Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2019 27 LINEBACKERS 2019 SPRING FOOTBALL OVERVIEW BY THE NUMBERS 2 Years in a row the starting rover from the previous season was moved to Buck linebacker in the spring — Drue Tranquill in 2018 and Asmar Bilal in 2019. More playmaking and action revolves around the Buck in the defensive alignment. However, Tranquill did record 85 tackles (10.5 for loss) at rover in 2017 compared to Bilal's 50 (three for loss) in 2018. 9 Linebackers among the 12 on scholarship in 2019 — in- cluding three more freshmen arriving in June — that have at least three years of eligibility remaining, and five of them have four. This unit should not be lacking in numbers or competition the next several years. 97 Career tackles by Bilal, while the other linebackers have a combined 70. Bilal recorded 560 snaps last season (43 per game), while every- one else totaled 256 among them. WHO'S GONE Te'von Coney Notre Dame's leading tackler the last two sea- sons, he earned All-America honors thanks to his run-stopping prowess. Drue Tranquill He was the most versatile defender for the Irish last season, providing playmaking ability and ex- ceptional leadership. WHO'S BACK Fifth-Year Senior Asmar Bilal Bilal finished sixth in tackles last season (50) while starting 10 games at rover, but now has been down- shifted to Buck. Junior Jordan Genmark Heath The former safety started one game at Buck last year in place of an injured Tranquill and recorded 16 tackles each of his first two seasons. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL Brian Kelly's Take "Until I watch the film on guys tackling and playing real foot- ball, there's not set positions at linebacker right now. … "Cross-training generally means that you haven't figured out which position they really have de- scended upon. If somebody really shows himself at a particular position, we're less interested in cross-training." POSITION BATTLE TO WATCH There is no firm resolution anywhere at linebacker, and the odds of finality occurring during the spring are slim. Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Clark Lea hinted so much follow- ing the third practice that was held March 7. Fifth-year senior Asmar Bilal is moving inside to Buck after starting at rover in 2018, but he'll have to hold off junior Jordan Genmark Heath and sophomore Jack Lamb. At Mike, junior Drew White, senior Jonathan Jones and sophomore Bo Bauer will battle for reps. Sophomore Shayne Simon at rover might be the easiest starter to project after Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was side- lined last season as a sophomore because of a broken foot suffered in early September. N otre Dame will have to replace 606 career tackles, 49.5 ca- reer tackles for loss, 12.5 career sacks and 19 career passes broken up from its linebacker rotation. No problem, right? The graduation of Te'von Coney and Drue Tranquill leaves a huge void at linebacker, and there isn't much experience beyond fifth-year senior Asmar Bilal. The good news is there isn't a shortage of numbers, raw ability or athleticism remaining on the roster. Bilal made 50 tackles as the starting rover last season, but he was limited in the pass game and must become a better all- around defender to hold onto a starting spot. He will be pushed all spring by junior Jordan Genmark Heath, a converted safety that handled himself well in his lone start of the season (at Northwestern) last fall. At Mike linebacker, junior Drew White will battle senior Jonathan Jones and sophomore Bo Bauer for the starting role. White stepped in for Tranquill against Navy and performed admirably. The athletic Jones must become more disciplined with his assignments if he's going to get into the rotation. The dark horse is Bauer, a long, rangy and powerful young linebacker who was a special teams stalwart last fall. An emer- gence from Bauer and fellow sophomore Jack Lamb could drastically change the fortunes of the position. At rover, sophomore Shayne Simon and junior Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah give the Irish a highly athletic duo. They are young, but a jump in production at the position is expected. ASMIR BILAL Returning Returning Year-End Year Starts Tackles Tackles 2018 45 462 294 2019 11 167 —