Notre Dame Football Notes: Jones, Collinsworth, Freshman

With the Summer Semester about to begin, players will begin to head back to South Bend for "voluntary" workouts and class. As we approach this period, more news and information begins to make itself known. Here is a few updates about the team as they head into the summer.

TJ Jones
Rumors have surrounded Jones since the beginning of June about whether or not he would be leaving the program. Normally, fans would be quick to dismiss these whispers as mere rumor. However, with the recent departure of Aaron Lynch and the continuing Louis Nix saga, this appeared to gain some traction. The rumor mill reached a fever pitch when the Junior wideout tweeted, "I'm not going to lie, I only came here for two things" and "I'm g + one #gone." Jones, the son of late Irish player Andre Jones, is one of only a few players with experience at the wide receiver position. He will be needed greatly. Sources close to the situation have stated that Jones is not headed anywhere. Personally, it would not make a lot of sense. He is on his way back to South Bend and he is most likely playing for the memory of his father. If this had any truth behind it, it would probably have already happened.

Austin Collinsworth
Early last week, media outlets began reporting that Austin Collinsworth's shoulder injury would be season ending. This is a huge blow to an already to depleted secondary. This injury removes the possibility of the Irish coaches moving around current secondary leader Jamoris Slaughter to fill different roles. In addition, it only leaves Slaughter and Motta as players with significant playing time. Backing these players up are: Chris Salvi, Dan McCarthy, Elijah Shumate, John Turner, C.J. Prosise, Nick Baratti and Chris Badger. Of all the players list here, I would pick Elijah Shumate as the player most likely to make an impact in the fall. He is a big and physical football player.

Freshman Head to South Bend
The Freshman that are not currently enrolled arrived in South Bend to begin summer school and workouts with the team. No major reports have surfaced yet about any of the players. When they actually get to begin 7-on-7 and weight lifting, fans should expect to hear at least a few rumblings.

Stay tuned for more updates on Notre Dame Football and Recruiting! Go Irish!