Brian Kelly wouldn’t make a prediction about Michael Floyd’s status for the opener against South Florida, that Sept. 3 date now less than three months away. But Notre Dame’s head coach did make an observations on Tuesday afternoon before the second annual Football 101 fundraiser.
Based on what Notre Dame’s head coach hears from his best player, Floyd appears to be moving toward his spot atop the Irish depth chart. However, Kelly added Floyd’s status won’t change before next season, meaning the indefinite suspension will run through summer even if the receiver continues to work out with teammates.
“I’m very optimistic right now,” Kelly said. “When I talk to Mike I get a good read. You know when you look somebody in the eye and you feel like you’re getting the right vibes? That’s how I feel about him, but he’s still got a ways to go and his status won’t change until we get to the school year.
“We’re hoping that Mike continues to do the right things so he can play and be ready for South Florida. If he doesn’t make good decisions he’s not going to play anyway. It’s not a matter of South Florida as much as he’s going to get it right and play the entire year or he’s not going to play at all.”
Kelly said Floyd’s community service is nearing its completion.
“He makes one mistake in terms of how he handles himself, he doesn’t play here ever,” Kelly said. “There’s no suspension, there’s no sit for a game. He’s just got to live his life the right way. If he does that and all the signs point toward that direction, then I expect him to play every game. That’s why I’ve been optimistic.”
Te’o healed, Cwynar healing
Manti Te’o worked at punt protector during the Blue-Gold Game, the extent of his spring scrimmage reps. It appears the junior linebacker is back among the cleared during summer workouts.
“He looks great,” Kelly said. “Came back in great physical condition.”
Defensive lineman Sean Cwynar, who broke a foot during the Sun Bowl, continues to recover from off-seasons surgery that benched him for spring ball. A potential starter at nose guard, Cwynar has pain in his foot that may linger into the preseason.
“We’re running him in the sand. We’re keeping pressure off that foot.” Kelly said. “We got a good reading off that foot in terms of the bone and its density, it’s about 75 percent density. We want to get it to 100 without putting any stress on it. He’s doing everything else. He’s really the only one who has slight restrictions.
“He’s going to have some pain and soreness there. He’s going to have to fight through in camp obviously, but he’s going to be ready to go for us.”
Ohio state open?
Kelly has made no secret of his desire to recruit Ohio at Notre Dame, carrying over connections he built in three years at Cincinnati. The Irish already have one verbal commitment from the state in offensive tackle Taylor Decker and could be close to a second in safety Jarrod Wilson.
Kelly expects that success to continue, but not at the direct expense of Ohio State after head coach Jim Tressel’s resignation and quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s defection.
“We still have to be focused on what we’re about and what we’re looking for,” Kelly said. “If there’s a hole in the recruitment because Ohio State is not on a kid because of what’s going on, that really doesn’t affect us. We’re still going to recruit the kind of guys we think would fit at Notre Dame.
“It’s been a great state. It’s a state that we need to continue to work hard in. It was a good state for me at Cincinnati. It’s going to be good for us at Notre Dame.”
