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linebackers on the Irish roster this season. Four linebackers with starting experience return to the lineup with a combined total of 67 starts among them. Two of them — seniors Danny Spond and Prince Shembo — are starting their fourth year in the Irish program, and two others — Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese — predate head coach Brian Kelly and his coaching staff as the veterans head into their fifth and final season in South Bend. Partners In Crime For the third consecutive year, Fox and Calabrese will work as a tag team to fill out the inside linebacker position. The pair of fifth-year seniors have complemented each other well in the past. Calabrese established himself as a capable downhill run stopper early in his career. He made a career-high 60 tackles as a sophomore and has held on to a slight edge over Fox since then. He currently has 146 career tackles to Fox's 131. The quicker Fox has been better suited for pass coverage and eventually took over the majority of snaps last season from Calabrese, who missed the first game of the year while serving a team suspension. This season, both players are hoping to expand their roles. Fox missed almost the entire spring recovering from shoulder surgery, but he studied both the Will and Mike linebacker positions. Kelly said he expects Fox to be able to rotate between both spots to give Grace a couple plays off when he needs a breather or a brief learning moment on the sidelines. Diaco said he was impressed with Fox's ability to stay in football shape during the offseason despite not being able to suit up with his teammates. "Although he's not doing football, I don't think there is going to be this huge leap to get him ready," Diaco said "He's had a nice spring even not participating. It will be good to interject him back into a leadership role as an older player that's been around here a long time and has a lot of reps under his belt. That will be positive. We're looking forward to that. It's hard when you're detached from an on-the-field presence standpoint to really take on that leadership role." Calabrese will most likely stay put at the Will position for his final season at Notre Dame. He has slimmed down to 240 pounds during the offseason and is pushing himself to get faster, making it easier to drop into pass coverage. His ability to play the run and the pass will be important for the Irish to get the flexibility they want with Fox at both positions. Calabrese is only a few credits shy of earning his degree in design, and his class load is significantly lighter than during his first couple years at Notre Dame. He said the extra time allows him to focus on what needs to improve on the field. "It's good that I've got all my classes done early. Now I don't have too much work," he said. "Now I have more time to study [football] and just get better in the weight room, just getting better all around really. It's good having a lot more time." Dr. Shembo And Company The strength of Notre Dame's linebacker group this year, especially in its depth, will be on the outside. That begins with senior Prince Shembo. The 6-2, 258-pound Cat linebacker has spent time at both outside linebacker positions, but says he is certainly more comfortable with his hand on the ground where he can use his low center of gravity and quick burst to rush the quarterback and make plays in the backfield. This season, Diaco said Shembo is pushing to raise his game to a higher level mentally. "We're working on taking his game from, just to put it in terms that some people might identify with, from a master's level to a Ph.D. level," Diaco said. "He really needs to work on the tools that suit his biomechanics for rushing the passer and even analyzing his individual matchup from a week-to-week standpoint to see what he can work on to attack their liabilities." Shembo's specific biomechanics — he's relatively short for the position — make blowing past a taller, heavier offensive lineman a different task than it would be for other players. Nonetheless, he finished second on the team last year with 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss, behind only preseason consensus All-American Stephon Tuitt. The senior said he thinks he can use his 6-2 frame to an advantage when going up against linemen that are usually four or five inches taller than him. "I might be shorter than everyone else, but I'll smack the crap out of you," he said. "Short guys have some advantages. For instance, have Quick Facts Fifth-year senior Carlo Calabrese returns with the most career tackles (146) among current Notre Dame players despite sharing time at Will linebacker the past three seasons. He is poised to take on an expanded role in 2013 after slimming down and working on becoming an all-around player. photo by bill panzica Position Coach: Bob Diaco (4th year at Notre Dame) Returning Starters: ILB Carlo Calabrese (13 career starts), ILB Dan Fox (22), OLB Prince Shembo (21) and OLB Danny Spond (11) Departing Starters: ILB Manti Te'o (49) Projected New Starters: ILB Jarrett Grace Top Reserves: OLB Ben Councell and OLB Ishaq Williams Waiting Their Turn: ILB Kendall Moore, OLB Romeo Okwara and ILB Joe Schmidt Newcomers: ILB Michael Deeb, OLB Doug Randolph and OLB Jaylon Smith Moved In: None Moved Out: ILB Justin Utupo (to DE) Other Departures: None FYI: Fox was listed as the 48th-best inside linebacker in the country by Phil Steele's 2013 College Football Preview … The same publication listed Shembo as the 16th-best outside linebacker and Spond as the 58th-best outside linebacker in the country … Calabrese and Grace did not make Phil Steele's list … Notre Dame's front seven will face two teams that finished in the top 10 of rushing yards per game last season — Air Force (No. 2) and Navy (No. 6) … Notre Dame's defense finished 11th in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season in rushing yards allowed per game (105.7) … Former preferred walk-on Schmidt was put on scholarship this summer, according to the Twitter accounts of teammates, past and present, extending him congratulations. Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 91 90-95.LBs.indd 91 6/25/13 3:33 PM