Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2023 7 UNDER THE DOME Graduate student defensive lineman Javontae Jean-Baptiste said his decision in January to trans- fer from Ohio State to Notre Dame was a rela- tively easy one because of the built-in familiarity that would come with the relocation. Jean-Baptiste worked with and got to know Irish defensive line coach Al Washington when the latter coached at Ohio State from 2019-21, and there was also an appreciation that Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman once played and coached for the Buckeyes. During his one season at Notre Dame, Jean- Baptiste has made an immediate and impres- sive impact. Heading into the regular-season finale against Stanford Nov. 25, the 6-foot-4½, 260-pound menace was tied for fourth on the Irish with 44 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and he led the team with 7 tackles for loss and 10 quar- terback hurries. The Spring Valley, N.Y., native went to Ohio State out of Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic High School, where he was listed as a four-star recruit, the No. 6 player in New Jersey and the No. 23 linebacker in the country in the On3 Industry Ranking. Blue & Gold Illustrated and other local media recently caught up with Jean-Baptiste and talked about his one season with the Irish and his transi- tion to a new school. BGI: How would you describe your Notre Dame experience? Jean-Baptiste: "It's been a great experience for me, a lot of relationships and connections made and just being able to build bonds with people who are on the same mission as me, and who just wanted to push me as much as I wanted to push them to be great." BGI: How was the transition coming from Ohio State to Notre Dame? Jean-Baptiste: "The only crazy part of the transi- tion was getting used to the area. Everything else was pretty much perfectly fine, putting together a workout structure, just learning and getting all the playbook stuff down, that was where all of my attention was." BGI: What did you learn at Ohio State that you could apply at Notre Dame? Jean-Baptiste: "Just knowing that once you go through a program like [Ohio State], everyone knows what it takes to get where you want to be and what you have to do. I thought that was some- thing that we were all on the same page here, and I felt everyone at Notre Dame just wanted the best for me." BGI: You and the entire Irish defense played very well down the final stretch of the season. What did that mean? Jean-Baptiste: "It means a lot. Once everybody starts playing good, then it's hard [for offenses] to pinpoint on one target. That's what I like about this Notre Dame defense, that it flies all over the place and causes mismatches." BGI: How would you describe playing in this position group? Jean-Baptiste: "Just going through the whole process of being around them, and going through workouts with them, and seeing the determina- tion and the grit that they had going through those hard workouts. That's why it's easy to play with them because I know if I'm going to go hard, they're going to go hard too." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … GRADUATE STUDENT DEFENSIVE END JAVONTAE JEAN-BAPTISTE No. 1 Wideout Is The No. 1 Need By Jack Soble The one thing Notre Dame sorely missed in 2023 and the one thing it can't live without in 2024 is a true No. 1 target for wide receiver coach Chansi Stuckey's group. More than maybe any other position in football, re- ceiver is the position where one star can elevate ev- eryone else in the room. A top-dog wideout takes the defense's attention away from everyone else, and that gives everyone else opportunities. The Irish have sev- eral promising, talented complementary receivers, but because they don't have that true No. 1 guy, they had too much pressure to step up and carry the offense, and they just couldn't. A quarterback needs a real top wide receiver, too. Good offenses typically have that one guy, where if the signal-caller really needs a play, they'll go to them. Notre Dame did not have that guy this year. Most believed that Jayden Thomas was the Irish's best wideout in fall camp, but he never had a chance to show it because of his hamstring injury. Even if he was healthy, though, we don't know if he would have been the No. 1 receiver Notre Dame needed. If the Irish acquire a star wide receiver in the transfer portal, it changes the entire complexion of the offense. Suddenly, a pass-catching group with transfer X as WR1, whomever steps up out of the young players as the complementary receivers and a healthy Mitchell Evans as the tight end looks pretty dangerous. Does that group threaten defenses nearly as much without the true No. 1 receiver? I don't think so. Given Production Losses, It's Safety By Todd D. Burlage While most of the headlines during the regular season were dominated by Irish graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman and junior tailback Audric Estimé, the Notre Dame position group that deserved more atten- tion was coach Chris O'Leary's safeties. Three players at the position — senior Xavier Watts and graduate students DJ Brown and Thomas Harper — all recorded more than 35 tackles this season and ranked in the top 10 among all Irish defenders in total stops. Through 11 games, Harper was also tied for third on the Irish with 6 tackles for loss and added 2 sacks. Brown was tied for third on the team with 3 passes broken up, and Watts led the nation with 7 interceptions. That's the good news. The bad news is there is a strong possibility that none of these three safeties will be back next season. Harper and Brown are out of eligibility, and Watts — a likely All-American — will graduate this spring and could enter the NFL Draft and pass on a fifth and final year of eligibility. Behind these three standouts, there isn't much proven production return- ing. With 41 games played, senior safety Ramon Henderson is experienced and could return in 2024. But that's about it if Watts leaves. My colleague Jack Soble makes a valid case that wide receiver will be a position in need of transfer fortification. But given the talent, promise and growth many of the younger wideouts showed this season, replacing the production and leadership at safety with a veteran transfer or two should be portal priority. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHAT IS NOTRE DAME'S BIGGEST TRANSFER PORTAL NEED? With one regular-season game remaining, Jean- Baptiste was tied for fourth on the Irish with 44 tackles, including 2.5 sacks, and he led the team with 7 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hurries. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Chansi Stuckey Chris O'Leary