2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Conference	Independent
Head coach	Brian Kelly (7th year)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Sanford, Jr. (2nd year)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brian VanGorder (3rd year)
Base defense	4–3 multiple
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

2016 Division I FBS independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Army West Point			–						0	–	0
BYU			–						0	–	0
Notre Dame			–						0	–	0
UMass			–						0	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team will represent the University of Notre Dame in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Fighting Irish will be led by seventh-year head coach Brian Kelly and play their home games at Notre Dame Stadium. They will compete as an independent.

Before the season

Previous season

The 2015 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team finished the regular season with a 10-2 record. They lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes 44-28 in the Fiesta Bowl.

2016 NFL draft

The following former Notre Dame players were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft:

Main article: 2016 NFL Draft

Round	Selection	Player	Position	Team
1	6	Ronnie Stanley	Offensive Tackle	Baltimore Ravens
1	21	Will Fuller	Wide Receiver	Houston Texans
2	34	Jaylon Smith	Linebacker	Dallas Cowboys
2	50	Nick Martin	Center	Houston Texans
3	74	Keivarae Russell	Cornerback	Kansas City Chiefs
3	90	C. J. Prosise	Running back	Seattle Seahawks
4	103	Sheldon Day	Defensive tackle	Jacksonville Jaguars

Recruiting class

Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame coaching staff accepted 23 commitments for the 2016 recruiting cycle, including two 5-stars: Daelin Hayes and Tommy Kraemer. The class included student-athletes from 11 different states, and one Canadian province.

2016 recruits
Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Ian Book QB	El Dorado Hills, California	Oak Ridge High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	–	Aug 14, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Parker Boundreaux OL	Winter Garden, Florida	Bishop Moore High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	–	Jul 2, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Chase Claypool WR	Abbotsford, British Columbia	Abbotsford Senior Secondary	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	–	Jul 10, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 82
Liam Eichenberg OL	Cleveland, Ohio	St. Ignatius High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	-	Apr 19, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 85
Jalen Elliott DB	Richmond, Virginia	Lloyd C. Bird High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	–	Jun 19, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Daelin Hayes DE/LB	Belleville, Michigan	Skyline High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	–	Dec 10, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 81
Jamir Jones LB	Rochester, New York	Aquinas Institute	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	-	Jun 23, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 72
Jonathan Jones LB	Ocoee, Florida	Oak Ridge High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Feb 3, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Tony Jones, Jr. RB	St. Petersburg, Florida	IMG Academy	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	219 lb (99 kg)	–	Mar 22, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Khalid Kareem DE	Pontiac, Michigan	Harrison High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	–	Oct 23, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Tommy Kraemer OL	Cincinnati, Ohio	Elder High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	310 lb (140 kg)	–	Oct 4, 2014
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 83
Julian Love DB	Westchester, Illinois	Nazareth Academy	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–-	Mar 21, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Deon McIntosh RB	Pompano Beach, Florida	Cardinal Gibbons High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	–	Nov 16, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Javon McKinley WR	Corona, California	Centennial High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	-	Jan 9, 2016
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
D. J. Morgan DB	Norwalk, California	St. John Bosco High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Sep 27, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 79
Adetokunbo Ogundeji DE	West Bloomfield, Michigan	Walled Lake Central High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	–	Jul 16, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Julian Okwara DE	Charlotte, North Carolina	Ardrey Kell High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	–	Apr 14, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Spencer Perry DB	Newnan, Georgia	IMG Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	–	Jun 29, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Troy Pride, Jr. DB	Greer, South Carolina	Greer High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Dec 24, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
John Shannon LS	Lake Forest, Illinois	Loyola Academy	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Mar 21, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 68
Kevin Stepherson WR	Jacksonville, Florida	First Coast High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	171 lb (78 kg)	-	Jun 18, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 78
Devin Studstill DB	Riviera Beach, Florida	Palm Beach Garden High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	–	Dec 15, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 77
Donte Vaughn DB	Memphis, Tennessee	Whitehaven High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Oct 12, 2015
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13   Rivals: 12  ESPN: 16
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Personal

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Corbett Family Head Coach	7th	Assumption (1982)
Mike Denbrock	Associate Head Coach/Wide Receivers	7th	Grand Valley State (1987)
Mike Elston	Linebackers/Recruiting Coordinator	7th	Michigan (1998)
Harry Hiestand	Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator	5th	East Stroudsburg (1983)
Scott Booker	Tight Ends/Special Teams Coordinator	5th	Kent State (2003)
Brian VanGorder	Defensive Coordinator	3rd	Wayne State (1980)
Mike Sanford Jr.	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks	2nd	Boise State (2005)
Autry Denson	Running Backs	2nd	Notre Dame (1999)
Keith Gilmore	Defensive Line	2nd	Wayne State (1981)
Todd Lyght	Pat and Jana Eilers Family Defensive Backs Coach	2nd	Notre Dame (1991)
Paul Longo	Director of Football Strength and Conditioning	7th	Wayne State (1981)

Roster

2016 Spring Roster - und.com
Quarterbacks  4 Montgomery Van Gorder - Junior (6'5, 215)  8 Malik Zaire - Senior (6'0, 225) 12 Brandon Wimbush - Sophomore (6'1, 216) 14 DeShone Kizer - Junior (6'4, 230) 17 Nolan Henry - Sophomore (6'1, 195) Ian Brook - Freshman Running Backs 11 Justin Brent - Junior (6'1, 220) 25 Tarean Folston - Senior (5'9, 214) 28 Austin Ross - Senior (5'10, 206) 33 Josh Adams - Sophomore (6'1, 219) 34 Dexter Williams - Sophomore (5'11, 210) 46 Josh Anderson - Graduate Student (5'9, 205) 49 Bailey Ross - Senior (5'10, 202) Tony Jones Jr. - Freshman Deon McIntosh - Freshman Wide Receivers  9 C. J. Sanders - Sophomore (5'8, 185) 15 Corey Holmes - Junior (6'0, 190) 16 Torri Hunter Jr. - Senior (6'0, 195) 26 Austin Webster - Junior (5'11, 195) 27 Chris Finke - Sophomore (5'9, 175) 29 Kevin Stepherson - Freshman (6'0, 181) 35 Grant Hammann - Junior (6'0, 192) 37 Omar Hunter - Senior (5'9, 195) 81 Miles Boykin - Sophomore (6'3, 225) 86 Equanimeous St. Brown - Sophomore (6'4, 205) 87 Keenan Centlivre - Junior (6'5, 225) 88 Corey Robinson - Senior (6'4, 215) 89 Buster Sheridan - Senior (6'3, 200) Chase Claypool - Freshman Javon McKinley - Freshman Tight Ends 10 Alize Jones - Sophomore (6'4, 240) 80 Durham Smythe - Senior (6'4, 245) 82 Nic Weishar - Junior (6'4, 245) 84 Ben Suttman - Senior (6'2, 240) 89 Jacob Matuska - Senior (6'4, 275) Punters 80 Tyler Newsome - Junior (6'2, 210) (+K)		Offensive Lineman 53 Sam Mustipher - Junior (6'2, 305) 56 Quenton Nelson - Junior (6'5, 325) 57 Trevor Ruhland - Sophomore (6'3, 300) 62 Colin McGovern - Senior (6'4, 315) 63 Sam Bush - Junior (6'3, 305) 66 Tristen Hoge - Sophomore (6'4, 300) 67 Jimmy Byrne - Junior (6'4, 300) 68 Mike McGlinchey - Senior (6'7, 310) 69 Logan Plantz - Sophomore (6'2, 310) 70 Hunter Bivin - Senior (6'5, 308) 71 Alex Bars - Junior (6'6, 320) 75 Mark Harrell - Graduate Student (6'4, 306) Parker Boundreaux - Freshman Liam Eichenberg - Freshman Tommy Kraemer - Freshman Defensive Lineman  9 Daelin Hayes - Freshman (6'3, 257) 53 Khalid Kareem - Freshman (6'3, 270) 54 Lincoln Feist - Sophomore (6'2, 315) 55 Jonathan Bonner - Junior (6'3, 286) 58 Elijah Taylor - Sophomore (6'3, 285) 60 John Montelus - Senior (6'4, 310) 64 Ryan Kilander - Junior (6'0, 310) 75 Daniel Cage - Junior (6'1, 315) 77 Brandon Tiassum - Sophomore (6'3, 302) 90 Isaac Rochell - Senior (6'3, 290) 92 Grant Blankenship - Junior (6'5, 278) 93 Jay Hayes - Junior (6'3, 285) 94 Jarron Jones - Graduate Student (6'5, 315) 95 Marquis Dickerson - Senior (6'1, 285) 96 Peter Mokwuah - Junior (6'3, 317) 97 Micah Dew-Treadway - Sophomore (6'4, 300) 98 Andrew Trumbetti - Junior (6'3, 260) 99 Jerry Tillery - Sophomore (6'6, 310) Adetokunbo Ogundeji - Freshman Julian Okwara - Freshman Kickers 19 Justin Yoon - Sophomore (5'9, 190) 29 Sam Kohler - Junior (6'0, 175) 42 Jeff Riney - Sophomore (5'10, 175) (+P) 43 John Chereson - Senior (5'9, 178)		Linebackers  4 Te'Von Coney - Sophomore (6'1, 235)  5 Nyles Morgan - Junior (6'1, 245) 17 James Onwualu - Senior (6'1, 232) 27 Asmar Bilal - Sophomore (6'2, 230) 30 Josh Barajas - Sophomore (6'1, 240) 40 Kier Murphy - Sophomore (6'0, 230) 42 Jimmy Thompson - Sophomore (6'0, 215) 48 Greer Martini - Junior (6'2, 245) 49 Brandon Hutson - Sophomore (6'2, 230) 51 Devyn Spruell - Sophomore (6'1, 240) Jamir Jones - Freshman Jonathan Jones - Freshman John Shannon - Freshman Cornerbacks 12 Devin Butler - Senior (6'0, 200) 21 Nick Watkins - Junior (6'0, 200) 25 Brian Ball - Sophomore (5'11, 185) 26 Ashton White - Sophomore (5'11, 190) 34 Jesse Bongiovi - Senior (5'9, 194) 36 Cole Luke - Senior (5'11, 193) Safeties  4 Avery Sebastian - Graduate Student (5'10, 200) 10 Max Redfield - Senior (6'1, 205) 13 Devin Studstill - Freshman (6'0, 190) 23 Drue Tranquill - Junior (6'1, 225) 28 Nicco Fertitta - Sophomore (5'8, 185) 31 Spencer Perry - Freshman (6'2, 204) 38 Robert Regan - Sophomore (6'2, 200) 39 Drew Recker - Senior (5'11, 205) Defensive Backs 14 Shaun Crawford - Sophomore (5'8, 189) 24 Nick Coleman - Sophomore (5'11, 190) Jalen Elliott - Freshman Julian Love - Freshman D.J. Morgan - Freshman Troy Pride Jr. - Freshman Donte Vaughn - Freshman Long Snappers 61 Scott Daly - Graduate Student (6'1, 250)

Season

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent#	Rank#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	7:30 PM	at Texas		Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX	ABC
September 10	3:30 PM	Nevada		Notre Dame Stadium • Notre Dame, IN	NBC
September 17	7:30 PM	Michigan State		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Megaphone Trophy)	NBC
September 24	3:30 PM	Duke		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC
October 1		at Syracuse		MetLife Stadium • East Rutherford, NJ
October 8		at North Carolina State		Carter Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC
October 15	7:30 PM	Stanford		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN (Legends Trophy / Rivalry)	NBC
October 29	3:30 PM	Miami		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC
November 5	11:30 AM	at Navy		EverBank Field • Jacksonville, FL (Rip Miller Trophy)	CBS
November 12	3:30 PM	vs. Army		Alamodome • San Antonio, TX (Rivalry / Shamrock Series)	NBC
November 19	3:30 PM	Virginia Tech		Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, IN	NBC
November 26		at USC		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA (Jeweled Shillelagh / Rivalry)
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.