Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/123805
missing from the defense's side of the locker room. But as much as this spring was a search for new leaders to establish themselves on that side of the ball, the Irish defense charged through the spring with a business-as-usual demeanor thanks to the return of their most essential tone setter — coordinator Bob Diaco. Diaco stuck a few toes in headcoaching waters during the winter, but is back at Notre Dame for at least one more year to try to match the unexpected success his unit had on the field a season ago. He was his usual self during the 15 practices in March and April, distributing technique minutiae and flying chest-bumps to his players in equal measure. The associate head coach's well of energy and trust delivered a sense of normalcy and allowed the group to clear its throat while finding a new voice. "Coach Diaco is just an awesome individual," senior cornerback Bennett Jackson said. "Unique is probably a perfect word to describe him. He's the same person every day, no matter what's going on in his life." Jackson, expected to be one of the new faces out front in 2013, watched most of spring practice from the sideline. He, fifth-year senior Dan Fox and sophomore Nicky Baratti were all inactive due to shoulder surgeries in January. Other defensive mainstays such as defensive end Stephon Tuitt, linebacker Danny Spond and cornerback Lo Wood also missed chunks of time on the field with varying ailments. That opened the door for a new wave of defenders to prove themselves as potential impact players in the future and to get their first full Diaco experience. "I love the players. I did it myself, so I know what it feels like," said Diaco, a former linebacker at Iowa, when asked to describe his coaching style. "… I'm here to serve the players for Notre Dame. That's what I enjoy doing. When your compass is that compass, then a lot of decisions become easy." Diaco said he relies on his players believing he always has their best interest in mind. That's a trust he largely earned last year while piecing together a group that allowed the fewest points in the nation during the regular season. He'll need to lean on that trust even more in the coming months to continue to push his defense forward with its new look. Settling In The Middle Among the first orders of business for Diaco and the Irish this spring was testing new options to take the place of departed All-American linebacker Manti Te'o in the middle of the Notre Dame defense. Diaco made it clear that Te'o was "irreplaceable" in terms of what he did for the team as a whole. After a full month of practice, though, he was confident that his defense had the pieces in place to match his tackling production. The first dent in that sizable request will come from junior Jarrett Grace, who has been patiently waiting behind Te'o for two seasons. Grace acquitted himself well in March and April, living up to the high hopes of the coaching staff. He has the innate toughness, effort and size (6-3, 248 pounds) of an effective run stopper.