Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
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LINEBACKERS 96 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Starters ★★★ Notre Dame returns two starters and its two leading tacklers from last season in rover Jeremiah Owusu- Koramoah and Mike linebacker Drew White. Each recorded 80 stops in 2019. Owusu-Koramoah led the Irish with 13.5 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 5.5 sacks. White, an under-appreciated ath- lete, provided the biggest defensive surprise last fall when he became the starter in the middle. He didn't disap- point and is now a valuable member of this linebacker corps. With the graduation of 2019 start- ing Buck linebacker Asmar Bilal, the third starting spot is up for grabs. Senior Jordan Genmark Heath was the first to line up at Buck in the lone spring practice, but that was at least in part because juniors Jack Lamb and Shayne Simon were sidelined with injuries. Sophomores Marist Liufau and Jack Kiser are a couple of other candidates to watch in this battle for the Buck, while also likely cross-training at rover. Experience ★★★ Beyond Owusu-Koramoah and White, this category provides a ques- tion mark, although the rotation is much clearer this fall than compared to 2019 when defensive coordinator/ linebackers coach Clark Lea had to replace veteran standouts Drue Tran- quill and Te'von Coney. Genmark Heath has 42 tackles in 39 career games, but so far has been un- able to land a starting linebacker spot. Junior Bo Bauer, considered ex- clusively a Mike behind White, ap- peared in all 26 games during his first two seasons, but most of his work came on special teams, where he excelled. Junior Paul Moala gave Notre Dame good work as the backup rover last year. He made 14 tackles in 12 games and has appeared in 20 contests dur- ing his career. Another junior, Shayne Simon, has 13 tackles in 19 appearances. Depth ★★★ There is plenty of youthful line- backer talent on the roster for at least three or even more players to emerge as rotation regulars, especially if the junior class — Moala, Bauer, Simon and Lamb — can make appreciable improvement from last season. Ten of the 11 scholarship lineback- ers have at least two years of eligibil- ity remaining, and all four of the 2020 sophomores at this position have four after redshirting last season. Overall Grade ★★★ Maybe more than any position group on the team, linebacker holds the greatest promise of showing the most overall improvement and the most surprises. In the same way White emerged as the unexpected starter at Mike last season and Owusu-Koramoah as suddenly a top NFL prospect, there is a long list of untested players who possess the skill set to forge a similar course this season. And with proven starting talent at two of three positions, Notre Dame enjoys a good foundation to build upon while a hierarchy is sorted out among the rest. BY THE NUMBERS 0 0 Linebackers signed by Notre Dame in 2020, a first since 2012. Part of it was that among the 11 on scholarship this year only one is in a final year of eligibility (Jordan Genmark Heath), although senior rover Jer- emiah Owusu-Koramoah, who has a fifth year in 2021, could conceivably turn pro after this season. 13 13 Tackles recorded by junior Bo Bauer last season on special teams, which led the team (Owusu-Koramoah was second with seven) and earned him Special Teams Player of the Year at the Irish Echoes Awards Show in December. He started on all four cover- age and return units. 239 239 Combined tackles from the 2019 starting linebacker trio of Drew White (80), Owusu- Koramoah (80) and the graduated Asmar Bilal (79), ranking them tied for first and No. 3 on the team. It was the second time in three years un- der linebackers coach Clark Lea, that line- backers were the top three tacklers. In 2017 they were the top four with Te'von Coney, Nyles Morgan, Drue Tranquill and Greer Martini. PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern After surgery for a dislocated patella in November, junior Shayne Simon is expected to return to action during training camp. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER