pared to last year when he coached line‑
backers in addition to his coordinator
duties.
"When we're talking about that de‑
fensive structure, what Coach Van‑
Gorder was looking for, we really think
we hit a home run in putting the defen‑
sive staff together," head coach Brian
Kelly said.
As Notre Dame learned last fall, it
does not matter how prolific the of‑
fense's scoring output is if the defense
consistently acts more like a sieve than
a brick wall.
Injuries to players such as defensive lineman Jarron Jones contributed to the Irish defense yielding 39.9
points per game over the final eight contests of 2014.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
POSITION OVERVIEWS
DEFENSIVE LINE
TOP TOPIC: Notre Dame could carry
as many as 19 defensive linemen on
its roster when fall practice kicks off
in August, depending on the possible
return of Williams following his 2014
hiatus due to the academic investiga‑
tion.
Kelly's recruiting pitch to Day paid
off. The next step is for Jones to heal
— former Irish center Braxston Cave
suffered a Lisfranc injury in Novem‑
ber 2011 and returned to play all 13
