Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MAY 2018 41 be. He started a little slow in the spring; I think he really picked it up to the point where he's making things happen at that safety position." DEPTH CONCERNS AT LINEBACKER There is no doubt about who Notre Dame will trot out at inside line- backer next fall, with senior Te'von Coney and fifth-year senior Drue Tranquill giving the Irish defense ex- perience and proven production up the middle. The depth chart behind those two inside and at rover remains more un- settled. Junior Jonathan Jones and sophomore Jordan Genmark Heath are in position to emerge as the top backups heading into the summer, but freshmen Bo Bauer and Jack Lamb gained valuable experience in- side this spring. Senior Asmar Bilal ended spring as the top rover, with sophomores Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Isa- iah Robertson working to get up to speed behind him. "We're still working on that and we'll work through the fall on that, but I've been pleased with the strides they've shown," defensive coordina- tor and linebackers coach Clark Lea said. "There will be plenty of oppor- tunity between now and game one to evaluate who is the most productive there, and that could change situ- ationally, too. "That position evolves as the of- fense you play against evolves." MORE LEADERSHIP NEEDED Notre Dame returns 13 players with starting experience to its defense, but only one of the team's four captains are on that side of the ball. Expecta- tions are sky high for the unit next season due to the depth and talent, but developing leadership is needed to take that next step as a group. "The thing that we need to do as a defensive unit, we need that leader- ship to shine from May through July," head coach Brian Kelly said at the conclusion of the spring. "We need those guys to take hold of the coach- ing and the technical progression. "… When we do player-run prac- tices [during the summer] they're done in a manner that you simulate what real practice is like. In year two you can expect that. … You come back in August and all of a sudden you're looking at a team that's totally transformed." ✦ Updated heights and weights are from the Notre Dame media relations office. The number next to the class year represents years of eligibil- ity remaining. DEFENSE Strongside End No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 53 Khalid Kareem 6-4 270 Jr./2 91 Ade Ogundeji 6-4 251 Jr./3 44 Jamir Jones 6-3 242 Jr./2 Three-Technique Tackle No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 99 Jerry Tillery 6-7 299 Sr./1 95 M. Tagovailoa-Amosa 6-3 285 So./3 97 M. Dew-Treadway 6-4 309 Sr./2 Nose Tackle No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 55 Jonathan Bonner 6-4 293 5th-Sr./1 41 Kurt Hinish 6-2 292 So./3 94 Darnell Ewell 6-3 324 So./4 Drop End No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 9 Daelin Hayes 6-4 264 Jr./2 42 Julian Okwara 6-5 230 Jr./2 47 Kofi Wardlow 6-2 240 So./4 Walk-Ons: Lincoln Feist (54) and Brandon Hut- son (49) Mike Linebacker No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 4 Te'von Coney 6-1 238 Sr./1 45 Jonathan Jones 5-11½ 222 Jr./3 52 Bo Bauer 6-3 216 Fr./4 35 David Adams 6-1 222 So./4 Buck Linebacker No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 23 Drue Tranquill 6-2 233 5th-Sr./1 2 J. Genmark Heath 6-1 211 So./3 15 D.J. Morgan 6-2 220 Jr./3 31 Jack Lamb 6-4 216 Fr./4 40 Drew White 6-0 225 So./4 Rover No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 22 Asmar Bilal 6-2 225 Sr./2 30 J. Owusu-Koramoah 6-1½ 210 So./4 17 Isaiah Robertson 6-1½ 207 So./3 29 Ovie Oghoufo 6-3 217 Fr./4 Walk-Ons: Robert Regan (37), Devyn Spruell (51) and Jimmy Thompson (46) Boundary Cornerback No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 27 Julian Love 5-11 189 Jr./2 7 Nick Watkins 6-1 205 5th-Sr./1 8 Donte Vaughn 6-3 205 Jr./2 Field Cornerback No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 5 Troy Pride Jr. 5-11½ 185 Jr./2 20 Shaun Crawford 5-9 178 Sr./3 Walk-Ons: Temitope Agoro (26), Brian Ball (36) and Brandon Garcia (39) Strong Safety No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 21 Jalen Elliott 6-0½ 203 Jr./3 24 Nick Coleman 6-0 191 Sr./1 14 Devin Studstill 6-0 198 Jr./2 Free Safety No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig. 11 Alohi Gilman 5-10 ½ 200 Jr./3 3 Houston Griffith 6-0 196 Fr./4 28 Nicco Fertitta 5-9 179 Jr./2 Walk-Ons: Christopher Schilling (38) and John Mahoney (15) SPECIAL TEAMS Kicker No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig 19 Justin Yoon 5-10 194 Sr./1 39 Jonathan Doerer 6-3 200 So./3 Punter No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig 85 Tyler Newsome 6-2½ 210 5th-Sr./1 Walk-On: Jeff Riney (42) Long Snapper No. Player Ht. Wt. Cl./Elig 54 John Shannon 6-2 232 Jr./3 Walk-On: Matt Bushland (46) Note: White was sidelined with a leg injury. BGI 2018 Post-Spring Scholarship Depth Chart Sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is one of several young linebackers vying to crack the two-deep in 2018. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL