Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2019 49 READY RIGHT NOW Each of the last two seasons a freshman defensive tackle had to play because of depth concerns, and two had to play in 2017. Another freshman defensive tackle will play in 2019, but it will have a lot more to do with what he brings to the game than it does with there being a major need at the position. Defensive tackle Jacob Lacey is the first interior player since Jerry Til- lery in 2015 to enroll early, and that has helped him move further along than the youngsters at that position the previous two seasons. On top of that, Lacey has advanced size (293 pounds) and power beyond what one would expect of a rookie. There were times during the spring when Lacey was the top playmaker inside, and while he hasn't been as flashy in fall camp, he has been a regular in the rotation. He has the strength and force to play the nose, but when he gets rolling he shows the ability to thrive at the three-tech- nique as well. The interior of the line doesn't need a body to eat up reps, it needs players who can be impactful. Lacey has a chance to be that kind of fig- ure, even as a freshman, but the staff needs him to grow up in a hurry. Safety Kyle Hamilton was going to be in the two-deep early on due to an overall lack of depth at the position, a situation that was exacerbated by the camp transfer of sophomore Derrik Allen. But it took all of one practice to realize that Hamilton was going to find his way onto the field no mat- ter what the depth chart situation looked like. Hamilton intercepted three passes in the first practice, and getting his hands on the football is something he seemed to make a habit of in camp. The 6-4, 210-pound safety uses a rare combination of length, range and speed to thrive playing zone cover- age and coming down against the run. Despite being on the thin side, Hamilton has shown himself to be a willing hitter — a trait that will make him a regular on special teams and as a rotation player at safety. Last season, seniors Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman played more than 1,000 snaps when you count their roles on special teams, which is an in- credibly heavy work volume. Hamil- ton could take some of that workload off both of them. The Irish defense needs safeties who can make plays on the ball, and Hamilton has been the team's most impactful player when it comes to doing that. Expect defensive coordi- nator Clark Lea to figure out a way to get Hamilton onto the field and give him a chance to make the big plays in games like he has done in practice. The lone freshman locked into a starting role right now is punter Jay Bramblett, who was recruited to take over that job the moment he arrived on campus back in January. Bramblett wasn't overly impressive during the spring, but he's been far more consistent and productive in fall camp. He lacks the powerful leg of the player he replaced — former cap- tain Tyler Newsome — but his hang time has been consistent and he Lineman Jacob Lacey has already entrenched himself as a regular in the interior rotation for the Irish defense. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER