Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
22 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Justin Ademilola (39 tackles, 3 sacks in 483 snaps) could have fit at either de- fensive end spot, but he declared for the NFL Draft and left Notre Dame without its two most experienced edge players. Botelho should have a legitimate chance to replace Isaiah Foskey (team-high 11 sacks) here. He settled in at vyper last fall and impressed in his 2-sack perfor- mance in the Gator Bowl while starting in place of Foskey. Defensive coordinator Al Golden has called Tuihalamaka (13 games) a "swing guy" between vyper and linebacker. Tuihalamaka played vyper in the bowl game, though, and said he expects it to be his long-term position. Burnham took a redshirt in 2022. Notre Dame needs one of them to emerge as a ca- pable rotation player along with Botelho continuing his ascent. NOSE TACKLE Starter: Howard Cross III (Gr.) Others: Gabriel Rubio (Jr.), Aidan Keanaaina (Sr.), Jason Onye (Jr.), Dono- van Hinish (So.) Notre Dame often rotated its defen- sive tackles between both interior spots in 2022, so consider this spot and the next one fairly fluid. Cross and Chris Smith, who exhausted his eligibility in 2022, both started at nose tackle in 2022. One starting spot on the line should belong to Cross. He remains one of Notre Dame's more underrated de- fensive players. Rubio (17 tackles, 4 tack- les for loss in 2022) can play both spots. Depth behind them is unproven. Onye, Keanaaina and Hinish each played one game in 2022 — mop-up duty at the end of the 44-0 win over Boston College Nov. 19. Keanaaina missed most of the year with a torn ACL. DEFENSIVE TACKLE Starter: Rylie Mills (Sr.) Others: Tyson Ford (So.), Brenan Vernon (Fr.), Devan Houstan (Fr.) Jayson Ademilola's departure clears a path for Rubio or Mills to start here. Ford was a top-100 recruit who redshirted in 2022. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Vernon will arrive physically ready for college. Notre Dame explored transfer de- fensive tackles in December, offering Braden Fiske (Western Michigan) and kicking the tires on Anthony Lucas (Texas A&M). They chose Florida State and Southern Cal, respectively, and the Irish decided not to address the posi- tion for the time being. They'll take the spring to see what they have in the new- comers and younger holdovers. Mills began the year as a defensive end, but he played inside and outside for much of the second half and spent his first two years at defensive tackle. Ford will be one of the most interesting defensive players to watch in the spring. Can he follow Ru- bio's path of becoming a rotation player one year after a redshirt season? At least one of Ford, Vernon, Houstan, Onye, Keanaaina and Hinish needs to become a rotation player. If none reach that point by the end of spring practice, a transfer addition might be the move. FIELD END Starter: Javontae Jean-Baptiste (Gr.) Others: Nana Osafo-Mensah (Gr.), Alex Ehrensberger (Sr.), Aiden Gobaira (So.), Armel Mukam (Fr.), Boubacar Traore (Fr.) Notre Dame pulled Jean-Baptiste — a graduate transfer from Ohio State — from the portal in January. He was a rotation piece for the Buckeyes the last four seasons and had 4 sacks in 2022. He could play either edge spot, but the ideal outcome right now would be pairing he and Botelho on opposite sides. That feels like the Irish's highest-ceiling combination. Mills staying here shouldn't be ruled out, though moving him back to tackle makes more sense on paper. Osafo- Mensah logged more than 200 snaps as rotation player for the second straight year, but with modest production in 2022 (14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss). The path to one of those two or an under- classman starting here is if Notre Dame needs Jean-Baptiste at vyper instead. LINEBACKER Starters: Marist Liufau (Gr.), JD Ber- trand (Gr.) Others: Prince Kollie (Jr.), Jaylen Sneed (So.), Preston Zinter (Fr.), Drayk Bowen (Fr.) Liufau didn't quite meet the breakout star visions that arose in 2021 fall camp Senior defensive end Jordan Botelho had 2 sacks in the Gator Bowl and is looking to replace Isaiah Foskey as a starter. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER