Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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48 PRESEASON 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED rush and the 285-pound Hayes to pro- vide a stout frame on the edge versus power teams. A high-ankle sprain to Hayes mid- way through August slowed him, al- though he might be ready for Texas. In the meantime, Trumbetti's tempera- ment will be pivotal in his play. "At times, he's his harshest critic, and at times we've got to have him lighten up on himself," Kelly said. "Sometimes he beats himself up too much." Meanwhile, 250-pound freshman five-star recruit Daelin Hayes (no rela- tion) will also vie for a role as poten- tially the team's best speed rusher off the edge. "We'll find something for him to do," VanGorder said of the younger Hayes. "Real unique speed. We get into game week, we'll kind of pare it down and get him settled in. … The number of plays he gets I hope in the eighth week is a lot different than what he gets the first week." The traits are there for Hayes. The intangibles are to be determined. As Blue & Gold Illustrated went to press Aug. 23, here was our unofficial depth chart on defense. Heights and weights are from the fall. The num- ber next to the class year represents years of eligibility remaining. STRONGSIDE END No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 90 Isaac Rochell 6-3½ 290 Sr./1 55 Jonathan Bonner 6-3 286 Jr./3 53 Khalid Kareem 6-3½ 270 Fr./4 91 Ade Ogundeji 6-4 240 Fr./4 Note: Rochell and Bonner also have play inside at defensive tackle/three-technique in nickel or other sub packages. TACKLE/THREE-TECHNIQUE No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 99 Jerry Tillery 6-6½ 310 So./3 58 Elijah Taylor 6-3 285 So./4 97 M. Dew-Treadway 6-4 300 So./4 Walk-ons: Junior Ryan Kilander (64) and sopho- more Lincoln Feist (54) Note: Dew-Treadway fractured his left foot the first week of preseason practice and was pro- jected to be shelved about eight weeks, or until approximately the start of October. NOSE GUARD No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 94 Jarron Jones 6-5½ 315 5th/1 75 Daniel Cage 6-1 315 Jr./2 96 Pete Mokwuah 6-3 317 Jr./3 77 Brandon Tiassum 6-3½ 302 So./4 Walk-on: Marquis Dickerson (95) Note: A hamstring injury to Cage midway through August sidelined him several days, al- lowing Mokwuah to gain more reps and put him- self in position to be a third man in the rotation. WEAKSIDE END No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 98 Andrew Trumbetti 6-3½ 255 Jr./2 or 93 Jay Hayes 6-3 285 Jr./3 9 Daelin Hayes 6-3½ 250 Fr./4 42 Julian Okwara 6-3½ 228 Fr./4 Notes: Jay Hayes was receiving the most reps with the ones until a high-ankle sprain the week- end of Aug. 13 sidelined him. Head coach Brian Kelly projected that Hayes could be back for the Texas game … In one nickel package, Trumbetti and Daelin Hayes lined up as ends while Rochell and Bonner were on the inside. SAM LINEBACKER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 17 James Onwualu 6-1 232 Sr./1 48 Greer Martini 6-2½ 240 Jr./2 Walk-ons: Sophomores Brandon Hutson (49), Kier Murphy (40), Devyn Spruell (51) and Jimmy Thompson (41) work at various linebacker slots to aid the practice workouts. Note: Martini is expected to start at Will, but could be the top backup here, too, and so could sophomore Asmar Bilal, who practiced there last spring, in case of an emergency. MIKE LINEBACKER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 5 Nyles Morgan 6-1 245 Jr./2 30 Josh Barajas 6-1½ 240 So./4 45 Jonathan Jones 5-11 220 Fr./4 Notes: After securing the No. 1 spot at Will, Mar- tini also saw some reps at Mike the final week of preseason camp, which ended Aug. 19. WILL LINEBACKER No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 48 Greer Martini 6-2½ 240 Jr./2 22 Asmar Bilal 6-2 230 So./4 4 Te'von Coney 6-1 235 So./3 44 Jamir Jones 6-2½ 225 Fr./4 Note: The Aug. 19 off-campus arrest of Coney with four other teammates clouds his status in 2016. RIGHT CORNERBACK No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 36 Cole Luke 5-11 195 Sr./1 27 Julian Love 5-10½ 190 Fr./4 26 Ashton White 5-11 195 So./4 12 Devin Butler 6-0½ 200 Sr./1 Note: The Aug. 19 off-campus arrests of White and Butler virtually assures playing time for Love, who was making a good impression at nickel and was on his way toward playing time anyway. LEFT CORNERBACK No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 20 Shaun Crawford 5-8½ 185 So./4 24 Nick Coleman 5-11½ 195 So./3 35 Donte Vaughn 6-2 200 Fr./4 18 Troy Pride Jr. 5-11 180 Fr./4 21 Nick Watkins 6-0½ 200 Jr./2 Walk-ons: Senior Jesse Bongiovi (34) Notes: Fiesta Bowl starter Watkins broke his arm during an April 2 practice, and reinjured it the first week of fall camp. He had an aggressive proce- dure to help stimulate bone growth that will be reevaluated in September … Crawford has been the starting nickel in Notre Dame's sub package with five defensive backs. STRONG SAFETY No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 23 Drue Tranquill 6-1½ 225 Jr./3 8 Avery Sebastian 5-10 200 6th/1 21 Jalen Elliott 5-11½ 195 Fr./4 31 Spencer Perry 6-3 204 Fr./4 Note: Tranquill and Sebastian both missed the final nine games of 2015 with season-ending injuries. FREE SAFETY No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 14 Devin Studstill 6-0 198 Fr./4 21 Jalen Elliott 5-11½ 195 So./3 32 D.J. Morgan 6-1½ 200 Fr./4 28 Nicco Fertitta 5-8½ 185 So./3 Walk-ons: Senior Drew Recker (39), sophomore Rob- ert Regan (38), freshman Christopher Schilling (38) Note: Senior and 23-game starter Max Redfield was kicked off the team after an Aug. 19 arrest with four teammates … Studstill missed several preseason practices with a pulled hamstring. 2016 Defensive Depth Chart Freshman Daelin Hayes, who was ranked by Rivals as the No. 31 recruit in the 2016 class, could quickly become Notre Dame's best speed rusher off the edge. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND