Earlier this week we looked at Notre Dame’s offense where a veteran quarterback and offensive line anchors that side of the ball. Now, we turn our focus to the defense where Clark Lea heads into his 3rd season as defensive coordinator and has a couple of blue-chip NFL prospects to build around for 2020.
[players listed by eligibility]
The Unquestioned Starters
6th SR – DB – Shaun Crawford
5th SR – DE – Daelin Hayes
5th SR – DE – Ade Ogundeji
SR – DT – Kurt Hinish
r-JR – DT – Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
r-JR – LB – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
r-JR – LB – Drew White
SO – S – Kyle Hamilton
Absent some major breaking news this is the core of the 2020 defense. Technically, Hamilton would be considered a new starter but that’s in name only. The only true new starter from this group would be Ogundeji who had one of the best seasons last year on a snap-to-production rate (7 TFL, 4.5 sacks as a backup) while playing a decent amount behind Khalid Kareem.
Shaun Crawford is slated to go…somewhere. Notice I just put ‘DB’ for him. Of course, he’ll play over the place but if I had to guess I think he’ll snap count will look something like this in 2020: 55% safety, 30% nickel, 15% corner. Brian Kelly reiterated on Tuesday that Crawford was working at safety.
It feels good to know 6 out of the front 7 positions are good to go and that it’s led by JOK who may be one of the best defenders in the country. This is a winning framework.
Who’s Probably Not Playing?
r-JR – DE – Kofi Wardlow
r-FR – DT – Hunter Spears
r-FR – DE NaNa Osafo-Mensah [injured]
r-FR – LB – JD Bertrand
r-FR – CB – Cam Hart
r-FR – S – Litchfield Ajavon
FR – DT – Aidan Keanaaina
FR – DE – Alex Eherensberger
FR – CB – Ramon Henderson
FR – CB – Clarence Lewis
FR – CB – Caleb Offord
This is a lengthy list representing nearly 30% of defenders at Notre Dame. I think it’s both a bad and good sign. If you’re being pessimistic it’s a few too many players. Now, you could push back on that and make the case for some of these players. The good sign is that the roster is properly developed to the point where the bulk of the last two recruiting classes aren’t waltzing into the two-deep.
Statistically with no danger of losing eligibility I’m sure we’ll see one or two of these players actually getting some decent run in the easy games. I could see one of the linemen doing some nice things or one of the freshmen corners being thrown in there late in a few games.
Note: I had redshirt freshman Osita Ekwonu listed here until Brian Kelly revealed today the 236-pounder(!!) has moved to running back along with classmate Kendal Abdur-Rahman who was in the slot.
The Trusted Backups & Top Youngsters
SR – LB – Jordan Genmark Heath
r-JR – S – Isaiah Pryor
JR – DT – Jayson Ademilola
JR – LB – Paula Moala
JR – LB – Shayne Simon
JR – LB – Bo Bauer
r-SO – DE – Justin Ademilola
r- SO – DE Ovie Oghoufo
SO – DT – Jacob Lacey
r-FR – DE – Isaiah Foskey
FR – DE – Jordan Botelho
FR – DT – Rylie Mills
Just like the offense it seems like the ceiling for the 2020 defense will be determined by how well this list of players contribute. If there are a lot of positives to come from this list the Irish defense has the opportunity to develop into a deep unit with multiple play-makers across the field.
Several are in the running to become a starter outright or possibly in a co-starter role. Genmark Heath has been reportedly in a good spot at Buck linebacker, Pryor is looking for a big role at safety, both Ademilola brothers are going to play a lot, Moala will surely get in the mix, both Oghoufo and Foskey are expected to be very good pass-rushers when they see the field, and Lacey showed quite a bit of promise as a freshman last year.
On Tuesday, Kelly spoke very highly of Mills who I did not originally have in this category. If that hype is real it’s possible Mills has moved ahead of Howard Cross for 3rd-team reps. Of course, most are expecting Botelho to make an impact, although he’s one of 4 quality options at Viper/Snake/Velociraptor or whatever the heck they are calling weak-side defensive end now.
The Borderline Guys aka Not-So-Trusted Backups
r-SO – DT – Ja’Mion Franklin
r-SO – S – D.J. Brown
r-FR – DT – Howard Cross
r-FR – LB – Jack Kiser
r-FR – LB – Marist Liufau
r-FR – CB – K.J. Wallace
r-FR – CB – Isaiah Rutherford
We just brought up Cross and he’s in the same boat as Franklin. Heading into the season they were slotted in as 3rd-team based on their age and experience but it’s not clear if either are going to be playing very much in 2020.
There aren’t that many safeties so it’s possible Brown isn’t that far from real playing time. With Crawford getting more and more safety reps that complicates the development for Brown.
The hopes for Kiser and Liufau have been high since last year but maybe they are still a year away? I have a hard time seeing both making a big move with so many more experienced linebackers on the team but maybe one will surprise us this year.
I thought it was curious that Kelly mentioned the freshmen corners needing to play in his Tuesday press conference in reference to Crawford working more at safety. Did he mean Wallace and Rutherford, especially?
The Other Likely Starters
5th SR – CB – Nick McCloud
JR – CB – Tariq Bracy
JR – S – Houston Griffith
r-SO – LB – Jack Lamb
If Crawford isn’t working too much at corner then the staff must feel pretty good about McCloud and Bracy. This is welcome news, for sure. It’s possible Griffith really isn’t a true starter at safety but the 3rd guy at the back end is going to be playing a lot nonetheless.
In the offensive series of this post, I mentioned that Jafar Armstrong’s veteran status probably allows him to get the nod at running back against Duke. If the Tuesday presser was any indication, it’s Kyren Williams leading the pack with Armstrong MIA. Will we see a similar situation with Lamb who, like Armstrong, has started in the past but has been set back by injuries in his career?
Good stuff here. With Hamilton and JOK and Clark Lea I’m not too worried about the defense for all non-Clemson games.
Also kinda weird trying to wrap the brain around knowing we could have 2020, 2021 and 2022 of MTA and Drew White up the middle as anchors. At least for eligibility. It’ll be interesting to see just how that may shake out but there’s gonna be some guys who may be around forever. I doubt he’ll take it but it would be funny if Shaun “Van Wilder” Crawford came back for a 7th year in 2021. That would have to be some kind of record, right?
I can’t be the only one who’s excited for the 2021 season for Shaun Crawford. I think a 7th year in the system (plus his doctorate) will set him up really well for his career outside of ND.
EDIT: I should have read hooks’ post before trying to get in my own 7th year joke. I suppose if/when this season is suspended, he’d have eligibility to play again next year, though, right?
Everyone should make the joke! Regardless of season suspension/completion all players aren’t having a year tick away from their eligibility, they way I understood it (which could be wrong). But they also haven’t formally announced if teams can have 85+ scholarships next season, which seems inevitable.
Either way though, Crawford almost didn’t come back this year, so I assume he’ll be finally able to move onto the next stage of his life next year. Though at this point maybe there shouldn’t be any assumptions.
Pretty sure I saw somewhere that they decided seniors next year would not count towards the 85. Of course that leads to what happens the year after. No news that I saw on that.
Crawford was a freshman when I was a freshman (2015). Weird that I’m now into year 2 out of college (graduated May 2019) and we are talking about the slight chance Crawford STILL could have another year after this year!
There has been some speculation that when BK referred to a freshman CB getting some playing time that he was actually referring to redshirt freshman Cam Hart. I know he is on your not playing list, but I guess we will soon see if the speculation is correct. Obviously the freshman BK was referring to could always also be one of Hart’s classmates, Wallace or Rutherford.
I thought that was interesting. I have an irrational fear against huge corners (Hart is nearly 6’3″ and 205) so I never get my hopes up that he’s the rare instance where a safety-sized player makes it at corner.
I also find it kind of doubtful since he switched to CB only about halfway through last season (IIRC) and then had no spring practices. Seems like that is a quick rise up the depth chart for a guy, who like you said is big and would need to have excellent technique in order to excel at his size.
The latter worries me with a lack of experience. But they can at least try to disguise corners with safety help and pressure, if it comes to Hart playing. Kinda hoping it’s another freshman CB who has made a big jump or is better than expected. Between guys like Love, Pride and Bracy they’ve been willing to play pretty raw/young CB’s.
Definitely concerning and unsettling that neither Griffith nor Pryor have locked down a S job either, since they feel the need to shift Crawford back there.
If you think about it, with Crawford and Hamilton at S, you essentially have two free safeties. Hamilton can play closer to the line than Crawford can, just given size issues. That does give you a lot of speed and flexibility to cover for mistakes from an inexperienced corner.
It probably also gives you a feeling that they think they can stop the run effectively with the front 7. JOK can cover a lot of ground at Rover, and if it is Genmark Heath at Buck, he can also cover a lot of ground. That also allows you to go 2 Free at safety to help the corners.
I would not have had Rutherford so far down the list. Wasn’t he the one that one of the graduating players singled out as the CB most ready to contribute next year?
A few years ago, a guy like Franklin would have been easily in the two deep and a likely starter.
Some good points. Also just thinking on it, JOK played a lot more nickel back snaps last season than I thought. He’s basically a fancy new-age 215 pound hybrid LB/DB as it is himself. That’s another part of a hidden solution to CB depth if JOK is staying on the field to play zone coverage (or blitz) on a slot receiver side when it’s a nickel situation.
Yep, I think Pryor is going to be screwed by the lack of experience at CB. If we had Love/Pride out there, I would imagine the staff would be much more willing to play a big hitting, in the box safety more often.
I think that the safety depth is still a bit suspect, especially when some rumors have stated that the safeties are one group that have been hit the hardest by Covid and contract tracing. Crawford is needed potentially back at safety b/c they are certainly going to be playing 3 safeties a lot and I view the safety position as a top 4 (Hamilton, Griffith, Pryor, and Crawford). But if one of those top 4 goes down then you certainly need Crawford to be able to play safety which is why I think he will be seeing time at both CB and S.
I think that I would view your not playing list as a positive. Only Kofi Wardlow is something other than a freshman or redshirt freshman. As I look at the names I at least have confidence that all of the names listed could be in the 2 deep by their senior year and in many ways that shows good solid depth. Hopefully a couple of them will do more than just provide depth obviously, but there is time for them to grow into that level like a Drew White type.
I really like how they have built up a defense with quality starters and backups and a couple of stars sprinkled in. Hopefully the next evolution of the defense will be to grow the number of stars and to continue recruiting great athletes
II podcast indicates that Cam Hart will be playing and that Crawford is currently planned to be starting safety
Is there any more info on the Ekwonu move? Do we actually have plans for a big RB, or is it just that he has been passed up by other LBs in his class (obviously hasn’t been passed by any younger than him)?
Over at SI they seem to think that it is a temporary move for depth purposes, and that it won’t hurt him at LB (when he moves back) because there are a number of people in front of him right now
Thanks. That’s encouraging. I was worried (for 2023) since he’s the highest rated LB in class by a good amount, and then whiffs the years following. But yeah, definitely no shot at him playing this year, and potentially next with weird eligibility stuff that’s bound to happen.
One thing to consider is that with the NCAA granting everyone a “free pass” regarding eligibility this year, this allows some of the current LBs on the roster to stick around longer, which may help cover for the lack of LB recruiting in recent years
Duke Depth Chart:
DE
Daelin Hayes
Ovie Oghoufo
OR Isaiah Foskey
DT
Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
Jayson Ademilola
Howard Cross III
DT
Kurt Hinish
Jacob Lacey
Ja’mion Franklin
DE
Ade Ogundeji
Justin Ademilola
OR Isaiah Foskey
Mike
Drew White
Bo Bauer
Buck
Shayne Simon
OR Marist Liufau
Rover
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Paul Moala
CB
Nick McCloud
Cam Hart
CB
TaRiq Bracy
OR Clarence Lewis
S
Kyle Hamilton
DJ Brown
OR Isaiah Pryor
S
Shaun Crawford
Houston Griffith
KJ Wallace
SPECIAL TEAMS
KO
Jon Doerer
Dawson Goepferich
K
Jon Doerer
Dawson Goepferich
P
Jay Bramblett
Dawson Goepferich
LS
Michael Vinson
Alex Peitsch
Holder
Jay Bramblett
JD Carney
PR
Lawrence Keys III
Kyren Williams
KR
Chris Tyree
Jafar Armstrong
Based on Kelly’s comments I’m surprised not to see Mills included at DT.
Interesting to see Foskey at both spots.
Simon and Liufau at Buck is wild. The 2 most experienced guys there (Lamb and JGH) aren’t listed so I wonder if it’s a health issue?
Hart and Lewis as backup corners is wild, too. Wallace moved to safety is new info?
Will Pryor be a dud of a transfer?
My guess is that Lamb and JGH being not listed is a Covid issue. I like Liufau but for him to jump two guys with decent amounts of experience seems a bit of a stretch.
As thin as the depth chart is at Safety Pryor not earning considerable playing time would have to be considered a dud. But, as long as Crawford stays healthy and Griffith really has made the jump to being an impact player who can see large amounts of snaps (similar to Hamilton last year) then it won’t matter much as we should be set at the back end.
But, really can we expect to not need Pryor at some point with Covid and Crawford’s injury history? In the end just having an experienced, somewhat talented, player as your 4th/5th option back at safety in a crazy year hopefully will still make the transfer worth it.
Is Pryor too big / slow to be an impact player at safety? It seems like he is described as more of a run stopper than a center fielder. Crawford seems to be the opposite — small, shifty, fast, nose for the ball
This is similar to what I have heard. Great down in the box, but coverage skills are just not that amazing. With McCloud at CB I thought we might be OK with a safety not being great at coverage but that seems to not be the case.
Or maybe they really like what they have at corner with Bracy, McCloud and Lewis? I don’t know why the assumption always seems to be “What’s wrong with [player X]?” instead of “What’s right with [player Y]?”. In any case, the coaches have never seemed to view Crawford as a pure CB, so it makes some sense that he would slide back to safety if the other corners looked to be up to the challenge.
Jordan Genmark Heath is leaving the program. Stopping football activities, will graduate in November, and then transfer.
Not being in the two deep had to be the reason I would think. I suspected that Liufau jumped guys partly b/c of Covid and while that could be the case, this transfer makes me think that perhaps it was not as big of a part as I thought.