Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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24 AUGUST 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY LOU SOMOGYI W hen the University of Mich- igan opens the 2018 foot- ball season at Notre Dame Sept. 1, it will bring with it one of the nation's more vaunted defenses. Nine starters return on a unit that finished among the national leaders in virtually every major category, in- cluding No. 3 in total defense (271.0 yards per game allowed), No. 4 in pass efficiency defense (103.71) and tied for No. 7 in sacks (3.23 per game). Nevertheless, the Fighting Irish in recent years have successfully raided the Wolverine state for defensive tal- ent, specifically at end, which has not been seen since the late 1960s and early 1970s under former Notre Dame assistant Paul Shoults. The junior end trio of Daelin Hayes (Belleville), Khalid Kareem (Detroit) and Adetokunbo Ogundeji (West Bloomfield) will either be linchpins or a top reserve along the Irish pe- rimeter in 2018, and they were joined this spring by linebacker Ovie Og- houfo (Lathrup Village), who played at the same high school as Kareem (Harrison). "We're a pretty tight-knit group and we just gained Ovie, that's an- other connection," Kareem said. "It's a smaller brotherhood inside our big- ger one." Part of that brotherhood also en- tailed Hayes and Kareem originally giving verbal pledges to USC and Al- abama, respectively, before opting to stay closer to home. Under-the-radar figure Ogundeji also originally com- mitted to then-head coach P.J. Fleck's Western Michigan Broncos before seeing his stock rise significantly to land an offer from Notre Dame. Whereas Hayes made the most in- roads last season as a sophomore by starting all 13 games at drop end and playing the second most snaps (544) among the defensive linemen, Ka- reem began to become a factor while working behind the senior tandem of Jay Hayes and Andrew Trumbetti at strongside end. Kareem finished the year with 287 snaps (22.1 per game), but his productivity and play-making skills were evident while tying for second in sacks (three) and finishing third in quarterback hurries (six). In addition, he batted down two passes and re- turned a recovered fumble 16 yards. "He has a knack for pass rushing … some really innate ability to find the quarterback," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said of Kareem. It was his nose for the ball that earned Kareem Defensive MVP hon- ors in the 2016 Semper Fidelis All- Star game in California. "I've been working two years for this," Kareem said of his newfound starting role. "I've been playing de- fensive end since I was 6 [years old]. I've been working 13, 14 years on it, so I'm just getting better every day." The issue now is whether Kareem can translate 20-25 plays per game into 50 or 60 while also working ef- fectively versus the run. Such volume will be needed after Jay Hayes opted to leave the team midway through the spring and use his fifth season as a graduate transfer at the University of Georgia, where he will be immediately eligible this fall. At 289 pounds, Jay Hayes had the physique and bulk to hold the edge better against the run, yet the 270-pound Kareem made enough gains in that area, combined with his pass-rush skills, to take over the top spot this spring. "We felt like Khalid had earned the starting position there based upon his work both in the weight room and on the football field," Kelly said. "He was going to be the starter at that position. We believe that based upon his production." Kareem spoke briefly with Jay Hayes about his surprising departure. "It's all love," he said. "We're sad to lose one of our brothers, but we're going to keep pushing each other and supporting each other through- out the whole process." Making the loss of Jay Hayes slightly easier is the fact that defensive line coach Mike Elston stated earlier this spring that this is the best com- bination of skills and depth he's had at the end spots in his nine seasons at Notre Dame with Daelin Hayes, Ju- lian Okwara and Jamir Jones at drop, and Kareem and the raw but ascend- ing Ogundeji at strongside end. Earlier this spring, Elston was try- ing to find a role for Ogundeji in the dime package, but now the opportu- nity to earn more snaps has expanded. "I love his development," Elston said of Ogundeji. "When you talk to [director of football performance] Matt Balis, he's got that board of guys that are starving, guys that are hungry, guys that are satisfied — Ade is always up there with the starving guys. "He just wants more, he's working his tail off. I love where he's at." How much action Ogundeji sees could also depend on how durable and dependable Kareem can remain. "Just being consistent, working to get my reps up, my stamina," Ka- reem replied when asked about his points of emphasis this past spring and beyond. "… It's just a faster pace. I'm used to it now because I played last year, got a few reps my freshman year. "I've got to build my body up to withstand the reps … and just getting confidence from my reps." At 270 pounds, Kareem is not much larger than the 264-pound Daelin Hayes on the other side of the field, but both will be entrusted to hold the edge as blossoming juniors with their own distinguishing skill sets. "Daelin played linebacker in high school, he's more comfortable with dropping back, covering receivers and running backs out of the back- field," Kareem said. "I'm just good with the three-point stance." How good both will be in 2018 will play a significant role on whether Notre Dame can get an edge versus Michigan, and beyond. ✦ END GAME Khalid Kareem is part of a junior trio from Michigan aspiring to improve the pass rush Kareem worked his way into the defensive end rotation last year — playing 22.1 snaps per con- test — and tied for second on the team in sacks (three) while also finishing third in quarterback hurries (six). PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA