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John Owens has changed his name and his uniform number, and like most freshmen, had fleeting thoughts about changing his address.
"The homesickness can get pretty severe, but it didn't last," said Owens, who was John Day when he graduated from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., John Day-Owens when the Notre Dame media guide was printed this summer and plain old John Owens as he waits for his talent and body maturation to catch up to his dreams.
"During two-a-days," Owens continued, "I made a lot of phone calls, and I heard about it from my parents when they got the bill. But then a lot of the older players talked to me and helped me deal with it.
"And you know what, even though I'm not playing a lot, being here at Notre Dame is everything I dreamed about it being."
It is not necessarily a viewpoint shared by the entire freshman class, though.
The following is a cross-section of the freshman experience at Notre Dame, where patience is more than a virtue. It's necessary for survival.
John Owens, Tight End
Bowie, Md.
Perhaps the only thing Owens gets asked about more than what happened to his name is whether he was the blocker who allowed penetration on a punt block in Notre Dame's 45-23 crumbling at Michigan State on Sept. 12.
"I think I'm going to stay away from that question," Owens said politely but adamantly. "Let's not go there."
His name change comes from a family situation coming to a resolution. His original number, 89, was a mix-up that former No. 84, fellow freshman Gerald Morgan, was willing and able to alleviate.
Owens has recovered from losing about 10 pounds during two-a-days and is back to 235 pounds, still slight by college tight end standards.
Yet despite that, he has moved to No. 3 on the depth chart and still has a place on the punt team.
The downside is that both tight ends in front of Owens -- Jabari Holloway and Dan O'Leary -- have eligibility beyond this year.
"Right now I'm not looking that far into the future," he said. "I'm just trying to work on my techniques to become a better player, help the team. When spring...