Keith Arnold over at Inside the Irish asked us to participate in his annual ranking of the Top 25 players on the Notre Dame roster. Generally, we let one of the staff take care of this, but instead this year applied a little group-think to our rankings. There were seven staff members to submit votes (Jamie Uyeyama, Larz, 4pointshooter, ndmspaint, Paul Rigney, Punter Bro, myself) in order to create the OFD rankings.
Voters used whatever criteria they deemed appropriate to rank the players-talent, impact, potential-you get the idea.
We will unveil our ballot throughout the week after Keith makes the overall rankings public. This edition covers players ranked #10-6.
Here is the link to the Honorable Mentions, #25-21, #20-16, and #15-11.
For reference, the final rankings at Inside the Irish can be found HERE.
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10. Greg Bryant
Top Ranking: 10 (4pointshooter)
Bottom Ranking: 13 (ndmspaint)
Bryant received the most consistent rankings among the group, which is interesting considering his limited action last fall. The potential is sky-high and is a perfect fit for the offense, but he is behind on knowledge of the playbook based on reps alone.
9. Tarean Folston
Top Ranking: 6 (Paul Rigney)
Bottom Ranking: 12 (ndmspaint)
Folston showed flashes in limited action last fall. He should hit the magic 100 career carry mark in the opener and averaged over 5 ypc as a true freshman. He enters camp as the odds-on favorite to earn starter's reps at running back.
8. Ben Koyack
Top Ranking: 6 (Jim Miesle)
Bottom Ranking: 15 (Punter Bro)
Koyack got pressed into service too early in his Irish career due to injuries, and as a result probably doesn't get the credit he deserves for continuing to develop. He now has the opportunity to be the featured TE in Brian Kelly's offense.
From Punter Bro:
A slow start to 2013 but a strong finish, Ben stands primed to succeed under an offense that has produced 3 top-round TE draft picks.
7. Nick Martin
Top Ranking: 3 (Punter Bro)
Bottom Ranking: 12 (Paul Rigney)
Martin received a pretty large range of votes for someone ranked so high on our list. Considering he handles the football on every single offensive play, he plays a pretty important role on this team.
From Punter Bro:
Martin, in my opinion, following in the footsteps of his brother, is the best OL on the roster.
6. DaVaris Daniels
Top Ranking: 3 (Jim Miesle)
Bottom Ranking: 9 (Punter Bro)
Daniels has the talent to be a 1st round NFL draft choice. He has shown some flashes during his Irish career, and this fall should be the season it all comes together. He developed a rapport with Golson as the 2012 season wore on and the two should pick up where they left off in the second half of that game that was played in January 2013.
From Punter Bro:
DaVaris has all of the tools to be a great player. Hopefully he, like Golson, bounces back from their respective suspensions and play well.