Brian Kelly hasn't set a timetable for when he plans to name a starting quarterback, but the Notre Dame coach is moving closer to reaching a decision.
Kelly plans on meeting with his quarterbacks on Monday to discuss how practice repetitions are going to be distributed. When Notre Dame begins preparing for Navy next week, the reps will be shifted toward the starter for the Sept. 1 opener in Ireland.
The third-year coach must decide between junior Andrew Hendrix and sophomore Everett Golson for the opener against the Midshipmen. Junior Tommy Rees, the incumbent starter, is suspended for the first game of the regular season. Freshman quarterback Gunner Kiel has received limited reps in preseason camp. Kelly has been pleased with the Irish quarterback play in practice.
"These guys want to get better, they want to be the starter," Kelly said at Thursday's Irish Media Day. "In my career, it's probably been the most energized (I've been) to get out and coach guys that want to learn. That's been fun for me."
Golson has attempted more than 125 passes during camp but has only been intercepted once, Kelly said Thursday.
Other highlights from Irish media day: Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said a decision hasn't been made on whether the school will install FieldTurf at Notre Dame Stadium. Kelly told WSBT in South Bend earlier this month that the stadium could add FieldTurf as soon as the 2013 season. Notre Dame Stadium has had a natural grass surface since it opened in 1930.
Junior offensive tackle Tate Nichols missed Thursday's practice with a left knee injury, according to the South Bend Tribune. Nichols could be out several weeks, Kelly said. Kelly is unsure if Nichols will return in time for the game against Navy.
While Kelly hasn't decided on the team's primary punt returner, he named George Atkinson as the team’s starting kickoff returner. Atkinson is coming off a freshman season when he set a school-record for kickoff return yards with 915. The 6-1, 210 pound sophomore had an 89-yard touchdown return against Michigan State last season and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against USC.
OT Williams and LB Cliett appear on two-deep depth chart at USF: There were two surprising developments at South Florida on Wednesday when coach Skip Holtz released an updated depth chart for the preseason. Holtz seems willing to provide sophomore offensive tackle Darrell Williams and sophomore linebacker Reshard Cliett with extended playing time, according to the Tampa Bay Tribune.
If Williams earns a spot on the first-team offensive line, Holtz has the option of moving starting left tackle Mark Popek inside. Popek earned a spot on the All-Big East preseason first team from Athlon Sports. The Bulls have two other returning starters on the offensive line in right tackle Quinterrius Eatmon and guard Danous Estenor.
Cliett, a converted safety, had five tackles in his redshirt freshman season in 2011. Cliett is part of an experienced corps of linebackers that includes senior Sam Barrington and redshirt junior DeDe Lattimore.
Pitt QB coach Bollinger pleased with Sunseri’s development: Pittsburgh quarterbacks coach Brooks Bollinger bounced around the NFL for eight seasons spending time with the Jets, Cowboys and Vikings. As a four-year starter at Wisconsin, Bollinger won more than 70 percent of his games.
Bollinger has been critical in the development of Panthers QB Tino Sunseri.
Bollinger indicated on Thursday that Sunseri is eliminating a number of errors that plagued him in the past. A switch from a pro-style offense to the spread caused Sunseri to struggle in 2011, when he threw more interceptions than touchdowns (11:10). Pitt has returned to a pro-style offense.
“If you went back and watched the tape from the spring, you’re not seeing the same mistakes,” Bollinger said. “He’s learning from them and continuing to get better.”
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