Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 NOV. 13, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Much has been lauded about the six new on-field additions to the Notre Dame coaching staff this year, especially defensive coordinator Mike Elko, and rightfully so. Meanwhile, the one assistant re- maining from head coach Brian Kelly's original staff that he brought with him in December 2009 has qui- etly been in the forefront of the Fight- ing Irish 2017 renaissance. The "other" Mike E on defense — line coach and assistant head coach Mike Elston — has been a vital be- hind-the-scenes mainstay in a num- ber of capacities at Notre Dame, in- cluding as the recruiting coordinator and de facto defensive coordinator in 2016 after Brian VanGorder was dismissed following the 1-3 start. The defense demonstrated tangible improvement the rest of the season, while Elston also served as the line- backers coach. The recruiting also held together for the most part, and even finished surprisingly strong in the top 15 despite a 4-8 finish. This year, Elston was shifted back to his former stomping grounds as the defensive line coach, where he mentored standouts such as Stephon Tuitt, Louis Nix, Kapron Lewis- Moore and Sheldon Day, among oth- ers, from 2010-13. Some opinion held that when Kelly hired Elko as his new coordi- nator last winter, the new man had carte blanche on who he could bring with him. Per Kelly, though, keep- ing Elston on the staff "wasn't nego- tiable," with his long-time assistant even interviewing for the coordina- tor role. "He was staying," Kelly said of Elston. "He was going to be part of the staff moving forward. He's been involved with the program in ev- ery facet of the defense. He's a very bright coach. He relates well. "He's done just a fabulous job of retooling our defensive line." Formerly up-and-down players such as seniors Jay Hayes, Andrew Trumbetti and Jonathan Bonner are at the top of their games, while youngsters such as sophomores Dae- lin Hayes, Julian Okwara and Kha- lid Kareem, plus freshmen Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Kurt Hinish, have made valued contributions in the rotations. Above all, junior nose guard Jerry Tillery has become a consistent force in the middle at both plugging the gap and with his playmaking skills at getting a push in pass pressure. None of this surprises Kelly, who has had Elston on his coaching team since assembling his staff at Central Michigan in 2004. "When he was involved in the defense [in 2016], I got a chance to spend more time with it last year. I was able to see what his influence was with our players, the way he coached them," Kelly said. "I was able to relay that onto Mike Elko." As the assistant head coach, Elston also works with the medical staff, strength and conditioning, and sits in on all the coordinator meetings. "I really want to give him that op- portunity to grow across the board, preparing him to be a head coach," Kelly said. "I think he has the ability to be a head coach right away." A double dose of Mike E on the Irish defense has been an impetus to a remarkable transformation overall. A Double Dose Of 'Mike E' Head coach Brian Kelly lauded assistant coach Mike Elston for doing "a fabulous job of retooling our defensive line." PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA With left tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Quenton Nelson slated to be top NFL picks next spring, most 2018 preseason overviews will have Notre Dame with "three return- ing starters along the offensive line." In reality, it will be more like four — provided that seniors Sam Mustipher (center) and Alex Bars (right guard) return as fifth-year seniors, which is the current projection. Meanwhile, the purpose of the time share at right tackle this season between sophomore Tommy Kraemer and freshman Robert Hainsey was to maximize the skills of both without putting too much on their plates. Rotating basically every other series through the first eight games, Kraemer had 334 snaps to Hainsey's 301. On occasion in blowouts, Kraemer also has downshifted to guard, which could be his future spot, depending on who the fifth best offensive lineman on the team is next year. The idea of platooning the duo this season might have seemed risky, but instead it has provided the best of both worlds. "There was an eye towards 2018, and then there was an eye towards right now about sharing the load with two first-time starters," Irish head coach Brian Kelly explained. "Then their skill sets are a little bit different. Hainsey is a really good technician as it relates to his pass sets and his ability to handle the pass game. Kraemer is more physical, right now, with his size. "They seem to be a good blend to work together and gave us the complete package we were looking for at that position, as well as taking a little of the pressure off them in their first year." 2018 NOTRE DAME OFFENSIVE LINE TO BENEFIT FROM TWO-FOR-ONE DEAL Sophomore Tommy Kraemer (above) and freshman Robert Hainsey have split time at right tackle this season, which has allowed the Irish to ease in two young players while preparing them for full-time roles next season. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL