Notre Dame juniors Louis Nix, seen here against Stanford, and Zack Martin will return for their senior seasons, said coach Brian Kelly.(Photo: Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports)
Tags
Notre Dame won’t conclude its 2012 season until Jan. 7, when it meets Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game, but the Fighting Irish can already feel good about where they’ll stand in 2013.
During a press conference Monday, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly announced that two of the team’s star underclassmen, left tackle Zack Martin and nose guard Louis Nix, would return for their senior seasons.
MICHIGAN: Suspends three players for the Outback Bowl against South Carolina[1]
The announcement ensures that the Irish will have a pair of All-American-caliber seniors – one of each side of the ball – to help carry a wildly successful season over to 2013. With Martin and Nix returning, the Irish will bring back three starting offensive linemen and two-thirds of its defensive line.
Martin, a fourth-year junior, has started 38 games in a row. Nix, a third-year junior, solidified the interior of a Notre Dame defense that ranks fourth nationally against the run and first in scoring.
Had Martin and Nix opted to enter the NFL Draft, it’s likely that both would have ranked in the upper tier of prospects at their respective positions.
Kelly also announced that junior running back Cierre Wood would wait for an evaluation from the NFL Draft Advisory Board before making a decision on his future. Wood rushed for 740 yards, second-most on the team, during the regular season.
