Nicky Baratti will miss the upcoming season after dislocating his shoulder in practice Saturday, Irish coach Brian Kelly announced Monday. The sophomore safety had the shoulder surgically repaired in the offseason, but will require another surgery after reinjuring it in Notre Dame's opening week of training camp.
Baratti appeared in all 13 games last season, and was a contender to start in the Irish secondary this season. Instead, the Texas native will spend the fall recovering of the sidelines, and Kelly said the team will pursue a medical redshirt to preserve Baratti's remaining three years of eligibility.
"We hope to regain that year obviously," Kelly said. "We're very disappointed for Nick - he's worked so hard to get back. We'll expect the next man in to step up and get it done there."
Baratti's athleticism will be missed in the defensive backfield, but his injury comes at one of Notre Dame's deepest positions. In addition to junior and returning starter Matthias Farley, the Irish have several other candidates to see time at safety. Senior Austin Collinsworth and junior Eilar Hardy will look to see expanded roles, while freshman Max Redfield and sophomores Elijah Shumate and John Turner have impressed early on as well.
"Nicky was getting some first team reps, but we have other guys who have done a very good job," Kelly said. "We've got pretty good depth there. We feel very confident at that position."
