for all 13 games yet, but it is his expectation that Rees will rise the occasion.
• On Rees improvement since 2011, Kelly stressed limiting turnovers and cited the “mental reps” that Rees took last year even if they weren’t live reps as reason to believe he will be much more advanced this year than he was two years ago as a sophomore.
• There is a specific plan in place for Everett Golson during his time away from Notre Dame as well for his return which Kelly reiterated should occur in January according to the plan.
• Kelly joked that there will be less option in the Notre Dame offense with Rees under center than there would have been if Golson were still enrolled at Notre Dame.  Kelly also said, “I think you’re going to see the very best in Tommy Rees.”
• When discussing the running back rotation, Kelly praised George Atkinson for the big plays that he made in 2012 but said that the junior will need to be more consistent, run with a lower pad level, and ball security.  Kelly also said that Cam McDaniel is capable of playing at a high level for Notre Dame this fall.  Everyone else in the rotation – Amir Carlisle, Will Mahone, Greg Bryant, and Tarean Folston – will need to prove it and earn their playing time in camp.
• Kelly praised the communication level of the staff and stressed how important the consistency in the staff is this year.
• With regards to his contract, Kelly said he has basically agreed in principle to a new contract with Notre Dame but that the legal details are still being worked out.  He does expect something to be finalized imminently though.
• Kelly said that they are still looking for the leadership to emerge on the defensive side of the ball but that he knows it will happen.  He mentioned Carlo Calebrese and Dan Fox at the inside linebackers position, Bennett Jackson in the secondary, and Prince Shembo and Danny Spond at outside linebacker.
• Louis Nix made a concerted effort in the off-season to increase his volume of work during games by putting his time in with Paul Longo in the weight room.  When asked about how you find/develop players like Nix, Kelly admitted that it is tough to find someone like Nix in recruiting but that he believed players like Nix could be developed.
• Malik Zaire won’t be running with the scout team this fall – Kelly wants him to get live reps with the “real” offense.  Notre Dame is looking internally for scout team quarterbacks, but don’t expect to see Zaire running other teams plays this year in practice.
• Kyle Brindza will be given every opportunity to lock down the punting job for Notre Dame this fall, but if he is unable to do so, Kelly won’t hesitate to look in another direction internally.
• Joey Brooks won’t be with the team moving forward after practicing as a tight end in the spring.  Kelly said that Mike Heuerman’s development was the main reason – he wanted to make sure he got as many reps as possible at a loaded position.
• When asked about position battles, Kelly talked about looking forward to watch the inside and outside linebackers and safeties specifically.
• Kelly down right rushed about the depth and talent at wide receiver and while he admitted there isn’t an individual as talented as a Tyler Eifert or a Michael Floyd, that the overall talent at receiver is the best it has ever been since he arrived at Notre Dame.  Kelly also praised the route running of TJ Jones and said that he would not be surprised if Jones were a 1st round draft pick.