Tony Jones Jr. took a pitch from quarterback Brandon Wimbush during a drill Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
“Looks good, Tony,” coach Brian Kelly said as Jones ran past him. “Looks good.”
Notre Dame entered camp with questions at running back. Jones is looking to be the answer.
“I’m really excited to show the world what I should have showed them parts of last year,” said Jones, a redshirt sophomore who dealt with a high ankle sprain throughout last season.
Running back was a team strength in 2017, but leading rusher Josh Adams (1,430 yards, nine touchdowns) decided to turn pro after his junior season, and the school confirmed in January that Deon McIntosh (368 yards, five touchdowns) and C.J. Holmes (32 yards) were no longer members of the team.
Despite the losses, offensive coordinator Chip Long said the Irish have more depth at the position this season.
“It’s still a work in progress, still trying to figure out what they can do and do well and how we’re going to utilize all of them,” Long said Wednesday.
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The 5-foot-11, 220-pound Jones, who rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns, is among the more experienced backs.
“We want a solid guy to go to and that we can count on in all situations,” Kelly said. “Pressure situations, short yardage, catching the ball out of the backfield — we need a guy that we can really hang our hat on in tough times, and he’s going to be that guy.
“And then he gets supported with a number of other skill players like (Jafar) Armstrong and Avery (Davis). Obviously, Dexter (Williams) will continue to work and see how that plays out.”
Reports surfaced before camp that Williams (360 yards, four touchdowns) could miss some games for disciplinary reasons. When asked at the start of camp about the senior’s status for the opener, Kelly said, “We’ll see who ends up playing against Michigan, but he’s on our football team and I’m really proud of what he’s accomplished this summer.”
The 6-1, 218-pound Armstrong has been a breakout player in camp. The redshirt freshman is a converted wide receiver.
“Jafar is the closest thing that I’ve had to Theo Riddick since I’ve been here,” Kelly said. “Tenacious. Can go all day. Runs physical inside and has the skills to catch the ball coming out of the backfield. I’m not ready to put him in that (Riddick) category, but I’m just comparing him (to) the kind of player that he is.
“We haven’t had that guy that can bang it up inside with that physicality. C.J. (Prosise) was nice, but he’s not Jafar. C.J. had great speed. This kid is going to be a really good player for us.”
Davis, a converted quarterback, has also had highlights.
“For him, the transition was easier because most of it is, you have to want to,” running backs coach Autry Denson said. “That kid wants to play football and wants to be at Notre Dame. When we asked him to look at some other things, he embraced it.”
Freshmen Jahmir Smith and C’Bo Flemister could also be factors. Denson is excited to see how the position develops.
“Going into it, the strategy will be the same: We want to get a lot of guys going,” Denson said. “And over the course of the season, the guys dictate how much or when we put them in or pull them back.”
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