Notre Dame player profile: Louis Nix III

Louis Nix III

Each day this week, The News-Sentinel will profile

a Notre Dame football player leading up to the BCS National Championship game in Miami on Jan. 7.

WHAT: No. 9 junior nose guard

WHERE: Raines High School, Jacksonville, Fla.

2012 STATS: Played in all 12 games (starting 10) and registered 45 tackles, including 5 ½ for a loss. Also notched five pass deflections and forced a fumble.

THE SKINNY: Just a beast of a human being (6-foot-3, 326 pounds) that anchors arguably the nation’s best defensive front. Recently announced that he would return for another season in South Bend rather than turn pro.

HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY SAYS: “His work volume has increased dramatically through his commitment and hard work in the weight room and in conditioning. And he plays so hard. You know, he’s a guy that is all over the field. He’s a guy that is playing the game at the highest level, and he did it through the off season conditioning and the commitment he made to it.”