Notre Dame is coming off its 4th straight year of underwhelming production in the secondary. An entire class has cycled through the program watching nothing but overrated and over-hyped defensive backs. At some point that has to change, right? Let’s review this position group from 2016.
Snap Count
Cole Luke- 791 (48 tackles, 35 solo, 2 INT, 6 PBU, 2 TFL)
Drue Tranquill, r-JR- 664 (79 tackles, 53 solo, 1 INT, 2 PBU, 2 TFL)
Devin Studstill, SO- 582 (38 tackles, 28 solo, 1 INT, 1 TFL)
Julian Love, SO- 562 (45 tackles, 32 solo, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 2 TFL)
Donte Vaughn, SO- 296 (22 tackles, 13 solo, 1 INT, 6 PBU)
Nick Coleman, JR- 215 (17 tackles, 13 solo, 1 PBU, 1 TFL)
Troy Pride, SO- 209 (12 tackles, 10 solo)
Avery Sebastian- 168 (17 tackles, 14 solo, 1 PBU)
Nicco Fertitta, JR- 119 (17 tackles, 8 solo, 2 PBU, 0.5 TFL)
Jalen Elliott, SO- 117 (13 tackles, 7 solo)
Shaun Crawford, r-SO- 90 (6 tackles, 5 solo, 1 INT)
Ashton White, r-SO- 4 (2 tackles, 2 solo)
BOLD denotes out of eligibility/transfer/no longer with program
Eligibility is for 2017 season
When you look at Cole Luke’s stats you don’t see a disappointing year. His solo stops were fourth best on the team, although it’s never a great thing when a corner has that many non-tackle for loss stops. He was the only person on the team to pick off more than one pass. That’s totally a back handed compliment. Still, his 6 pass break-ups tied for the team lead too. However, Luke was picked on quite a bit and continued the recent run for upperclassmen corners finishing their careers with about as little of hype as you can imagine.
2016 Football Season in Review. pic.twitter.com/XGZM2N2f6M
— 18 Stripes (@18stripes) December 31, 2016
Give him credit, Drue Tranquill is really good at making tackles. His solo stops to snap ratio is among the best on the team. The problem is when you look at things elsewhere. He’s not productive in coverage to put it kindly and for someone who spent so much time coming down hill his 2 tackles for loss leave a lot to be desired.
A lot was expected of true freshman Devin Studstill and it seemed as though he hit a wall in the middle of the year and never solidified himself as the lock-down starter. He ended up missing a game (and playing sparingly against the academies) and still finished with a ton more snaps than the third safety. Studstill earned some quality experience but will need to be much better next year for that amount of playing time to be worth it.
Love and Vaughn were certainly the pleasant surprises from the secondary putting together really good seasons for the amount of time they played. Love was not-so-quietly solid for most of the year while playing at least 20 snaps in all but one game. Vaughn basically played one full game (Syracuse) and pieces of the last half of the season. If he played a full season his averaged would’ve brought him about 15 pass break-ups.
Nick Coleman got wrecked. He only had 41 snaps over the final 8 games! This was a total loss of confidence in his abilities, from the coaching staff’s trust, or both.
Troy Pride didn’t really play much but the two games he featured most in (Syracuse & Miami) the Irish won so perhaps that’s a good omen?
I literally forgot Avery Sebastian played on the team last year. Half of his snaps for 2016 came in the opener against Texas. From there on out the coaches were like, “Nah, we’re good.”
At times, it felt like Fertitta was playing 5o or 60 snaps a game. However, that’s a trick of the mind from someone who was never supposed to see the field in a traditional safety role. I mean, we’ve seen worse safety play.
Elliott played a little more than some people think but in the big picture very few snaps. Some people think he’ll be neck and neck with Studstill for playing time but Elliott is coming off a season with 465 fewer snaps. That’s a lot of ground to make up.
Poor, poor Shaun Crawford. There’s really nothing to say right now except if he can stay healthy…
New Faces
Nick Watkins, r-JR
Spencer Perry, r-FR
D.J. Morgan, r-FR
Isaiah Robertson, FR
Jordan Genmark Heath, FR
The Irish will get Watkins back from a season-long injury which kept him out of the 2016 season. He should throw his hat in the ring to start at corner, although I must remind everyone that his hype was a little strong coming out of the Fiesta Bowl. He’s entering his fourth year on campus and has about the same amount of career snaps as Jalen Elliott. He’s still very, very unproven.
Most expect Perry to move to linebacker at some point, and Morgan could be followed there soon too. Or, we’ll be looking at some jumbo-safeties.
Genmark Heath was a quality late addition to the recruiting class who could, at least physically, compete as a freshman. Since he’s already on campus, was a much more highly rated recruit with a higher ceiling, we may see Robertson shoot up the depth chart in 2017.
Grade: D+
When you factor in the two games against Navy and Army, plus the hurricane at NC State the Irish secondary basically wasn’t tested in a quarter of the season. So, I’m not too inclined to think their traditional stats (21st in passing yards per game & 17th fewest touchdowns given up) were all that special.
On the flip side, when you witness under 2,400 passing yards and 14 touchdowns by opponent quarterbacks the season didn’t truly feel like a debacle. Plus, we don’t need to go over the lack of pressure from the defensive line, do we? This wasn’t like a season where the defense was solid all around except for the secondary.
Nevertheless, there were some really poor moments in the secondary. The fact that Tyler O’Connor did what he did was an affront to defensive players everywhere. Virginia Tech and USC more or less had their way throwing the ball which ended the season on a very sour note.
Mostly, I shudder to think how this season would’ve been judged without someone like Julian Love removed. That’s a really bad sign. The only real positive for 2016 was how much experience so many young players received. Hopefully it pays off in the immediate future.
A lot of flashes of potential from this group. If they are able to consistently perform towards the top of their 2016 level (hopefully possible with a second year jump and new coaching/schemes), they could be decent.
If Studstill, Elliot, Love, Vaughn, Pride, and Crawford all play together and progress for 3 more years, they could end up being a really good secondary.
I think this may be the most improved position group next year.
DBs and RBs are definitely the obvious candidates. My suspicion is that the RBs will look a lot better, if for nothing else then that I anticipate much better line play this year, plus the increased use of two-TE sets seems inevitable and the right way to go.
DL was the worst position group last year, but there’s not a ton of reason for optimism.
is it bad to wish for a little magic from Elko?
I still want to see what Fertitta can do. I don’t think he’s been used up to his potential. Maybe he’s a bit too short and slow to be anything more than a backup against the deep threat, but he’s one of the best tacklers on the team and seems to have a great sense for the ball. Maybe he would excel in a different position?
Is that the type of skill set we’d be looking for out of the rover in the new defensive scheme?
Well, the DBs were definitely frustrating last year. But I always look back at how much less bad they looked after BVG got canned. If a coordinator from Purdue, Elston, and offensive-minded BK could make that kind of change mid-season, I can only imagine what quality coaching will do for this group. Of course, I’m assuming that Elko’s success translates to the players at his disposal. With Elko coaching safeties and Lyght able to focus on corners, I’m actually hopeful about this group.
I think the S/CB distinction in coaching will make a huge difference.
Eric,
Just curious why people continue to call Perry 6′ 2″, 204lbs. and Morgan 6′ 2″, 200lbs. jumbo safeties? Tranquill lists at 6′ 2″, 225 and I would say that is slightly over sized considering his lack of elite speed. Shumate also struck me as oversized for the position. Genmark- Heath is coming in at 6′ 2″, 200lbs. shouldn’t he be considered a jumbo safety as well? He’s the same size as Morgan after all. I was always under the impression that 6′ to 6′ 3″ and 200 to 220 was the range you want your safeties to fall in (precluding a player like Sua Craven with superior athleticism). Any way I just wondered why you thought Genmark- Heath would compete but Perry and Morgan were moving position?
I think anyone who comes in as a freshman around 200 pounds with the right frame is going to be labeled as a jumbo safety. The thing with Perry and Morgan is that they haven’t, as of yet, gained any weight. I think many believe JGH is a jumbo safety, too.
IMO, anyone over 210 (depending on height) is starting to get too big for safety unless you’re really, really athletic.
210? I am officially a jumbo poster.