Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133608
DEFENSIVE BACKS Houston Griffith took 183 snaps at nickel as a freshman last year, but was moved to cornerback this spring to help fill the huge void left by Julian Love's early departure. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL QUOTABLE: DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR CL ARK LEA ON HOW IMPORTANT TECHNIQUE AND MENTAL TOUGHNESS AFTER GETTING BEAT WILL BE VITAL TO SOPHOMORE HOUSTON GRIFFITH, WHO MOVED FROM SAFETY AND NICKEL LAST YEAR TO CORNERBACK: "As a competitor you have to learn to respond to negative outcomes by moving on to the next snap, by getting information you can use to learn from it. You don't have to go too far back into the season, the Cotton Bowl, to realize how one play can impact a sequence of events. Unless we are able to clear that snap and move on to the next and reset on our technique and reset on our focus, we're going to experi- ence a spiral and a snowball effect of negative outcomes." Starters ★★★★ Notre Dame has possibly the top safety tandem in the country with seniors Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. Gilman was a 2018 Pro Football Focus first- team All-American, and Lindy's Sports named Elliott one of the five best senior strong safeties in the country. One year after the position combined for just five passes defended with zero interceptions and forced fumbles, Gilman and Elliott combined for 18 passes defended, six interceptions and four forced fumbles. At cornerback, senior Troy Pride Jr.'s late-season surge and 4.32 speed show he has the tools needed to be an All-American. The other cornerback spot still needs to be figured out, which is the difference between a top-10 and national title-caliber unit. Experience ★★★★ Elliott, Gilman and Pride have a combined 70 career starts, 58 coming at Notre Dame. Sopho- more cornerbacks Houston Griffith and TaRiq Bracy became regulars last fall, combining for 287 snaps. Senior cornerback Donte Vaughn has five career starts and played 216 snaps last season. Fifth-year senior cornerback Shaun Crawford played 408 snaps as the starting nickel back in 2017, but has missed two full seasons (2015 and 2018) to an ACL injury. He also played only five out 48 possible quarters in 2016 because of an Achilles tear. If those two veterans didn't have significant injury concerns heading into the season, the grade would be even higher at corner. Experience behind the starters at safety is non-existent. Depth ★★★½ Again, this rating eventually will depend on the health of Crawford and Vaughn. The veteran duo was sidelined this spring while recovering from injuries, and Crawford has had three devastating lower body injuries at Notre Dame. If they are unable to return to full speed, the depth at cornerback would be filled with sopho- mores, freshmen, a converted running back and a walk-on. At safety, Notre Dame has no one behind the starters who has played a snap at the position. How- ever, sophomore Derrik Allen and freshman safety Kyle Hamilton have top-tier potential. Overall Grade ★★★½ Elliott, Gilman and Pride are one of the best sec- ondary trios in the country. There is a significant drop-off thereafter, which brings the overall grade down a bit. The disparity is not about talent. Sophomore cor- nerback Griffith, sophomore safety Allen and fresh- man safety Hamilton were top-100 recruits coming out of high school, and freshman cornerback KJ Wallace and freshman safety Litchfield Ajavon were top-110 players. How quickly those young players develop — spe- cifically sophomores Griffith and Bracy — could dictate the difference this season. BY THE NUMBERS 1-2 Rivals ranked incoming freshman safeties Kyle Hamilton (No. 75 overall player) and Litchfield Ajavon (No. 106) as the best combination at safety in the 2019 recruiting haul by any school. One year earlier, Notre Dame signed two safeties that were ranked among the top 150 players in 2018 (Hous- ton Griffith at No. 43 and Derrik Allen at No. 135) — a first for the Irish since the Rivals era began in 2002. 26 Consecutive starts by senior safety Jalen Elliott the past two years, the lone Notre Dame player on the 2019 roster to achieve that distinction. If one included other schools, then fellow safety and Navy transfer Alohi Gilman would have the second most starts with 25. 229 Passing yards by Clemson freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence, with three touchdowns, during the decisive second quarter when Notre Dame consensus All-American cornerback Julian Love was sidelined temporarily with an injury. Lawrence had 98 yards through the air the other three quarters combined during the Tigers' 30-3 victory. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern 102 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW