Wrapping up today’s media session at Notre Dame Stadium:
— Brian Kelly is inching closer to making a decision on who will start at quarterback against Navy.
“I think we’re getting closer to that,” Kelly said. “It’s not going to be a 50-50 proposition. We’re moving closer towards that as we move into actually working against Navy. I think probably Monday, we sit down and talk about how the reps are going to be distributed. But there’s still so much learning, so it wouldn’t be as cut and dry as say, ‘Here’s my No. 1.’ The door will still be open for growth during that week, but we’ll start to separate the reps a little bit.”
But he might not tell anyone outside of the team. With no more open practices, he doesn’t really have to.
“I have not thought about it in those terms, in terms of making a public announcement about the quarterback position because I’ve never had it in my mind that we were going to get there at a certain time,” he said. “If it’s clear to me that we’ve got a No. 1 and there’s a great separation there, then there’s a possibility I could announce it. But I have not thought about it in those terms.”
— Reserve tackle Tate Nichols has a patella subluxation in his knee. Kelly said Nichols had it happen before, and missed two or three weeks. So his status for Navy is uncertain, at best.
— Linebacker Danny Spond’s mystery injury turned out to be a migraine.
“He had a migraine that was so severe that it required hospitalization,” Kelly said. “He’s seen specialists, the best in the country. He’s been through a battery of tests. Now it’s just a matter of getting him reacclimated. He’s been cleared, now it’s just a matter of when can he get back out there and start contact and those things. We really don’t have a timetable for that.”
— Safety Jamoris Slaughter sat out practice with a bruised heel. Kelly said it was just precautionary. His absence allowed sophomore Matthias Farley to shine, as he has for much of camp. Farley is threatening to take senior Dan McCarthy’s spot as the third safety.
“Farley has done very, very well,” Kelly said. I think he’s changed the dynamics back there. I know I had spoke that McCarthy had that position locked up. Well, it’s a battle now. Farley has really been impressive the last 10 days or so.”
— Nose guard Kona Schwenke has a “cracked” knuckle and practiced with what Kelly called a “lollipop cast” on Thursday. Kelly said the cast will shrink for the Navy game, and that Schwenke is not going to be limited by it.
