2019 Notre Dame Football Preview

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Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview

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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 117 Best Offensive Lines 1. Georgia — The Bulldog line was up and down last season due in large part to a revolving door in the starting lineup. Two sophomores and three freshmen made at least four starts last fall. All that experience should make a Georgia line that is still young a far more consistent and productive unit. Four of the five expected starters were top-100 recruits, and the fifth was a top-150 prospect. Junior left tackle Andrew Thomas is a preseason first-team All-American by Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports and Street & Smith's. At 320 pounds, Thomas is actually Georgia's lightest projected starter. 2. Michigan — U-M lacks Georgia's size and raw talent, but the Wolverines bring back an experienced, tough and well-coached line. It returns 89 career starts, and the pair on the left side — tackle Jon Runyan Jr. (first team) and guard Ben Bredeson (second team) — were both named to the coaches' All-Big Ten team last fall, while Cesar Ruiz was listed as the third-team center. Runyan was named a preseason first-team All-American by Lindy's Sports, and Brede- son was named a second-team All-American by Lindy's and Athlon Sports. Having such a veteran unit should help ease the transition to Gattis' new attack. 3. USC — There is a drop-off between the first two and everyone else, but the Trojans should field an improved line in 2019 after struggling there the last two seasons. Former five-star recruit Austin Jackson returns at left tackle, where he thrived in pass protection last fall. Right guard Andrew Vorhees is the most experienced blocker with 20 career starts. USC's three new starters — left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, center Brett Neilon, right tackle Jalen McKenzie — all received snaps in 2018 reserve roles, and Neilon made one start. Best Defensive Lines 1. Georgia — The Bulldogs don't have a proven alpha figure along their line, but there is impressive depth, size and strength. Geor- gia was relatively young up front a season ago, which caused some spotty play against the run, but that youth is now seasoned. Massive nose tackle Jordan Davis (6-6, 330) showed impact potential as a freshman in 2018, and he is the big man with the most All-SEC talent. Senior defensive tackle Tyler Clark is a steady and physical run defender. 2. USC — It would not be a surprise if the Trojans front ended up as the best group on Notre Dame's schedule, but there is still much to prove. In fact, Lindy's Sports ranks it as the 10th-best defensive line in the country. A pair of former five-star recruits — Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu — are the keys to USC developing a top line. Both had impres- sive moments in 2018, but now are in position to perform at an All-Pac-12 level as juniors. Senior end Christian Rector is a versatile defender who can play the run, get after the quarterback and even drop in coverage. 3. Duke — This young unit struggled dur- ing the 2018 season, but there is legit tal- ent and depth returning. Junior end Victor Dimukeje has All-ACC talent, and it was ap- parent as a sophomore when he had a team- leading 8.5 tackles for loss, 39 quarterback pressures and led the line with 22 run stops. Defensive end Chris Rumph was a USA Today Freshman All-American last year, and defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo could push for All-ACC honors this season. Best Linebackers 1. Virginia Tech — Junior Rayshard Ashby and sophomore Dax Hollifield were named preseason second-team All-ACC play- ers by Lindy's Sports, and Ashby could be the top linebacker on Notre Dame's schedule. Ashby racked up 105 tackles and 9.5 tack- les for loss in his first season as a starter, and had five games with at least 11 tackles. His 11.2 run stop percentage from 2018 ranks second among all returning ACC linebackers with at least 200 run snaps. Injuries thrust Hollifield into the lineup as a freshman, and he responded with 62 stops and eight tackles for loss. 2. Virginia — According to Athlon Sports, only Clemson and Miami (Fla.) have higher- ranked linebacker groups in the ACC. The Cavaliers have a veteran unit that thrives in the 3-4 defense. 6-foot-7 outside linebacker Charles Snowden had nine passes broken up last fall, and he's UVA's top returning pass rusher after registering 26 quarterback pressures. Inside linebacker Jordan Mack led Virginia with 33 run stops last fall. 3. Michigan — Despite losing first-round NFL Draft pick Devin Bush Jr., the Wol- verines return outside linebacker Khaleke Hudson and weakside linebacker Devin Gil. Junior linebacker Josh Ross finished fourth with 61 tackles while starting only one game. Senior Josh Uche also was third with eight tackles for loss (seven of them sacks) even though he was not a starter. Essential to Michigan is getting Hudson back to his 2017 form. Hudson made 18 tackles for loss in 2017 but dipped to only 3.5 last season. Best Secondaries 1. Virginia — While Notre Dame will not confront a number of top-flight defensive line or linebacker units, it does face a bevy of outstanding defensive backs this season, and Virginia boasts the best group. Athlon Sports ranks the Cavalier secondary as the sixth best in the country. Senior cornerback Bryce Hall is a pre- season first-team All-American by Athlon Sports, Lindy's Sports and Street & Smith's. This comes after Hall earned second-team All-America honors from Walter Camp, Football Writers Association of America and Phil Steele in 2018. Despite starting just five games last fall, safety Joey Blount was named a second-team All-ACC performer by Pro Football Focus. 2. Georgia — The Bulldogs bring back one of the best safety tandems in the country. Senior JR Reed is a preseason second-team All-American by Athlon and Lindy's Sports, and he earned the fifth-best safety cover grade in the country in 2018 from Pro Foot- ball Focus. Former five-star cornerback Tyson Camp- bell made 45 tackles as a true freshman starter in 2018. Sophomore Eric Stokes has the task of replacing All-American Deandre Baker, but Stokes held opponents to a lower completion percentage (40 percent) than Baker last year (48.8 percent). 3. Michigan — Two starters must be re- placed on the back end, but it returns senior cornerback Lavert Hill and senior safety Josh Metellus. Hill was named a preseason first- team All-American by Lindy's Sports, and Metellus is a preseason first-team All-Big Ten performer according to Athlon Sports, Street & Smith's and Lindy's Sports. Lindy's ranked the Michigan secondary the ninth best in the nation and No. 1 among Notre Dame's 2019 opponents. ✦ After making 105 tackles last season, junior Ray- shard Ashby returns to lead the Virginia Tech line- backer unit. PHOTO COURTESY VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETICS

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