Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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28 AUGUST 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE N otre Dame's defense can't rest on its laurels after a dominant 2023 season. Al Golden knows better. Despite several returning starters who rank among the best in the nation at their position, the third-year Irish defensive coordinator has seen many great units fail to repeat success during his 30 years in coaching. "Everybody just thinks, 'It's good, and it's going to continue to be good,'" Golden told Blue & Gold Illustrated . "The challenges will be different. Any weakness has got to be fixed." Golden entered the summer with a strong sense of where Notre Dame stands at each position. He's confident that the 2024 group will follow the unit's approach of continued improvement. "We have to keep evolving, and I think our staff has done a great job continu- ing to evolve," Golden said. "We have so many different things in now that we didn't have in last year." The Irish will keep their schematic changes close to vest. Personnel-wise, though, a few of the new starters have yet to be determined. Some are obvious. Graduate trans- fers RJ Oben (defensive end) and Jordan Clark (nickel back) will replace Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Thomas Harper, re- spectively. Graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser will fill one of the spots Marist Liufau and JD Bertrand vacated as well. But at linebacker opposite Kiser, safety opposite graduate student Xavier Watts and cornerback opposite junior Benja- min Morrison, multiple players could step up. They'll compete with each other in fall camp, which begins July 31. "I don't know who's going to be the breakout guy," head coach Marcus Free- man said, albeit with a smile that indi- cated he has his suspicions. "There's some competitions that I'm eager to see play out as we get into fall camp." Here's a look at each major competi- tion on Notre Dame's defense with the Irish beginning to ramp up for the season. LINEBACKER REPS COULD CHANGE WEEKLY Most of the spring practice buzz cen- tered around the impressive youngsters, but Golden implored fans not to forget about Kiser. It is hard for players to get better late in their careers, Golden explained, but that's exactly what Kiser has done. He's seen the sixth-year linebacker improve as much as anyone. "He's just getting better playing in the box, his speed to get to the edge, his speed to cover a back or a tight end and his instincts in zone [coverage] to break on the ball," Golden said. "I just see him getting better at so many dif- ferent things." Kiser will not come off the field much, leaving only so many snaps for junior Jaylen Sneed, sophomores Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry, and fresh- man Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa. Bowen took first-team reps at middle ("Mike") linebacker throughout spring camp, but Viliamu-Asa is nipping at his heels. However, the Irish plan on getting all four involved. "They all know they're going to play," Golden said. "There's a rotation there." While only one young backer can start alongside Kiser, Notre Dame is open to distributing reps based on the situation or even the opponent. One week, the Irish could face a spread offense that relies on quick passes to shifty slot receivers. The next, it could face a ground-and-pound team who lives in multi-tight end sets. Golden and linebackers coach Max Bullough have the personnel to beat either. "We can get bigger with Drayk and Kyngstonn and Jack," Golden said. "And then we can get fast, too, if we want to, with Jaiden and Jaylen and Jack." All five had a productive offseason. Over the summer, Sneed made plays in an optional team activity that showed Golden how much he had matured in the past year. Bowen and Ausberry are capable of playing multiple spots — particularly the latter, who can line up anywhere from weak-side linebacker to edge rusher to nickel back to safety. Viliamu- Asa might have the highest ceiling of them all, and he's forcing himself onto the field as a freshman. INJURY CREATES SILVER LINING Notre Dame did not plan for Mor- rison to miss most of spring practice with shoulder surgery, but Golden sees a silver lining in the situation. While reps are always helpful, Mor- rison — a two-year starter and estab- IRISH SHARPEN IRISH Several up-and-comers will compete for starting roles with the Notre Dame defense in fall camp Despite returning plenty of talent from last year's strong unit, coordinator Al Golden knows that this year's success will depend on some young players stepping up at a few key spots. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER