Welcome back to another edition of Subway Domer’s Wu Am I?series. This is a look at who the 36 players of impact are on this Notre Dame Football team for 2010. If you have missed some of the previous Wu Am I? posts from 2010, please check out: Chambers 1&2, Chambers 3&4, Chambers 5&6, Chambers 7&8.
Hopefully, we can start banging these posts out as time has become a factor (always a good thing). Today, Chambers 9 & 10 are opened. Duval Kamara and Darius Fleming step forward…
Duval Kamara #18
Wide Receiver
6’4″ 220 lbs.
Senior
Hoboken, New Jersey
Wu Name: Greasy Choirboy
Duval Kamara was a bigger commitment then people realize. According to Rivals.com, he was the #1 player in New Jersey, the #6 WR in the country, and the #34 overall ranked prospect in the country. In fact, those stats are eerily similar to his teammate Michael Floyd (1,6,27). When Kamara came to the “Bend” in 2007, he came with a fury. In what was a dismal year for the Irish, Kamara was a bright light of hope as he set freshman receiving records in receptions (32) and touchdowns (4). Duval struggled during his sophomore campaign as classmate, Golden Tate and incoming freshman, Michael Floyd, both surged as the primary targets for Clausen. Kamara only managed 1 TD in 2008. His junior year wasn’t any better as he still only had 1 TD and logged only 3 more receptions then he had in 2008.
There may not be any one person on offense that will benefit more with the coaching change than Duval. Where as Weis used a pro-system that highlighted 2 WR and the TE in the passing game with more outs and seam routes, Kelly brings a pass happy spread that uses more weapons per game and has a little more variety in the routes. Add that in with the departure of Golden Tate, and the uncertainty of Michael Floyd being able to maintain his health throughout an entire season, and it adds up to Kamara being a key member of the offense. He is one of the most underrated elements of the Notre Dame offense, and it would not surprise this blogger if #18 had around 600 yards and 8 TD’s in 2010. Mark it down.
Darius Fleming #45
Outside Linebacker
6’2″ 245 lbs.
Junior
Chicago, Illinois
Wu Name: Gratuitous F-REEK
In 2007, I highlighted Darius Fleming in a piece called 4 to Score. Basically, I thought Fleming to be one of the top targets for the Irish in a class that ended up #1 in the country. He was billed as a “Tweener” pass-rusher and he was considered a good fit for the Irish as they were moving towards the 3-4 defense- a defense that would allow Fleming to come off of the edge as a linebacker. Darius came in as a freshman and saw immediate playing time and tallied up 2.5 sacks in 2008. 2009 saw an adjustment as Fleming was moved around between defensive end and outside linebacker. He managed to rack up 3 sacks, but also had 12 tackles for loss.
As with most of the key players in the defensive front seven, Fleming should benefit greatly from the switch back to the 3-4 defense. He was recruited as an outside pass rusher in the 3-4 and playing upright is where he is better suited. He is probably Notre Dames best and quickest pass-rusher, and will be called upon to put in the work that Kelly has been harping on during the off-season about his pass-rushers. Darius has had some injury issues in the past, but nothing that can be registered as “nagging.” He will have competition, but he should smash them just like he plans on smashing the opposing QB’s.
