Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
CHALK TALK BRYAN DRISKELL D espite losing a multitude of tal- ent, head coach Brian Kelly and his program still have the same expectations: make a run at the Col- lege Football Playoff. Notre Dame's offense is once again poised to be a championship-caliber unit. Meanwhile, the Irish defense must show dramatic improvement despite losing a pair of All-Americans from the front seven (linebacker Jay- lon Smith and tackle Sheldon Day), the team's leader in sacks (end Romeo Okwara), and its two most productive defensive backs (safety Elijah Shumate and cornerback KeiVarae Russell). Expecting the defense to have an upgrade might seem unrealistic, given the losses, but there are pieces in place for Notre Dame to put together a qual- ity collective defense even if the indi- vidual talent might not be as strong. Below are reasons to be optimistic about the 2016 Irish defense: THE RETURN OF JARRON JONES Notre Dame struggled against the run in 2015, ranking 72nd nationally while allowing 175.6 yards per game. Fixing that will require the defense to perform better up the middle. That is why the return to health of fifth-year senior nose guard Jarron Jones will be instrumental to major defensive im- provements. Getting Jones back gives the Irish a player with massive size (6-5½, 315) and surprisingly good athleticism. Jones can be streaky, but when he is on his game there are few — if any — interior linemen on the schedule who can handle him. His return gives the Irish a potentially dominant player right in the middle of the line, which is imperative to improving the rushing defense. Jones coming back has other ben- efits. Sophomore Jerry Tillery can now move to defensive tackle and fight to replace Day. Tillery is 6-6½ and 305 pounds, so pairing him with Jones would give Notre Dame two mam- moth players on the inside. His return also lessens the load on junior nose guard Daniel Cage, who is far more effective when his snaps are limited. TIME FOR THE JUNIORS TO EMERGE Notre Dame's 2014 recruiting class was ranked between No. 6 and No. 11 nationally, and that lofty ranking was due primarily to an outstanding de- Improving The Defense Getting junior linebacker Nyles Morgan into the starting lineup will provide an athletic boost to the defense. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA