https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-adds-graduate-transfer-trevor-speights-to-running-back-corps

I know a lot of people liked the idea of this, with his connections to Taylor and all, but I'm not a fan of it. Speights is probably a great kid, but he hasn't produced at all over his time at Stanford, has been injured every year and wasn't as highly recruited as the guys currently on the roster, meaning his ceiling arguably isn't as high.

 

If he sees the field consistently, it will not bode well for ND's running game.

I know a lot of people liked the idea of this, with his connections to Taylor and all, but I'm not a fan of it. Speights is probably a great kid, but he hasn't produced at all over his time at Stanford, has been injured every year and wasn't as highly recruited as the guys currently on the roster, meaning his ceiling arguably isn't as high.

 

If he sees the field consistently, it will not bode well for ND's running game.

 

Totally agree, and I was in the boat that liked the idea a few months ago. However, it’s tough to get excited when looking at his production while at Stanford.

 

I will say, I loved what ND did with the four grad transfers. JUCO’s play a big role on many national title teams and the transfer portal is a way for ND to bridge that gap. Many grad transfers are good enough to start in college but are probably not good enough to sustain a long career in the NFL. These players likely value education more at this juncture in their life. This gives ND the ability to clean up through the transfer portal if they so choose.

Totally agree, and I was in the boat that liked the idea a few months ago. However, it’s tough to get excited when looking at his production while at Stanford.

 

I will say, I loved what ND did with the four grad transfers. JUCO’s play a big role on many national title teams and the transfer portal is a way for ND to bridge that gap. Many grad transfers are good enough to start in college but are probably not good enough to sustain a long career in the NFL. These players likely value education more at this juncture in their life. This gives ND the ability to clean up through the transfer portal if they so choose.

 

There’s a huge difference between JUCOs and Speights. The JUCOs Bama and Clemson take are almost all guys that Bama and Clemson wanted out of high school but couldn’t take due to grades or other off the field reasons. This is a RB that wouldn’t have been at the top of NDs list coming out of high school, who has since been injured and unproductive on a team that has been worse than ND since he’s been there.

 

I’d feel a lot better about this if ND was getting an oft-injured, less than productive guy from OSU/Clemson/Bama who was just buried on the depth chart, or a guy like the CB they took a week or two ago from NCST who was a captain and a contributor on at least one very good defense.

Be glad that Brian Kelly was able to out-recruit Rice for a RB who had 24% of his rushing yards at Stanford vs. UC-Davis and who averaged 2.7 YPC against Power 5 opponents (127 yards on 46 carries)

Edited May 29, 20205 yr by jbrown_9999

I don't ever like to be negative, but I bet he is great at pass protection.

well guys, this is because Tony Jones Jr. Declared for the draft.

 

Amir Carlisle(USC transfer early Kelly era) and this guy are pretty comparable.

 

 

He probably won't be number 1. But if 2 guys go down, which they almost always do our numbers at RB are correct.

There’s a huge difference between JUCOs and Speights. The JUCOs Bama and Clemson take are almost all guys that Bama and Clemson wanted out of high school but couldn’t take due to grades or other off the field reasons. This is a RB that wouldn’t have been at the top of NDs list coming out of high school, who has since been injured and unproductive on a team that has been worse than ND since he’s been there.

 

I’d feel a lot better about this if ND was getting an oft-injured, less than productive guy from OSU/Clemson/Bama who was just buried on the depth chart, or a guy like the CB they took a week or two ago from NCST who was a captain and a contributor on at least one very good defense.

 

Not disagreeing one bit, but take Speights out of the equation for a second. We got a former 5 star from Ohio State and 2 solid starters from teams that have spent a good portion of time in the top 25. Sure, these guys are not exactly the JUCO’s Bama or Georgia are getting, but like I said it is helping to bridge the gap.

I understand the lack of excitement about this (I'm not particularly excited either), but I don't get all the criticism. What exactly is the downside? You add a veteran RB who is familiar with Lance Taylor.

 

The RB room is a mess right now. Armstrong looked good in 2018 but his injury last year completely derailed his season. No idea what to expect in 2020. Kyren Williams was a 4-star, but he barely saw the field last year. C'Bo has some ability, but he was a low 3-star (and former Georgia Southern commit) for a reason - he is limited. Jahmir Smith had some decent offers, but he seems like a Tony Jones clone in terms of athleticism/ability.

 

In Speights, ND adds a veteran RB who might be able to break through if he can finally stay healthy. Maybe he doesn't stay healthy or maybe he's not talented enough to see the field, but what does that matter? That scholarship would likely have gone to a walk-on in August anyway. Bring in a Power 5 RB and see what he can do when healthy with a coach he is familiar with.

 

Also, completely agree with ndomer. ND getting grad transfers is a great way for ND to build depth and make up for some recruiting misses. Nick McCloud (NC State CB) was a huge get because of Lyght's recruiting misses. Same with Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State S). And 3 of the 4 guys could be potential starters/regular contribubtors. Pryor was a Top 100 recruit with offers everywhere, and he got regular playing time at OSU before a coaching/scheme change. Ben Skowronek has more career receptions/yards/TDs than the rest of ND's WRs combined. Nick McCloud is a former captain and has a really good chance to start for ND this season. These are really huge gets for ND, and I hope they continue to go the grad transfer route like they did this offseason.

I dont get the criticism. What is the negative of taking him? If the team feels like they will have the scholly available, might as well use it.

Not disagreeing one bit, but take Speights out of the equation for a second. We got a former 5 star from Ohio State and 2 solid starters from teams that have spent a good portion of time in the top 25. Sure, these guys are not exactly the JUCO’s Bama or Georgia are getting, but like I said it is helping to bridge the gap.

 

 

Also, completely agree with ndomer. ND getting grad transfers is a great way for ND to build depth and make up for some recruiting misses. Nick McCloud (NC State CB) was a huge get because of Lyght's recruiting misses. Same with Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State S). And 3 of the 4 guys could be potential starters/regular contribubtors. Pryor was a Top 100 recruit with offers everywhere, and he got regular playing time at OSU before a coaching/scheme change. Ben Skowronek has more career receptions/yards/TDs than the rest of ND's WRs combined. Nick McCloud is a former captain and has a really good chance to start for ND this season. These are really huge gets for ND, and I hope they continue to go the grad transfer route like they did this offseason.

 

I agree with all of this. McCloud, Pryor and Skowronek were all good gets, whether or not they pan out. But just because 3/4 transfers were good gets at positions of need, doesn't mean that the 4th can just be written off as a positive when it's not.

 

In Speights, ND adds a veteran RB who might be able to break through if he can finally stay healthy. Maybe he doesn't stay healthy or maybe he's not talented enough to see the field, but what does that matter? That scholarship would likely have gone to a walk-on in August anyway. Bring in a Power 5 RB and see what he can do when healthy with a coach he is familiar with.

 

What matters to me is that ND is taking a guy who's other choice for his grad transfer was Rice, at a position they already have a multitude of different types of bodies. The scholarship would have been better used in the last recruiting class, so ND wouldn't be in the position to choose between picking up Speights or giving a scholarship to a walk on.

I understand the lack of excitement about this (I'm not particularly excited either), but I don't get all the criticism. What exactly is the downside? You add a veteran RB who is familiar with Lance Taylor.

 

The RB room is a mess right now. Armstrong looked good in 2018 but his injury last year completely derailed his season. No idea what to expect in 2020. Kyren Williams was a 4-star, but he barely saw the field last year. C'Bo has some ability, but he was a low 3-star (and former Georgia Southern commit) for a reason - he is limited. Jahmir Smith had some decent offers, but he seems like a Tony Jones clone in terms of athleticism/ability.

 

In Speights, ND adds a veteran RB who might be able to break through if he can finally stay healthy. Maybe he doesn't stay healthy or maybe he's not talented enough to see the field, but what does that matter? That scholarship would likely have gone to a walk-on in August anyway. Bring in a Power 5 RB and see what he can do when healthy with a coach he is familiar with.

 

Also, completely agree with ndomer. ND getting grad transfers is a great way for ND to build depth and make up for some recruiting misses. Nick McCloud (NC State CB) was a huge get because of Lyght's recruiting misses. Same with Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State S). And 3 of the 4 guys could be potential starters/regular contribubtors. Pryor was a Top 100 recruit with offers everywhere, and he got regular playing time at OSU before a coaching/scheme change. Ben Skowronek has more career receptions/yards/TDs than the rest of ND's WRs combined. Nick McCloud is a former captain and has a really good chance to start for ND this season. These are really huge gets for ND, and I hope they continue to go the grad transfer route like they did this offseason.

 

there is no downside. No clear starter let them compete. Room needed to be filled. Jones declared. Kids a good back.

The scholarship would have been better used in the last recruiting class, so ND wouldn't be in the position to choose between picking up Speights or giving a scholarship to a walk on.

 

 

You are probably right but we have to move on. What was done in the past is just that the past. We need to move forward and if Taylor thinks this is a good thing to do than I support it 100%.

I understand the lack of excitement about this (I'm not particularly excited either), but I don't get all the criticism. What exactly is the downside? You add a veteran RB who is familiar with Lance Taylor.

 

The RB room is a mess right now. Armstrong looked good in 2018 but his injury last year completely derailed his season. No idea what to expect in 2020. Kyren Williams was a 4-star, but he barely saw the field last year. C'Bo has some ability, but he was a low 3-star (and former Georgia Southern commit) for a reason - he is limited. Jahmir Smith had some decent offers, but he seems like a Tony Jones clone in terms of athleticism/ability.

 

In Speights, ND adds a veteran RB who might be able to break through if he can finally stay healthy. Maybe he doesn't stay healthy or maybe he's not talented enough to see the field, but what does that matter? That scholarship would likely have gone to a walk-on in August anyway. Bring in a Power 5 RB and see what he can do when healthy with a coach he is familiar with.

 

Also, completely agree with ndomer. ND getting grad transfers is a great way for ND to build depth and make up for some recruiting misses. Nick McCloud (NC State CB) was a huge get because of Lyght's recruiting misses. Same with Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State S). And 3 of the 4 guys could be potential starters/regular contribubtors. Pryor was a Top 100 recruit with offers everywhere, and he got regular playing time at OSU before a coaching/scheme change. Ben Skowronek has more career receptions/yards/TDs than the rest of ND's WRs combined. Nick McCloud is a former captain and has a really good chance to start for ND this season. These are really huge gets for ND, and I hope they continue to go the grad transfer route like they did this offseason.

 

Great post! This is absolutely how ND builds depth with experienced players at positions of need. And, the bonus with thiis particular RB is that he has two tears of eligibility because he did not play as a frosh. His states in H.S. in Texas were off the charts and why Taylor originally went after hm for Stanford.

Speights` HS videos were very good. Good moves running off tackle and the defensive players never gained a foot on him. His 4.38 40 speed looked to be the real thing.

He played Safety also.

I understand the lack of excitement about this (I'm not particularly excited either), but I don't get all the criticism. What exactly is the downside? You add a veteran RB who is familiar with Lance Taylor.

 

The RB room is a mess right now. Armstrong looked good in 2018 but his injury last year completely derailed his season. No idea what to expect in 2020. Kyren Williams was a 4-star, but he barely saw the field last year. C'Bo has some ability, but he was a low 3-star (and former Georgia Southern commit) for a reason - he is limited. Jahmir Smith had some decent offers, but he seems like a Tony Jones clone in terms of athleticism/ability.

 

In Speights, ND adds a veteran RB who might be able to break through if he can finally stay healthy. Maybe he doesn't stay healthy or maybe he's not talented enough to see the field, but what does that matter? That scholarship would likely have gone to a walk-on in August anyway. Bring in a Power 5 RB and see what he can do when healthy with a coach he is familiar with.

 

Also, completely agree with ndomer. ND getting grad transfers is a great way for ND to build depth and make up for some recruiting misses. Nick McCloud (NC State CB) was a huge get because of Lyght's recruiting misses. Same with Isaiah Pryor (Ohio State S). And 3 of the 4 guys could be potential starters/regular contribubtors. Pryor was a Top 100 recruit with offers everywhere, and he got regular playing time at OSU before a coaching/scheme change. Ben Skowronek has more career receptions/yards/TDs than the rest of ND's WRs combined. Nick McCloud is a former captain and has a really good chance to start for ND this season. These are really huge gets for ND, and I hope they continue to go the grad transfer route like they did this offseason.

 

Great post. I just don't see what there is to criticize about this move. If anyone knows this kid, it would be Coach Taylor.