Post-Spring Projection: Darius Fleming

Darius Fleming didn’t waste much time impressing college coaches during his junior season at Chicago power St. Rita, making 105 tackles (and nine sacks) while leading the Mustangs to a state championship. He followed up with a strong performance at the U.S. Army National Combine that winter, dazzling onlookers with a fantastic spin move during pass-rush drills.

A year later, he was back in San Antonio as one of 14 Notre Dame verbals playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl – and he was one of the more touted recruits in a banner Irish signing class.

Now, all of those impressive prep credentials are a thing of the past, and it’s time to see whether Fleming can provide an instant contribution, at least in pass-rush situations, at the collegiate level.

Notre Dame signed four solid linebackers in February – Fleming, Steve Filer, Anthony McDonald and David Posluszny – but Fleming appears to be in the best position to crack the two-deep early, especially if sophomore Brian Smith makes more of a move to inside linebacker (as the spring game suggested he may). Even if Smith stays outside, Fleming would seem like a reasonably safe bet to earn reps as a reserve.

At 6-foot-2 and a shade over 230 pounds coming out of high school, Fleming is right in line size-wise with several other rush specialists that contributed as freshmen recently – most notably Smith, Kerry Neal and junior Morrice Richardson. He provides similar speed off the edge and boasts comparable, if not superior, prior credentials. If Fleming were joining a team that looked identical in depth to the 2005-07 Irish clubs, he’d be almost assured of major playing time.

The 2008 edition, however, is a little better-stocked, and both of the incumbent starters at outside linebacker are just sophomores – so even if Fleming is as prepared, or more prepared, as his predecessors, it’s not a given that he’ll see as much action. Neal and Smith became starters last year almost out of necessity, and the likelihood of Fleming being as needed right away isn’t as great.

Then again, there is always the chance that he just might be that good.

What’s A Good Season?

From a team standpoint, it would almost be ideal if Fleming wasn’t needed at all – but Weis hasn’t been shy about throwing rookies into the fray if they can help him win, and Fleming appears to be talented enough to at least get a shot.

If Smith does end up taking up residence on the inside (which may depend more on the growth, or lack thereof, of junior Toryan Smith), then it’s not inconceivable that Fleming could earn a starting spot by midyear, as Neal did. That’s a fairly ambitious ceiling, but not an unreachable one.

More than likely, though, a productive freshman season for Fleming would fall somewhere between the 2007 outputs of Neal and Smith (20 or so tackles and a couple of sacks) and Richardson’s 2006 baptism (situational playing time on passing downs and on special teams).

As with many of the 2008 newbies, though, the less they’re needed right away, the better a sign it might be for Notre Dame’s bottom line.