Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 OCT. 2, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL N otre Dame's linebacker unit took a punch right before the season. One game in, it ab- sorbed two more. Junior Marist Liufau, the starter-to- be at Will linebacker, suffered a season- ending lower leg fracture on the final day of fall camp. If his camp perfor- mance was any preview, a breakout sea- son was imminent. Ten days later, Notre Dame learned the injuries to senior linebackers Paul Moala (Achilles) and Shayne Simon (torn labrum) suffered in the opener at Florida State would knock them out for the season. A starter and two key backups, gone for the year. A position that began fall camp with perhaps too much depth suddenly found itself in a precari- ous spot with no more room for attri- tion. The damage left the Irish with six scholarship linebackers. That number is now seven after Notre Dame recently moved sophomore Xavier Watts from wide receiver to rover. In past seasons, repeated punches might've sent the position reeling for the rest of the year. In this one, though, the linebacker group has thrived de- spite them. The repeated body blows didn't knock it to the ground. An unfa- miliar observer would have little chance of identifying the indispensable starter who ended spring practice No. 3 on the depth chart or the co-starter who spent last season in an anonymous special teams and mop-up duty role. Numbers might be thin, but impact plays haven't waned. All because Notre Dame had enough trustworthy players to withstand a few haymakers. "You never want to think about it," graduate student Mike linebacker Drew White said, "but there will be guys who go down, and you need depth and a cul- ture on your team that makes sure ev- eryone is prepared." Without it, overnight risers like junior JD Bertrand aren't possible. He's not just one of the Notre Dame's best stories this year. He's one of its best defensive players. Bertrand was the No. 3 Mike linebacker last fall and this spring, a skilled player without any detectable path to play- ing time with the position at full health. Three games into the season, he led Notre Dame with 35 tackles and had made dou- ble-digit stops in each outing. He also owned a team-best 4.5 tackles for loss. His teammates say it's all possible be- cause he acted like he was going to start, even when the path appeared blocked. "His preparation is unbelievable with what he does in his recovery, his nutri- tion, his sleep," White said. "The guy goes to bed at 10 p.m. every night." Added senior safety Houston Griffith: "It's definitely his preparation. JD is smart about what he eats. He's always one of the hardest workers in the weight room and how he practices. It's not sur- prising how he's playing right now." Bertrand played a team-high 81 snaps in Notre Dame's 27-13 win over Purdue Sept. 18 — 45 more than any other line- backer. He was on the field for 220 snaps in the Irish's first three games, second only to junior safety Kyle Hamilton (225). The wave of injuries has required him to play nearly every down and has fast-tracked skilled but raw freshman Prince Kollie to a backup role. Notre Dame might need Kollie, who initially seemed destined for a redshirt season, to alleviate Bertrand's workload later in the year. His own development hit pause when he missed Notre Dame's games against Toledo and Purdue for undisclosed reasons. "[Bertrand] needs a break," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "We're hoping Prince Kollie provides that." Notre Dame's other two linebacker spots, though, are already in rotations that attempt to maximize individual skill sets and allow rest. At Mike linebacker, three-year starter White and senior Bo Bauer are inter- changeable pieces. Bauer plays next to Bertrand in nickel packages, but his role has expanded recently to include more ABSORBING THE HITS Notre Dame's linebackers remain a team strength even after injuries strike