Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2023 25 Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's projection for how Notre Dame's 2023 scholarship depth chart looks coming out of spring practice. Vyper No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 12 Jordan Botelho 6-2½ 255 Sr./2 44 Junior Tuihalamaka 6-2 247 So./4 40 Joshua Burnham 6-3½ 247 So./4 — Boubacar Traore 6-4 250 Fr./4 Nose Tackle No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 56 Howard Cross III 6-0 7 ⁄8 280 Gr./2 47 Jason Onye 6-4½ 292 Jr./3 92 Aidan Keanaaina 6-3 312 Sr./3 41 Donovan Hinish 6-1 5 ⁄8 287 So./4 Defensive Tackle No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 99 Rylie Mills 6-5 1 ⁄8 296 Sr./2 97 Gabriel Rubio 6-5¼ 302 Jr./3 95 Tyson Ford 6-3 7 ⁄8 292 So./4 90 Alex Ehrensberger 6-6 7 ⁄8 267 Jr./3 98 Devan Houstan 6-4 287 Fr./4 — Brenan Vernon 6-4 250 Fr./4 Field End No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 1 Javontae Jean-Baptiste 6-4½ 255 Gr./1 31 Nana Osafo-Mensah 6-3 1 ⁄8 260 Sr./3 91 Aiden Gobaira 6-4 5 ⁄8 241 So./4 — Armel Mukam 6-4 250 Fr./4 Will Linebacker No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 8 Marist Liufau 6-2¼ 235 Gr./2 or 24 Jack Kiser 6-1 5 ⁄8 223 Gr./2 25 Preston Zinter 6-2 233 Fr./4 Mike Linebacker No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 27 JD Bertrand 6-1 230 Gr./2 42 Nolan Ziegler 6-3 225 So./4 34 Drayk Bowen 6-2 230 Fr./4 Rover No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 24 Jack Kiser 6-1 5 ⁄8 223 Gr./2 3 Jaylen Sneed 6-1 1 ⁄8 217 So./3 23 Jaiden Ausberry 6-0 1 ⁄8 215 Fr./4 Boundary Cornerback No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 20 Benjamin Morrison 6-0¼ 185 So./3 18 Chance Tucker 5-11¾ 180 Jr./3 29 Christian Gray 5-11¾ 184 Fr./4 15 Ryan Barnes 6-1 7 ⁄8 190 Jr./3 Field Cornerback No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 5 Cam Hart 6-2½ 202 Gr./2 6 Clarence Lewis 5-11½ 196 Sr./2 or 7 Jaden Mickey 5-11½ 177 So./3 — Micah Bell 5-10 162 Fr./4 Slot Cornerback No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 13 Thomas Harper 5-11 195 Gr./1 6 Clarence Lewis 5-11½ 196 Sr./2 15 Ryan Barnes 6-1 7 ⁄8 190 Jr./3 Strong Safety No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 0 Xavier Watts 5-11¾ 198 Sr./2 13 Thomas Harper 5-11 195 Gr./1 21 Adon Shuler 5-11½ 195 Fr./4 Free Safety No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 2 DJ Brown 6-0 3 ⁄8 200 Gr./1 or 11 Ramon Henderson 6-1 190 Sr./2 22 Ben Minich 5-11 7 ⁄8 190 Fr./4 SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. — Spencer Shrader 6-2 190 Gr./1 92 Zac Yoakam 5-8 192 So./3 Punter No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 14 Bryce McFerson 6-1½ 190 So./4 — Ben Krimm 6-2 205 Gr./1 Long Snapper No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 65 Michael Vinson 6-2 235 Gr./1 51 Rino Monteforte 5-7 210 So./4 three-technique tackle. He didn't play at all as a freshman. His 8 snaps in 2022 came at the end of a blowout of Boston College. All part of the process. Now, though, he's no longer a novice. Everything is more familiar. He's in bet- ter shape. And the opportunity to earn playing time might never be better. "Coming into the first day of spring ball, I knew that this season was like a make it or break it, to be honest," Onye said. Notre Dame's defensive line is getting a makeover in 2023, and after passing on interior line portal help in the win- ter, the Irish let their less experienced holdovers make their case. Their top eight linemen, as it stands, includes two players with fewer than 70 career snaps and two more who logged fewer than 200 snaps last season. It's now or never for Onye, though, because he's mainly competing with younger players for the spot. An older guy who is passed by someone a class year or two below him runs the risk of not having another opportunity to win a job. At the same time, it's a longer run- way than he had in past years. Kurt Hin- ish was the nose tackle in 2021, with Howard Cross III backing him up before ascending into a starter's role in 2022. Harvard graduate transfer Chris Smith hopped into the rotation immediately after he arrived last summer. Jayson Ademilola, a two-year starter at three- technique, was a fixture. Rylie Mills fit best on the inside. Classmate Gabriel Rubio broke through last year, which made sense for a former top-105 recruit. "Beforehand, there was a bunch of older guys ahead of me," Onye said. "That's understandable. Now I'm a ju- nior, I have to come in and play. I knew that the first day I had to be ready." Onye's inside track to a rotation spot did not come by seniority. He made it happen, even when frustration with the process tested him. "It wasn't handed to him," Washing- ton said. "Last year, he has come a long way. He wasn't happy all the time. He wasn't playing. He kind of bunkered in there, didn't complain, didn't run, just anchored down and got better." Onye never lacked a motor. His en- ergy and effort were apparent last spring, even when his play wasn't as steady. Technical refinement and better as- signment grasp had to catch up to his effort, and later, his conditioning level. See ball, get ball works in Rhode Island high school football. Not at Notre Dame. "I really didn't practice pad level, staying low, leverage, using your hands," Onye said. "I would just usually run. Talking to Coach Wash, getting some drills from him helped me improve us- ing my hands and my pad level. "I've been a pretty strong person. The main thing was just learning how to use it." And where he's supposed to channel it. "The thing I trust about Jason is that I know he's going to know what the heck is going on," Washington said. "Some of the challenge is when a kid is out there, you don't always know if they know what they're doing. Jason, I feel if he makes a mistake, you can address it, say, 'What did you see?' "That's the biggest thing with a young guy, that you can catch that. He's trend- ing well." ✦ POST-SPRING 2023 DEFENSE DEPTH CHART