Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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84 MARCH 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED from a 25- to 29-point outfit to get to the 30- to 34-point level. It has the makings of similar production in 2019 while hovering in the top-10 area overall as a team. Whether it can start getting to the 35- and even 40-point threshold is a question that will remain in its quest to at- tain tier one status. CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE On paper, Notre Dame's single strongest position group in 2019 appears to be defensive end. Not only do the top five players return, but they combined last year for 165 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and 39 quarter- back hurries, consistently ranking near the top teams nationally in pass pressure according to Pro Football Fo- cus. Strongside end Khalid Kareem and drop end Julian Okwara both opted to return as seniors rather than depart to the NFL. That is as impact- ful at those two positions in 2019 as the return of the top two linebackers, Drue Tranquill and Te'von Coney, was in 2018. Daelin Hayes was a former five- star recruit, and junior Ade Ogundeji displayed the flashes of his progress. With such a strong nucleus among that quartet, it might even seem feasi- ble to redshirt senior Jamir Jones this year so that both he and Ogundeji can still provide a veteran presence after Kareem, Okwara and Hayes ex- haust their eligibility in 2019. Strong and quick edge play on de- fense has been deemed an albatross at Notre Dame since the turn of the century, but not in 2018 and certainly not in 2019. This time the question centers more on the middle of the line and at linebacker. The interior graduates four-year starter Jerry Tillery at the three-tech- nique and two-year starting nose tackle Jonathan Bonner. A three-man rotation of junior Kurt Hinish (13 tackles, two stops for loss and 1.5 sacks in 2018), junior Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (missed games two through 12 after foot surgery) and rising sophomore Jayson Ademi- lola (19 stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks) will be in the works, but answers beyond them are sketchy. Late in last year's 56-27 win at Wake Forest Sept. 22, freshman nose tackle Ja'Mion Franklin suffered a grue- some injury that required reattaching the quadriceps tendon to the bone. Such surgeries require at least three months for the tendon to reattach to the bone, and then about a six-month convalescence period to recover from the atrophy. It's doubtful he will be able to engage in much work during spring drills, slated to begin March 2, and how much he can contribute in 2019 is uncertain. Consequently, incoming freshmen Jacob Lacey and Hunter Spears will be counted on to fortify the ranks because both enrolled early for the Jan. 15 start of the second semester. The misfortune is that Spears suf- fered a torn ACL in his left knee Nov. 5, marking the second time that hap- pened in a 19-month period (the first sidelined him all of his junior year). As with Franklin, how much Spears will be able to contribute in 2019, and how effectively, is murky at this point. Even a greater question is the posi- tion group that plays right behind them in the middle. The line- backer tandem of Tranquill and Coney, at Will and Mike, respectively, were perhaps the most instrumental and productive figures in the 22-4 outcome the past two years that elevated Notre Dame to tier two status. It went beyond the num- bers they combined to post in 2017-18: 410 tackles, 39.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 14 sacks. The leadership and warrior men- tality both displayed uplifted the rest of the ranks. The combination of both the top interior tackles and linebackers departing in one fell swoop makes the mid- dle of the Notre Dame de- fense the most suspect area in 2019. The top candidates for now as replacements at inside linebacker would be 2018 special teams main- stays Jordan Genmark Heath (16 tackles), who made the transition from safety as a sophomore last year, and ris- ing sophomore Bo Bauer (10 tackles). Half of Notre Dame's 2019 oppo- nents ranked among the top half of the NCAA rushing stats last year and should test the Irish run defense. Per usual, Navy with its triple option is the highest, finishing fifth in 2018 with what, for them, was an "ane- mic" 276.1 yards per contest after of- ten averaging in the 300- to 350-yard range the previous 15 years. Geor- gia was 16th (238.8), Michigan 30th (203.8), Boston College 48th (189.1), Virginia Tech 57th (174.3) and Vir- ginia 60th (173.2). To avoid any return to middle of the road status in 2019, shoring up the middle of the defense will be a crucial step for the Fighting Irish. ROCKY ROAD In the last seven seasons under Brian Kelly, Notre Dame has finished unbeaten at home three times: 2012, 2015 and 2018. Consider that in the 22 seasons from 1990-2011, Notre Dame was un- blemished at home only once (1998). Furthermore, in 11 seasons with the Fighting Irish, Lou Holtz (1986-96) had a perfect home record only three times (the three straight from 1987- Junior nose tackle Kurt Hinish — who contributed 13 stops, two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in part-time duty this past season — will be asked to step into a larger role in the middle of the Irish defense in 2019. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL