Welcome back to the 2010 Wu Am I? series, sponsored by the slums of Shaolin. In this 18 part series, we take a look at the 36 players of impact for the 2010 season. Not all of these guys will be starters, of course, but this list of playas constitutes what I consider to be the core group. These are the guys that we fully expect to make major contributions to the team.
Today we take a look at Armando Allen and Gary Gray. Side by side numerically, and on opposite sides of the ball. Get lifted as we open Chambers 3 & 4…
Armando Allen #5
Running Back
5’10” 201 lbs.
Senior
Opa-locka, Florida
Wu Name: Violent Toilet Thing
When Armando Allen committed to the Irish in December of 2006, he was thought to be one of the best running back commitments Notre Dame had landed in quite some time. James Aldridge was a 5 star RB that was in the previous class, but injuries to Aldridge and Allen’s speed has Irish fans drooling over the potential that this young Floridian possessed. Allen, like Aldridge, suffered a devastating injury in his Senior year of high school and was an early enrollee to Notre Dame. Allen has been a starter since his freshman year, and we are still waiting for him to really break out- and by break out, I mean have a couple of 40-50 yard runs in a couple of games. Allen has showed flashes of that type of explosiveness in these last 3 years and has been the an all-purpose yard machine… but nothing too flashy.
2010 could be a very interesting year for Armando. Obviously, this is Allen’s last year at Notre Dame and it is his last shot to really make a big mark in the record books and in Irish lore. It’s a good news / bad news situation for Allen as Kelly’s system gets a lot of quality production from his running game- but it is spread around to not just running backs, but quarterbacks and receivers as well. Allen will have some competition with spring star, Cierre Wood, as well as Jonas Gray and fellow classmate Robert Hughes. However make no mistake about it, Allen is going to be the number one option at tailback. His game experience, his blocking, and his ability to be an every down back puts him at the top of the hill- but a guy like Wood is definitely right there to push Allen. Really good things are about to happen- I can feel it.
Gary Gray #4
Cornerback
5’11” 190 lbs.
Junior (RS)
Columbia, South Carolina
Wu Name: Big Baby The Grym Reaper
Gary Gray committed to Notre Dame and became one of The Subway Domer’s personal favorites. Gray was a South Carolina commit at one time, but after a trip with his momma- Gary made the flip. His status as a future Subway Domer People’s Champ got some serious bumps as he arrived at the US Army All-American game with a leprechaun carved into his hair. We’re talking about a winner here. Gray enrolled early at Notre Dame with Allen and Clausen, but an injury to his shoulder kept him sidelined for all of spring and redshirted his freshman year. Gray’s sophomore year saw him creep into the rotation, but Gary left the team due to personal reasons. He eventually rejoined the Irish the next summer and once again worked his way into the rotation.
There were rumors since Gray arrived in the spring of 2007, that he was Notre Dame’s best cover corner. Gray is starting to really prove that as he comes out of spring as a starter at cornerback. He will be counted on as an extremely important part of the defensive puzzle as he will be in a rotation with Darrin Walls and Robert Blanton. With two years of eligibility left, Gary has a chance to really set himself up to end his ND career as prolific pass defender. The production from ND’s corners had been underwhelming during the Charlie Weis era, while Brian Kelly’s corners at Cincinnati were becoming NFL Draft picks out of nowhere. Of the 3 top corners on the depth chart, I think Gray will become the best of the bunch and have a banner year in 2010.
