Notre Dame Football: The Irish Still Have To Free Up Two Scholarships - So Who Leaves?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is still sitting with two scholarships over the 85 man limit. We all know that Notre Dame has been unable to start fall camp with a full 85 of recruited players in many, many years. We also know that the Notre Dame offseason is always full of news of Irish players leaving the program in one way or another.

But this year is different.

For those that say there is nothing to worry about, because Notre Dame always has a lot of attrition after each season - you’re right. The only thing is that we have already seen a very large number leave the program, so the normal rules of random probably don’t apply.

It’s the question that was never asked at the end of spring football. No one asked Brian Kelly what he was going to do - or what might happen now with what was then a 3 man overage. Since spring ball ended, cornerback Nick Watkins has decided to use a fifth year transfer, so now we are down to two.

So who leaves? What happens next? For myself, and many Irish fans, it’s a difficult situation to talk about. I’ve said it for years... I wouldn’t trade any of these guys for another player. I just have a hard time turning my back on a Notre Dame player. Loyalty - a weird problem to have.

Having said that, I have a list of possible departures.

• David Adams LB
• Drew White LB
• Nic Weishar TE
• Freddy Canteen WR
• Ian Book QB
• Dillan Gibbons OG
• Darnell Ewell DT
• Isaiah Robertson ROV

Now keep in mind that this is just a list off the top of my head. Very few details exist that would have me point at a guy and say, “him.” Nic Weishar and Freddy Canteen, for example, are guys that I would give a 1% chance of being off the program come fall (for various 5th year reasons).

BUT TWO GUYS ARE GOING TO BE GONE.

So who’s it going to be? What position group is going to change? Will it be a bigger deal than just a guy burried on the depth chart? Will it be a couple of defensive guys NOT recruited by Mike Elko or Clark Lea?

I think these are still important issues that we still need to watch while it plays out, and I don’t believe it’s as simple as “oh they’ll lose 3-4 more anyways.” This isn’t Alabama or Ohio State, and even though “processing” still exists at Notre Dame, it’s never as blatant as those programs.

It might get that way now. The beginning was oversigning during the last cycle - so what’s the ending?