Notre Dame Spring Practice Preview: Defense

A quick reminder that spring practice begins tomorrow (briefly!) before taking a long break. You can see the full spring practice schedule at the bottom of this post. If you missed our preview for spring practice on the offense you can check that out HERE.

Today, we take a look at Clark Lea’s 3rd edition of the Irish defense. In most spots this is looking like another strong unit but as is often the case a couple of areas look very concerning. Will Lea be able to find answers in spring or will these have to wait until the fall?

This side of the ball will have 41 scholarship players on campus for the spring. The (*) denotes a returning starter.

The Players for Spring

DE Daelin Hayes, 5th SR*
DE Ade Ogundeji, 5th SR
DE Justin Ademilola, r-SO
DE Isaiah Foskey, r-FR
DE Ovie Oghoufo, r-SO
DE NaNa Osafo-Mensah, r-FR
DE Kofi Wardlow, r-JR
DE Jordan Botelho, FR
DE Alexander Ehrensberger, FR

DT Kurt Hinish, SR*
DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, r-JR*
DT Jayson Ademilola, JR
DT Jacob Lacey, SO
DT Howard Cross, r-FR
DT Ja’Mion Franklin, r-FR
DT Hunter Spears, r-FR
DT Riley Mills, FR
DT Aiden Keanaaina, FR

LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, r-JR*
LB Drew White, r-JR*
LB Jack Lamb, r-SO
LB Paul Moala, JR
LB Shayne Simon, JR
LB Jordan Genmark Heath, SR
LB Bo Bauer, JR
LB Jack Kiser, r-FR
LB JD Bertrand, r-FR
LB Osi Ekwonu, r-FR
LB Marist Liufau, r-FR

CB Shaun Crawford, 6th SR*
CB Tariq Bracy, JR
CB KJ Wallace, r-FR
CB Isaiah Rutherford, r-FR
CB Cam Hart, r-FR
CB Caleb Offord, FR

S Kyle Hamilton, SO
S Isaiah Pryor, r-JR
S Houston Griffith, JR
S DJ Brown, r-SO
S Litchfield Ajavon, r-FR
S Ramon Henderson, FR

Injuries

There are several injuries that could have a big impact this spring on defense. Daelin Hayes tore his labrum against Virginia and had surgery in early October, so 5 months recovery probably isn’t long enough to risk him hurting his shoulder again this early before the season. This is also a recurring problem with his body which is concerning.

Rising redshirt sophomore linebacker Jack Lamb tore his hip against Duke and he’s expected to be either out or limited during spring. Also, junior Shayne Simon dislocated his patella against Navy and later tests apparently showed a much more significant injury throughout his knee. It’s likely Simon is limited, if not out completely.

3 Questions for the Defense this Spring

1) Is it possible the bar remains very high at defensive end?

The Irish lost 3 very good defensive ends, 2 of whom should be selected quite high in the upcoming NFL Draft. As mentioned above, Daelin Hayes isn’t expected to play a major part for spring with his injury.

One of the hallmarks of the post-2016 era at Notre Dame is being able to competently replace talented players even when it seems like it won’t work out with the perceived talent remaining. Notre Dame has some nice pieces to work with at defensive end although there could be some growing pains during spring practice.

2) Are we really going to move JOK?

Take a look at the linebacker depth chart as it transitions from 2019 to 2020 and technically all the Irish have to do is replace Asmar Bilal at Buck. Seems simple. Except, one of the main contenders for that open spot is the injured Jack Lamb, the confidence in Jordan Genmark Heath appeared to plummet last year, plus there’s been whispers that starting Rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah may be moved inside.

We’ve been down the road before with Jaylon Smith, Drue Tranquill, and Asmar Bilal. In all three of those instances many believed they were perfect to stay at outside linebacker and yet all of them arguably made a much better impact on the inside. Does Lea believe Wu has that type of impact next to Drew White?

3) Can depth be built in the secondary?

Kyle Hamilton can’t do everything. Or can he?

Priority number one is figuring out who you’re going to pair with Hamilton, which given the sophomore’s talents, shouldn’t be too difficult of a task. Once that is figured out attention will need to be paid to whether or not any of the backups are worth investing a lot of snaps in during the fall. With the perceived talent on hand, we’ll probably get a starter next to Hamilton sorted quickly and a whole lot of worries about everyone else.

This spring we should see uber-veteran Shaun Crawford and Tariq Bracy lining up at corner and then what transpires beyond them is a dark unknown.

A New Face to Remember: S Isaiah Pryor

Oh, have you noticed Pryor has two tickets to the gun show via Notre Dame’s social media platforms?

💪 @NDFootball‘s out here crushin’ winter workouts.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/ZZwGoWcsxL

— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) February 18, 2020

Goodness, Pryor looks ready to go. But also, as I worried about in my 2020 recruiting (where we treated him as an incoming prospect remember since he has two years remaining) whether or not he’s too large to be a factor at safety. Pryor looks like he could be a force near the line of scrimmage and I’m interested to see him in coverage at his size. Come to think of it, maybe he’s a lot like Alohi Gilman in that regard? You know, someone that excels at coming down hill and a little weaker covering receivers.

The Lineman with the Most to Gain: DE Isaiah Foskey

Unless there’s some shuffling or a position change we’re not aware of at the moment it’s expected Foskey will open spring as the first-team weak-side defensive end. It’s time to drink from the fire hose!

Folks are generally pretty high on Foskey–and to make things even more exciting–it’s expected true freshman Jordan Botelho will be in the mix as a pass-rusher early on this spring, too. From the few morsels of information that have come out from winter training, Botelho is impressing as expected.

Breakout Needed: LB Paul Moala

Moala had some incredibly bright moments last August after making the switch from safety–and while he had a completely fine 2019 season featuring 14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 2 quarterback hurries–he didn’t exactly make himself a household name sitting behind the growing stardom of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

So, when we’re talking about JOK switching positions that’s also a conversation about how to get more reps for Moala. Also, it could be Moala himself who moves to Buck although this seems less likely.

Breakout Possible: CB KJ Wallace

We’re in trouble if there isn’t at least one breakout player this spring in the secondary. As we mentioned in our Reviewing the Redshirts series it seems like Wallace is as good of a bet as anyone to make a move really soon.

There are probably a couple linebackers you could throw in here with the injuries and competition for an open starting position. Does Kiser make a move as the Clark Lea Local Project™ following an impressive redshirt season behind the scenes coming directly off shoulder surgery? Will we see a more muscular Liufau flying around the field as a possible first-team linebacker?

True Freshman to Watch: S Ramon Henderson

We are a nation obsessed with tall corners. Or, the idea of tall corners rather. Here’s a list of our Notre Dame Hall of Fame Pyramid corners from last off-season with their heights: Luther Bradley (6’2″), Todd Lyght (6’0″), Mike Townsend (6’3″), Clarence Ellis (5’11”), Vontez Duff (5’10”), Tom Carter (6’0″), Julian Love (5’11”), Shane Walton (5’11”), Bobby Taylor (6’3″), Allen Rossum (5’8″).

That’s an average of height of just under 6’0″ and the two tallest corners…both played safety at times throughout their careers.

I mention this because the Notre Dame 2020 IRISHBOUNDXX profile for Ramon Henderson lists the incoming freshman at 6’3″ tall. He may start out at corner this spring but likely moves to safety at some point. There have been rumblings about his impressive athleticism in workouts so he could be a factor in the defensive backfield very soon.

Coach in the Spotlight: Mike Mickens

Is there a worse position in terms of talent, depth, and experience than corner? Welcome to Notre Dame, Mike Mickens!

This will certainly be a challenging spring for the new cornerback coach. Presumably, 6th-year senior Shaun Crawford will be used lightly in an attempt to keep his health in tact and allow an off-season to recharge what’s been a bruising career. That’ll leave Bracy, Wallace, Cam Hart, Isaiah Rutherford, with maybe Henderson and possibly Avery Davis yet again moved back to corner as options this spring.

That’s decent clay to work with but on the whole probably average to below average for a Power 5 program. Mickens will have his hands full during his first weeks on the job.

2020 Spring Practice Schedule

*Notre Dame will announce practice date at a later time.