Notre Dame awarded scholarships to veteran walk-ons Connor Cavalaris, Charlie Fiessinger and Tyler Plantz. The trio will get a free year of education during the 2014-15 school year, awarded for their hard work.
The news comes with the Irish roster seemingly set, even with the fate of DaVaris Daniels, Kendall Moore, KeiVarae Russell and Ishaq Williams up in the air. The three scholarships should push the Irish to 84, with the inclusion of freshman quarterback Montgomery VanGorder, who received a scholarship during fall camp, according to multiple reports.
Cavalaris is a senior defensive back, a part of the team since the 2011 season. He’s played in 14 games, notching seven special teams tackles, including one on the opening kickoff of the BCS title game against Alabama. He’s a continuous presence on UND.com practice videos as well as a scrappy defensive back.
Fiessinger is the captain of the Red Army, the key signal-caller for Brian Kelly, in charge of sending in the plays from the sideline. He’s only seen playing time in one game, the Irish’s victory over Wake Forest in 2012, but could serve as an emergency option if something were to go wrong with Everett Golson and Malik Zaire.
Plantz is maybe the closest thing the Irish have to a fullback, with the 220-pounder seeing action in seven games over the past two years on special teams. He’s enrolled in graduate classes after earning his degree in May. He will likely contribute as a lead blocker on the kickoff return team.
