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linebackers Spond's efforts last season were enough to hold off the prototypical size of junior Ben Councell as he continued to learn more about the position. Councell (6-4, 248 pounds) is taller than Spond and possesses the type of body Notre Dame hopes to eventually stockpile at its outside linebacker position. He needed some time to fit comfortably into the Irish system, but Diaco called him the "player of the spring" in mid-April. The coach said Councell made as big of a leap as anyone on the defensive roster during the offseason. He will be hard to keep off the field for another full year — but he may also have a hard time keeping his spot as No. 2 on the depth chart. Councell and Spond will both be joined this summer by Jaylon Smith, the top linebacker prospect in the country according to most recruiting services. Smith, a product of Bishop Luers in Fort Wayne, Ind., has the potential to be the next program-changing defender to roll through South Bend. At 220 pounds, he needs to add weight this offseason to hang at the college level. For now, though, he has the coverage skills of a college-level defensive back and the burst at the line of scrimmage that would make him an effective pass rusher right away. Diaco said he would like to avoid playing the talented freshmen he's inheriting this season if he can help it. Of course, the best players will play regardless of their age, but he said he learned from his experience with standout defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Aaron Lynch two years ago that too much playing time early can stunt a prospect's growth. Smith might be good enough for Diaco to make an exception, but the Irish have plenty of depth at the linebacker position this year to protect their young. ✦ Preseason Analysis ★★★★ National Title Contention; ★★★ BCS Contention; ★★ Top 25 Potential; ★ Too Unproven Starters ★★★ Outside linebackers Prince Shembo and Danny Spond are a reliable, productive tandem. Shembo's low center of gravity and explosiveness off the ball may have him primed for a grand finish to his college career this season. In the middle, junior Jarrett Grace looked ready to step into his new role as a runstuffing, old-school Mike linebacker who loves to hit. Fifth-year seniors Dan Fox and Carlo Calabrese make up for Grace's lack of experience with plenty of their own. Calabrese has slimmed down to be better in pass coverage, and Fox should be healthy this year after playing through a shoulder injury toward the end of the 2012 season. Experience ★★★ The linebacker corps lost a supreme talent in Manti Te'o, but also a great wealth of experience. Te'o had been on the field since his first game in a blue-and-gold uniform. That's not an easy blow to absorb. The Irish will lean hard on Calabrese and Fox to grow into leaders this year now that they are no longer cooling in Te'o's shadow. Shembo is also moving into his third season as a regular, although it's only his second at the Cat position. Spond carries himself the way he should as a senior and after 11 quality starts at the Dog position. While both outside linebacker spots have plenty of young talent on the depth chart, only junior Ishaq Williams has seen significant game experience. Depth ★★★ Notre Dame should be able to mix and match its way through any injury problems that crop up at linebacker. Fox can play both inside positions, which is important because depth there is not as strong as it could be. Junior Joe Schmidt, reportedly put on scholarship this summer, and senior Kendall Moore are expected to be prime figures on special teams. In a major pinch, Spond might be able to help inside. At outside linebacker, backups Williams and Ben Councell are both worthy of playing time, and they'll be pushed from behind this season too by up-and-coming sophomore Romeo Okwara and the country's top linebacker recruit, Jaylon Smith. Overall Grade ★★★ Notre Dame returned four players with starting experience in the middle tier of the defense this season, but the most important piece they get back is position coach Bob Diaco. The Irish defensive coordinator should turn a seasoned unit with lots of budding talent into a group that can close the gap left by Te'o. Fourth-year defensive coordinator Bob Diaco has become one of the nation's top head coach candidates after receiving the Frank Broyles Award last season, honoring him as the nation's top assistant. photo by joe raymond A Players' Coach Irish defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Bob Diaco is a bit of an acquired taste. His players rarely know exactly what to make of the ball of energy when they first meet him. But in four seasons he's built a trust and a rock-solid sense of loyalty with his defense. Diaco stuck a few toes in head coaching waters during the winter when his name was tossed around for the Boston College and Cal vacancies. He entertained the idea, but is back at Notre Dame for at least one more year to try to match the success his unit had on the field a season ago. He was his usual self this spring, distributing technical minutiae and flying chest bumps to his players in equal measure. The coach's always-filled "energy bucket" and the trust he has built with his defense 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 repair 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 Football Bowl Subdivision during the regular season. Getting 18-year-olds to buy into that notion can be tricky — "an art form," said Diaco — but he counts on his upperclassmen to point their teammates in the right direction when problems arise. "There will be disagreements like there are in any family, and typically it's somebody else in the family that gets the other person on track," Diaco said. "I know when my father said things to me that I either disagreed with or I thought were unpleasant or unrealistic expectations, it was my [older] brother, Franky, that made me see the light." The Irish veterans say that Diaco's willingness to be one of the guys goes a long way in building leaders and getting all of his players to fall in line. "He's intense, man," said senior linebacker Prince Shembo. "To have a good time with the kids, you gotta be a kid yourself. That's how he is with us. He's like a young adult; he runs around with us. That's what makes him great. He's interactive." — Dan Murphy Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 93 90-95.LBs.indd 93 6/25/13 3:33 PM