Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY BRYAN DRISKELL W hen former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko was hired following the 2016 season, linebacker was expected to become an impact position under his watch. Elko brought Clark Lea with him to Notre Dame in order to coach his linebackers, which he did for the Deacons in 2016 and under Elko at Bowling Green in 2012. Lea's linebackers were outstand- ing in 2017, so much so that he was promoted to the coordinator position when Elko left in January to assume the same role at Texas A&M. Notre Dame's linebackers ac- counted for 400 tackles and 36 stops for loss last season, by far the best single-season totals at the position during head coach Brian Kelly's ten- ure in South Bend. The previous high for tackles there was 347 in 2013, and the best single-season mark for tack- les for loss was 29 in 2016. The 2012 linebacker corps — which was fueled by Heisman Trophy run- ner-up and consensus All-American Manti Te'o — combined for 303 tack- les and 11.5 stops behind the line. The 2015 defense — led by consensus All-American Jaylon Smith — totaled 326 tackles and 23.5 tackles for loss. Despite the graduation of captains Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini from the position, high expectations remain for the group this season, with standouts Te'von Coney and Drue Tranquill returning inside after pacing the defense with 13 and 10.5 tackles for loss, respectively. Tranquill started 13 games last season, while Coney led the defense with 116 total tackles despite starting only seven games. If there is a concern about that duo, it is that both are starting at new po- sitions. Tranquill was Notre Dame's rover last season, while Coney took most of his snaps at Buck (weakside) linebacker. Heading into their final seasons, Tranquill will be transitioning to Buck and Coney is replacing Morgan at the Mike spot (middle linebacker). Lea is not concerned about the ad- justment for either player. "Those are pretty interchangeable positions," he explained. "I've had success in cross-training those spots and having guys play both effec- tively in the same game." Coney played both inside line- backer spots last season, while Tran- quill aligned mostly outside, but he did earn snaps inside when Notre Dame went into its third-down align- ment. Both positions require athleti- cism and range, traits that both play- ers bring to the unit. "There are going to be more times when the Buck is responsible for [the second receiver into the boundary]," Lea noted. "There's a little more of a coverage component there. We ask a little more of that position athleti- cally in coverage." In the current configuration of the defense, the rover plays to the wide side of the field and has a lot of ground to handle in coverage as well, so moving to Buck actually less- ens Tranquill's load when it comes to coverage and space. Coney's time at Buck should pre- pare him to handle the post-snap du- ties of the Mike position. "I would argue the Mike posi- tion is exposed more than the Buck KEY TO SUCCESS The linebacker position is crucial for the Irish defense After leading the linebackers to great heights in 2017 — the group recorded 400 tackles and 36 tackles for loss — Clark Lea will now be tasked with coordinating the entire defense. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN