Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 107 DEFENSIVE BACKS POSITION COACHES Former Irish All-American and NFL player Todd Lyght is in his fourth year at Notre Dame, and his second as just the corner- backs coach after two seasons over- seeing the entire secondary. Last year, the Fighting Irish ranked 46th in the country in team passing efficiency defense (121.88) and 53rd in passing de- fense (214.7 yards allowed per game). His corner- back group accounted for seven interceptions and 35 passes broken up. In 2016, Lyght deftly directed a unit that dealt with more than its fair share of injuries and attrition (via suspension and dismissal). His crew required 24 starts from true freshmen, led by nine from safety Devin Studstill and eight from cornerback Julian Love. Still, the Irish surrendered just 196.4 yards per game (21st nationally) and 14 touchdowns through the air (tied for 25th). During his first season in charge of the secondary, the Irish ranked 23rd nationally in pass efficiency de- fense (123.96 rating), 24th in passing yards allowed per completion (13.96) and 27th in passing yards surrendered per game (197.1). Lyght was hired to be the cornerbacks coach at Vanderbilt in 2015 before taking his post in South Bend. He never coached a game with the Com- modores because the opportunity in South Bend proved too good to pass up. Prior to that, he served as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Phila- delphia Eagles from 2013-14. Lyght broke into the coaching profession as a de- fensive intern at Oregon, where he focused on the secondary from 2011-12 under Chip Kelly, who was also the head coach during his time in Philadelphia. Lyght also was an assistant at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas from 2009-10 and helped the school win back-to-back state titles. As a sophomore at Notre Dame, Lyght started for the 1988 national champs and then was voted a consensus All-American in 1989 for the 12-1 Irish. He earned consensus All-America honors again in 1990 before being selected No. 5 overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. He is the highest-drafted defensive back in Irish history, and to this day only 11 secondary players have ever been selected higher. He played in the NFL for two teams during his 12- year career, which included a Pro Bowl berth and second-team All-Pro honors in 1999. He scored six touchdowns during his pro days, four coming after one of his 37 career interceptions. Lyght helped the St. Louis Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV and is the lone player in Notre Dame annals who can claim all of these honors: starter on a national championship team, unanimous All- American, first-round NFL Draft pick, starter on a Super Bowl squad and an All-Pro selection. Terry Joseph is in his first year as the safeties coach at Notre Dame. He has coached defensive backs at the Power Five level for each of the last eight years. He joined the Irish after one year as the defensive backs coach at North Carolina. While in Chapel Hill, N.C., he men- tored cornerback M.J. Stewart, who was selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to UNC, Joseph served as the defensive backs coach at Texas A&M for three seasons (2014-16). He tutored an Aggies pass defense in 2015 that ranked fourth nationally in passing yards allowed per game and 18th in pass efficiency defense. Previously, Joseph spent two seasons at Nebraska as its secondary coach (2012-13). Despite the loss of two returning starters, his 2012 secondary led the nation in opponent completion percentage (47.1 percent), ranked fourth in pass defense (168.2 yards allowed per game) and ninth in pass efficiency de- fense (105.32), while helping the Cornhuskers to a 10-win season. Joseph also served as the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Tennessee from 2010-11. In 2011, the Volunteers finished 12th na- tionally in passing yards allowed with an average of just 177.8 yards per game. In 2010, he helped UT rank in the top 20 in the nation with 18 interceptions. He also spent three seasons at Louisiana Tech (2007-09), where he served as the secondary coach and recruiting coordinator, and was a graduate as- sistant at LSU in 2006. Joseph began his coaching career in the Louisiana high school ranks, working as an assistant coach at two New Orleans area schools. He worked at Arch- bishop Shaw from 1999-2002 and at Destrehan High School from 2003-05. He earned his bachelor's degree in marketing/ business administration from Northwestern State in 1996. He was a baseball standout at the school, and is one of only 12 players in Southland Confer- ence history to earn first-team all-conference honors three straight seasons. Joseph was a 13th-round Major League Baseball Draft choice of the Chicago Cubs and played four seasons in the minor leagues with the Cubs and San Diego Padres. Joseph comes from a football coaching family. His cousin Vance Joseph is the head coach of the Denver Broncos, and another cousin, Mickey Joseph, is the wide receivers coach at LSU. RETURNING PLAYERS NICK COLEMAN • S Sr. • Dayton, Ohio Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 191 Career Highlights: Played in all 13 games and made 12 starts at safety last year … Ranked seventh on the team with 44 tackles (one for loss) and broke up three passes … Made the switch from cornerback to safety during the spring of 2017 … Played in 11 games and made two starts at cornerback in 2016 … Recorded 17 tackles (one for loss) and broke up one pass … Saw action in all 13 contests in 2015, predominantly on special teams … Made five tackles and broke up a pair of passes. Prep: Rivals listed him as a three-star recruit, the No. 35 prospect in Ohio and the No. 63 cornerback in the country … Recorded 48 tackles and three interceptions as a senior, helping his school finish second in the state … Also racked up 1,125 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns … Tabbed by the Associ- ated Press as a first-team Division IV All-Ohio selec- tion at running back. Personal: Born Dec. 26, 1996 … His father, Trey Coleman, played tailback for Notre Dame in 1983 … Enrolled in Mendoza College of Business, majoring in management consulting. Year G-GS TT TFL Sacks Int. PBU 2015 13-0 5 0.0 0.0 0 2 2016 11-2 17 1.0 0.0 0 1 2017 13-12 44 1.0 0.0 0 3 Totals 37-14 66 2.0 0.0 0 6 SHAUN CRAWFORD • CB Sr. • Lakewood, Ohio Ht.: 5-9 • Wt.: 178 Career Highlights: Saw action in 12 contests and made one start last year … Compiled 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and five passes broken up … Started the first two contests of the 2016 campaign before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles in the second game … Notched six tackles (five solo) and an interception he returned 22 yards, and also returned a blocked extra point the length of the field for a two-point conversion … Missed the entire 2015 campaign after suffering a torn ACL in August. Prep: Ranked as a four-star prospect, the No. 4 recruit in Ohio, and the No. 7 cornerback and No. 82 overall player nationally by Rivals … Totaled 91 tackles, eight stops for loss, seven interceptions, 17 passes broken up and three forced fumbles as a senior for 2014 Ohio Division I state champion St. Edward … On offense, he caught 54 passes for 824 yards and nine touchdowns … Named Associ- ated Press Division I first-team All-State … Picked to play in the Under Armour All-American Game … As a sophomore at the Ohio Division I championships in track and field, finished third in the state in the 100-meter dash with a 10.84 time after recording a 10.54 in a preliminary heat. Personal: Born Aug. 23, 1996 … Hails from the same high school as former Irish defensive lineman Bryan Flannery (1986-89), who later served in the Ohio House of Representatives … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in psychology and minoring in business economics. Year G-GS TT TFL Sacks Int. PBU 2016 2-2 6 0.0 0.0 1 0 2017 12-1 32 1.5 1.5 2 5 Totals 14-3 38 1.5 1.5 3 5 JALEN ELLIOTT • S Jr. • Richmond, Va. Ht.: 6-0½ • Wt.: 203 Career Highlights: Started all 13 games at safety in 2017 … Com- piled 43 tackles and broke up a pair of passes … Played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2016 … Made 14 tackles (seven solo). Prep: Rated as four-star recruit, the No. 6 prospect in Virginia and the No. 15 safety in the country by Rivals … Intercepted five passes and broke up seven as a senior … Also played quarterback, passing for BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 107