Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 OCT. 14, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE J avontae Jean-Baptiste came to Notre Dame with a reputation from his time at Ohio State, where many thought of him as just a pass-rush specialist. Not a three-down player. Incomplete. When the Irish brought him in, they quickly realized it wasn't true. "We haven't seen that," Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "We've seen a kid that's trying to do the tough things really well." The 6-4½, 260-pound Jean-Bap- tiste shows up every day in his "Shiesty" mask, otherwise known as a Balaclava ski mask, even if it's 90 degrees out. He worked hard to earn the trust of the Irish coaching staff, starting fall camp with the second team and playing be- hind fellow graduate student defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah. Golden has seen Jean-Baptiste im- prove since he entered the building, specifically with his tackling and play- making. He called the former Buckeye a pleasure to work with. "He's just getting better," Golden said. "As a coach, if you see guys get- ting better at that age, it really has to be a commitment for them to get better at that age, because it doesn't just happen naturally as you get older. So, he's defi- nitely committed, and his teammates appreciate it. We appreciate it." Despite his reputation, Jean-Bap- tiste quickly proved his worth as a run defender in a game situation with the Irish. Near the end of the second quarter in Week 0 against Navy, the Midship- man center tried to down-block Jean- Baptiste. He didn't have a chance. Jean-Bap- tiste ran him over and tackled Navy ju- nior fullback Daba Fofana for a loss of 2 yards. It was among the first of his 13 defensive stops (tackles that consti- tute a failure for the offense, accord- ing to Pro Football Focus) this season, which is tied for second on the Irish. Only graduate student defensive tackle Howard Cross III has more (17). In total, Jean-Baptiste had 26 tackles through six games, including 2.5 for loss. PFF grades Jean-Baptiste at 83.4 as a run defender, which is the third-highest run defense grade on the team behind Cross (86.5) and graduate student line- backer Jack Kiser (85.2). Put simply: the Ohio State graduate transfer has been a revelation for the Irish run defense. "It doesn't matter to me," Jean-Bap- tiste said, regarding the "pass-rush specialist" notion. "I'm just out there to play ball, and whatever somebody says about me is whatever they say." The one adjustment he did have to make in South Bend was playing the 6-technique position more than he had in Columbus, where he largely played 9-technique. The 9-technique lines up outside the formation, whereas the 6-technique lines up over the tight end. Not a problem at all for Jean-Baptiste. "The 6, when you play defensive end, you've got to play it," Jean-Baptiste said. "It just depends on the situation and the defense you're in. Sometimes you're in the 9 and sometimes you're in the 6. I wouldn't say I was ever uncom- fortable in [6-technique]. I like playing in front of the tight end. There's really no difference." In recent weeks, Jean-Baptiste has seen his snap count shoot way up. That's not an accident. "He's just getting better. As a coach, if you see guys getting bet- ter at that age, it really has to be a commitment for them to get better at that age, because it doesn't just happen naturally as you get older." IRISH DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR AL GOLDEN ON JEAN-BAPTISTE COMPLETE PLAYER Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste has found a home at Notre Dame Jean-Baptiste made 26 tackles in Notre Dame's first six games, including 13 defensive stops that were registered as a failure for the offense, according to Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER