Jerry Tillery – Noteworthy
Jerry Tillery has been steadily rising throughout the pre-draft process, joining the first-round conversation after a strong NFL Combine. All of those hopes could have been derailed after it was announced that Tillery would have to undergo shoulder surgery. While he will be out for 3-4 months, he should be ready for training camp. Last year, Tillery recorded 29 tackles and 8.5 sacks from an interior defensive line position. Those stats included a 4.5 sack day in a win against Stanford. – 12up
Ian Book – Noteworthy
Just because it took Ian Book 10 starts before he finally lost a game at Notre Dame, that doesn’t mean Chip Long isn’t looking for more out of his junior quarterback. “Challenge! Challenge!” Long, the Fighting Irish offensive coordinator, has been telling Book this spring. No longer will it be enough to avoid mistakes while padding his passer efficiency rating. In 2019, Long wants Book to get in touch with his inner swashbuckler. “I don’t care to see a check down,” Long said Thursday morning after the first padded practice of the spring and just the third session overall. “I want him to try to throw the whole shot.”
Breaking Jimmy Clausen’s 2009 school record for completion percentage was nice, but Book struggled at times in the vertical passing game. With Miles Boykin and Alize Mack taking their 6-4 frames to the pros, Book must find ways to wring the most out a corps of young blazers on the outside. Oh, he’ll also have 6-4 Chase Claypool, slot receiver Chris Finke and tight end Cole Kmet as safety nets, but Long wants Book to push himself (and his limits) whenever possible. “Test the offense, right?” Long said. “Make throws that you probably wouldn’t have made because I might have been mad putting the ball in jeopardy. We had to do what we had to do to win games last year.” – Indianapolis Star
