Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com AUGUST 2018 33 these days because you see as much three removed [to the field] as two removed [to the boundary]," Lea ex- plained. "… There is a lot of space out there for the Mike. We want the ability to cover spaces, to have length." Notre Dame knows who it will trot out inside, but the rover posi- tion could very well be a by-com- mittee rotation this fall. That works for Lea due to the flexible nature of the position. "The rover can become a nickel and a Sam [strongside linebacker], and that's what makes it special," the coach noted. "We want to have guys that can do both of those things. … There's room to involve more than one person there, and not even just in a rotation setting. "We have specific situations where we are using this guy for part of the position, and we are using this guy for another part." Senior Asmar Bilal heads into fall camp as the projected starter, but a pair of sophomores, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Isaiah Rob- ertson, will pair with two freshmen, Shayne Simon and Ovie Oghoufo, to push Bilal for snaps. The position is far from settled. "It's an evolving position … I thought through the spring there was a ton of growth; it was fun," Lea said. "It wasn't perfect, but there was growth. They're drilling down on that in the summer. "We are going to add Shayne Si- mon to that mix, too. I'm not going to put a ceiling on what he's capable of, nor am I going to anoint him. … We're excited about what he brings to the table." Simon was a consensus four-star recruit, with 247Sports ranking him as the nation's No. 48 overall player. Bilal is the lone player that saw ac- tion at the rover position a year ago, and the addition of the four younger players adds a great deal of athleti- cism and depth to the position. From that standpoint, Owusu- Koramoah was especially impressive during the spring. "He's a special athlete … Jeremiah Owusu has twitch, and that's not be- cause he's being coached better," Lea said. "That twitch has always been in there. Even before he knew how to line up, there was a ball thrown up and he went up and got it, and you're like, 'Whoa!'" The current roster has a unique blend of skills, which lends well to the broad demands at rover. That versatility also opens up rovers to potential position changes, which happened with Tranquill. "Rover is in some ways a feeder po- sition, be it to a nickel on third down or guys that eat their way into play- ing Buck linebacker," Lea said. "It's a great place for a young player to come in and have an impact, whether that impact is four years at the same spot or he grows elsewhere." Simon wasn't the lone highly ranked linebacker to sign with Notre Dame in the 2018 class. He was joined by standouts Jack Lamb and Bo Bauer, a pair of inside lineback- ers. Lamb was ranked by Rivals as the nation's No. 77 overall player, and Bauer was listed as the No. 158 overall prospect. Simon arrived this summer, but Lamb, Bauer and Oghoufo were early enrollees. All three struggled in the spring, which was to be ex- pected. That experience, however, should prove beneficial by the time September arrives. "The benefit of early enrolling, no matter the position, is vital, but cer- tainly at linebacker," Lea said. "Col- lege linebacker and high school line- backer are just two totally different worlds." Lamb and Bauer were listed at just 216 pounds when they arrived, and Oghoufo was reported at 217. All three add significant length to a posi- tion in desperate need of it. None of Notre Dame's returning scholarship linebackers are taller than 6-2. Lamb is 6-4, Oghoufo and Simon are 6-3, and Bauer was listed this spring at 6-2¾. Long and thin athletes are what Lea wanted at the position when he and his staff hit the recruiting trail. "I'm not looking for linebackers that are 240 pounds right now," Lea noted. "I don't know if that bodes well for what the position is asked to do. I want guys that have good frames that we can add weight onto while they are here. You take athletic ability and you're adding some mus- cle to it. To me, you have a modern- day linebacker that way. "For the early enrollees to come in and get in the strength program in the winter and experience that shock, and to go through a spring [is invalu- able]. They got valuable repetition. It's incredible how much they were in there, and they screwed it up roy- ally sometimes." Struggling in the spring is part of the process, but Lea knows it will make them more prepared to compete for spots in the two-deep during fall camp. "They'll enter the fall in a different conversation," he said. "I consider them to be veteran players now, not rookies." Notre Dame will need the much publicized freshmen to challenge the returners currently listed as back- ups. Owusu-Koramoah redshirted as a freshman in 2017, and Robertson played safety last season. The same is true for junior D.J. Morgan and sophomore Jordan Genmark Heath, who was moved to Buck midway through the spring ses- sion. Former backup Mike linebacker Jamir Jones moved to defensive end, and injuries forced 2017 signee David Adams to retire from football. Only junior Jon Jones has any ex- perience playing linebacker among the players competing for a spot in the two-deep, and he was credited with 10 tackles last season. Keeping the veterans healthy and getting the young players up to speed rapidly will be crucial for Lea during fall camp. If that happens, the Irish will have yet another produc- tive linebacker corps, and possibly its most athletic of the Kelly era. ✦ Moving to Buck linebacker puts senior captain Drue Tranquill in position for a major jump in production this fall. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL