Following in the footsteps of graduate transfer Cody Riggs, Avery Sebastian comes to Notre Dame for a single season, hoping to finish off his eligibility in style. A former Cal safety, Sebastian might not find a place in the starting lineup like Riggs did, but he’ll certainly help buoy a position that lacks ideal depth.
Hailing from the same high school program that brought the Irish Isaac Rochell, Sebastian may be slightly undersized, but he’s a big hitter who’ll also immediately bring value to special teams. Let’s take a look at how he’ll fit into Notre Dame’s secondary.
AVERY SEBASTIAN
5'10", 200 lbs.
Grad Student, No. 8, S
RECRUITING PROFILE
A four-star recruit according to Rivals, listed as the No. 6 safety in the country by ESPN. An All-State player in the state of Georgia, he was listed at No. 8 on the Rivals national list of “top 10 headhunters,” pointing to his physicality as a player.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2011): Played in 12 games off the bench for Cal, a key special teams cog. Made nine total tackles, with a season-high four against Arizona State.
Sophomore Season (2012): Played in 11 games, making four starts at safety. Honorable Mention All-Pac 12 for his special teams work. Made 56 tackles, fifth on the team, adding 1.5 TFLs.
Junior Season (2013): Started the season opener at safety, making 10 tackles and an interception before a season-ending injury.
Senior Season (2014): Played in seven games with a start. Made 21 tackles on the season, including seven against Stanford.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
If you’re paying attention, the addition of Sebastian is another key piece of roster management for Notre Dame’s coaching staff, able to sell the value of an advanced degree at Notre Dame, making a single season a worthy adventure for someone who clearly cares about getting the most out of their college experience.
No, it doesn’t look like the Irish will need Sebastian the same way that they needed Cody Riggs. But if you’re looking for a position that needed veteran depth, bringing Sebastian in to compete against a slew of backups that include Nicky Baratti (another major shoulder surgery) and Drue Tranquill (coming off a late-season ACL repair), the addition makes perfect sense.
Without watching three-plus seasons of Cal football, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect out of Sebastian. But he quickly fit in this summer, and will likely make his way into the two-deep from the start.
CRYSTAL BALL
Consider Sebastian an insurance policy, and I’m guessing he’ll be a fixture on every run team on special teams. Don’t be surprised if he also finds a role in some third down packages, or perhaps as a in-the-box safety against run-heavy opponents.
Sebastian feels like the logical backup to Elijah Shumate, though Tranquill will certainly have something to say about that. But with a gap between the young freshmen who just hit campus and veterans like Shumate and Max Redfield, Sebastian is a perfect plug-in, earning his way to Notre Dame after handling his business at Cal.
Regardless of what happens at the next level, a degree from Berkeley and a masters from Notre Dame? Sebastian will be just fine in the future.
*Five-yard penalty for going out of order.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB
Doug Randolph, LB/DE
Max Redfield, S
Corey Robinson, WR
Trevor Ruhland, OL
CJ Sanders, WR
Joe Schmidt, LB
Elijah Shumate, S
Jaylon Smith, LB