Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BY ANDREW OWENS S ophomore linebacker Asmar Bilal went from a redshirt bur- ied on the depth chart to one of four healthy linebackers virtu- ally overnight this spring. Due to attrition from graduation, an early departure to the NFL, and injuries to Te'von Coney and Greer Martini, Bilal received a heavy dose of playing time for the Irish in the early portions of 2016 prep. "We've been installing every day," Bilal said. "I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of what we've been learning, but I feel like I can always improve my game because there are things in the playbook I'm not 100 percent sure on. "… If you're not picking it up, you've got to put in the extra time. There's been times me and Josh [Barajas] have had to go up to Coach [Mike] Elston and he would have to explain it to us so we can pick it up. It just keeps going. You just eventually pick it up the more times you rep it." Even with his greater knowledge of the defense, Bilal estimates that he visits the linebacker coach's office two or three times per week to better understand the tenets of the overall scheme. "Coming from high school where I didn't have to do anything but run fast, the playbook is really complex," Bilal said. "I didn't know the cover- ages beforehand or anything related to real football. This learning process has been a difficult one." But as one of four healthy scholar- ship linebackers that have to cover three spots on the field at one time, Bilal had the opportunity to both sink and swim in a learning environ- ment during the 15 spring practice sessions. "He's having a very good spring," Elston said in April. "He's got great potential. He works hard. He's a very aggressive, physical football player. He learns really well. So is he Jaylon Smith? No. But he's got great poten- tial and Jaylon had to start some- where, and that's where Asmar is. "He's at the starting point of what we see as a promising career. Knock on wood, [assuming] he stays healthy, he's doing a really, really good job and he should do really well this year." Bilal and Coney will compete dur- ing fall camp for the starting Will linebacker spot with Smith off to the NFL. The Irish are pleased with Bilal's growth — he estimates he has added 18 pounds of strength since arriving as a 210-pound freshman last summer — and even if the India- napolis native doesn't lock down a starting position, he still figures to be a contributor. "He's getting there," Elston said. "He's got a lot to learn. Bullets are flying in front of him all the time."