Jafar Armstrong Could Be The X-Factor For Notre Dame In 2020

Staying healthy and returning to his healthy 2018 form could make Jafar Armstrong a difference maker for Notre Dame in 2020

Notre Dame struck lightning in a bottle in 2015 when it moved former wide receiver CJ Prosise to running back. Prosise went from a converted wide receiver to a 1,000-yard rusher to a third-round NFL Draft pick in just one season.

It seemed Notre Dame was on the verge of a repeat in 2018 when converted wide receiver Jafar Armstrong emerged as a key part of the Irish offense. With running back Dexter Williams sidelined by a suspension, Armstrong stepped into the lineup and by the fourth game he was poised to explode.

After a sloppy first game at a new position (35 yards on 15 attempts vs. Michigan), Armstrong started to look more and more comfortable, rushing for 210 yards (6.6 yards per carry) in the next three games before an infection in his knee cost him the next three games.

Armstrong rushed for 52 yards (5.8 YPC) and caught five passes for 64 yards upon his return, but he got banged up again and carried the ball just 20 times (with just two receptions) in the final five games.

Before taking a step back from the lineup in November, Armstrong was on pace for 1,165 total yards, 6.6 yards per touch and 16 touchdowns if you project his production out over a 13-game season.

With Williams out of eligibility, the 2019 season was supposed to be a breakout for Armstrong. He looked strong during the spring and the first drive of the season showed how important he would be to the Irish offense. 

Armstrong carried the ball twice (for 10 yards) and caught a pass for 16 yards on the opening drive as the Irish took their season-opening drive down for a touchdown.

Armstrong came out of that game with another injury that cost him four games, and when he returned the Missouri native was a shell of himself.

In the final eight games, Armstrong carried the ball just 44 times for 112 yards, averaging just 2.5 yards per attempt. Armstrong was barely a factor in the pass game, hauling in just 12 passes for 81 yards in the final eight games, and a third of his catches and half of his receptions came in one game (Virginia Tech).

Armstrong showed no explosiveness, no elusiveness and his timing as a runner was way off. He would get downhill to quickly, he didn’t look at all comfortable making reads and Armstrong was all but useless between the tackles.

All of his positive runs were on jet sweeps and outside runs where he just had to beat a defender to the outside.

When you look at the running back position heading into 2020 there isn’t much optimism, and when your most experienced back is coming off a campaign in which he averaged 2.7 yards per carry it makes sense to not be all that excited for the ground attack.

But who is Jafar Armstrong? 

Is he the back that showed the ability to rip off big runs early in 2018, the football player who was a legitimate weapon in the pass game that season? Or is he the guy who looked too sluggish, too impatient and completely out of place as a running back like the player we saw in 2019?

The answer that question will have a significant impact on Notre Dame’s 2020 offense.

A key for Armstrong is finding a weight that is right for his body. Even before his injury, Armstrong didn’t look as explosive or as fluid as he was the previous season, and it appeared the extra weight he added to handle playing running back had slowed him down. Armstrong and the strength staff will need to find a better comfort zone for his body, because if he doesn’t get the 2018 burst back he won’t an impact player in 2020.

Getting Armstrong back on track as a runner is vital to his success. He lost his patience as a runner and just didn’t look comfortable between the tackles. That is not the back we saw against Wake Forest and Ball State prior to his 2018 injury. If position coach Lance Taylor can get Armstrong back to looking like a running back, and if Armstrong gets his burst back he’ll have a chance to finally have that breakout.

Armstrong showing those traits in 2020, and Armstrong staying healthy, will have a major impact on the Notre Dame offense.

A healthy and in top shape Armstrong gives Notre Dame a player capable of turning vertical run lanes into big plays. A healthy and focused Armstrong gives Notre Dame a back capable of lining up in the slot and running routes like a wide receiver. That version of Armstrong will force defenses to play more attention than what we saw from the running back position in 2020.

That version of Armstrong turns a position of concern into a strength. That is how good Armstrong can be, and we’ve seen it. Of course, all of this depends on him doing something we haven’t seen, and that is staying healthy for a full season.

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