Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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94 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW LINEBACKERS T he 2017 Fighting Irish linebackers achieved two unique distinctions in school history. First was having three captains — se- niors Greer Martini, Nyles Morgan and Drue Tranquill — at one position group. Second was that for the first time in a Notre Dame football season, the top four tacklers were all linebackers. Then-junior Te'von Coney paced the defense with 116 stops, while Morgan (92), Tranquill (85) and Martini (75) were next. Martini and Morgan have both exhausted their eligibility, and there was briefly some trepidation that Tranquill and Coney would be gone in 2018, too. Tranquill received his engineering degree last December, and Coney submitted his name into the NFL Draft evaluation and seriously contemplated leaving. Tranquill transitioned from safety to rover in 2017, and this season he is shifting to Buck linebacker — where Martini and Co- ney shared time last year — because NFL feedback had that as his ideal position. Meanwhile, Coney is moving full-time to Morgan's Mike position, where he will be responsible for making the calls on the field for the defense and will be entrusted with more coverage responsibilities. "We were fortunate last year to cross-train a guy [Martini] that we thought had unique ability to learn two spots and had the ath- letic ability," said first-year Irish defensive coordinator Clark Lea, who instructed the linebackers last year and will do so again. "In some ways that's unfair because the Mike and the Buck, though conceptually tied together, require different body types, different people. "We would rather not do that. You'd love to go two for two [rotation] and make it like a hockey line. I'm not sure how that's going to shape up right now." At Tranquill's old rover spot, senior As- mar Bilal, who has yet to start a game, is battling sophomores Jeremiah Owusu-Kora- moah and Isaiah Robertson for action. "There will be plenty of opportunity be- tween now and game one to evaluate who is the most productive there — and that could change situationally, too," Lea said. "That position evolves as the offense you play against evolves." Against certain offenses, the nickel pack- age that includes senior Nick Coleman might be a better option in lieu of the rover. Bilal also has cross-trained behind Tran- quill at Buck, while sophomore and former reserve safety Jordan Genmark-Heath — who played effectively in the Citrus Bowl versus LSU — likewise moved there. "It's not something we're doing just to throw paint at the wall," Lea said of Gen- mark-Heath's position switch. "We've seen him play in a manner that we know what he can do to handle the Buck position. I would argue that he's looked very natural there." Junior Mike linebacker Jonathan Jones is "making strides," per Lea, behind Coney, but Jones played only 37 defensive snaps in 2017. Quality experience remains at linebacker this year, but the overall effectiveness of the unit might be more decided by its depth. ✦ SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (13) Listed after the class year is the years of eligi- bility remaining. Mike Linebacker 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 Buck Linebacker 23 Drue Tranquill (6-2, 233), 5th/1 2 Jordan 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 22 Asmar Bilal (6-2, 225), Sr./2 30 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6-1½, 210), So./4 17 Isaiah Robertson (6-1½, 207), So./3 29 Ovie Oghoufo (6-3, 217), Fr./4 33 Shayne Simon (6-3, 212), Fr./4 DOUBLE TIME Building depth behind Drue Tranquill, Te'von Coney and at rover will be essential Junior Jonathan Jones has played primarily on special teams, but will be needed to aid the linebacker depth more this season. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL