Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 93 at Notre Dame is done. Time to bring on the Les Miles era." The USC episode put Tillery in the dog- house and that four-win season landed Kelly on the hot seat, but both have recovered nicely. "It was a mistake that I made, I regret it," Tillery said following the USC incidents that gained national attention. "It's something that I'm not going to let define me as a per- son or player. "If you go through life and nothing goes wrong, you can't learn from that, so I think I've really learned a lot and grown as a man." Kelly didn't talk much publicly about either situation, stressing at the time that Tillery's punishment would be handled in- ternally and thoroughly. "It has been a journey, an evolution, a ma- turity," Kelly said of Tillery's growth since 2016. "But that's what happens here — and that is what we hope happens, and I think that he is a great example of that." Although not a 2018 captain, Tillery has emerged as a team leader. He was a SWAT (Spring/Summer Workout Accountability Team) leader during offseason workouts and he's become a bit of a player/coach within his position group. "He's been forced to be a leader much more than he's ever been at any time here," Kelly said. And at least one teammate said Tillery is embracing his role as a mentor to others in the same way former Irish linemen Sheldon Day did when Tillery was learning the ropes as freshman in 2015, or as Isaac Rochell did for Tillery in 2016. "Of course, I'm working and competing to take his job at defensive tackle, but at the same time [Tillery] has just continued to help me," sophomore backup Myron Ta- govailoa-Amosa said. "Every time I make a mistake, it's always him that is helping me on the sideline to get it corrected, so Coach Kelly really trusts him to be in front of me and help coach me up." Tillery also became so invested in helping to improve the Irish defense for the longer term, he did some player profile prep work a couple of years ago and took Tagovailoa- Amosa to a Bible study class during an of- ficial recruiting visit — an activity the un- derstudy does regularly. "If I'm able to use that influence to help my team," Tillery said, "then I'm succeeding." As for Tillery's homestretch at Notre Dame, it's hard to envision great things not lying ahead if he can put distractions and personal interests behind for his betterment as a player and a teammate, an objective his coaches believe is already playing out. "I love where Jerry is. Jerry is in it for the team," Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston said. "I challenged Jerry when he came back, so that people wouldn't look at him and [wonder] did he come back for himself or the team? He's all in." With his degree in hand, Tillery's gradu- ate curriculum this fall at Notre Dame will include learning the saxophone. It's another life choice that shouldn't surprise for a stu- dent-athlete who values his experiences at Notre Dame more than his tackles for loss. "There have been ups and downs here at Notre Dame," Tillery said. "This isn't a place that is easy to succeed, but the benefits are so great if you are able to. "There are still good days, there are still bad days. It's helping me grow as a person and develop as a man. I love this place and I'm glad about my decision to come back." It's a sentiment echoed by his coach. "He's growing up," Kelly said of Tillery's maturation. "I think he would tell you that his time here at Notre Dame has been ex- tremely formative for him. "He's learned a lot, he's made some mis- takes, he's handled himself in the classroom in a positive way … it's been a journey for him." ✦ Tillery started all 13 games at nose guard during his junior season and led the Irish with 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hurries. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA