Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 95 LINEBACKERS 2017 VS. 2018: STOCK UP OR DOWN? Lindy's Sports ranks senior Te'von Coney as the No. 4 returning inside linebacker in the country and fifth-year senior Drue Tranquill as the No. 8 outside linebacker. That duo accounted for 201 tackles and 23.5 stops for loss last season, numbers that should grow in 2018 with Tranquill moving inside. Coney and Tranquill should prove to be one of the more potent one-two linebacker pairings in the nation. What Notre Dame's 2018 linebacker corps lacks is the depth it possessed last season. Coney joined graduated seniors and captains Nyles Morgan (92 tackles) and Greer Martini (75 tackles) as part of an experienced three-man inside rotation. The lack of similar depth is one of the concerns Notre Dame faces on defense, es- pecially considering that Tranquill suffered season-ending injuries in 2014 and 2015. X-FACTOR When Notre Dame kicks off against Michigan Sept. 1, senior Asmar Bilal will likely be the starter at rover, but the emergence of a pair of sophomores could hold the key to the position. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is one of the defense's best athletes, and at just 18 years old he's also one of the youngest. During the spring he displayed exceptional range. By the end of the spring he also showed a much better grasp of the defense, and the more comfortable he became in the system the more plays he made. Classmate Isaiah Robertson was a special teams regular as a freshman safety, but prior to the spring he was moved to rover. Because he is agile and covers a lot of ground, Robertson brings unique cover skills to the position. FRESHMAN OUTLOOK Notre Dame welcomed three of its four 2018 linebacker signees in the spring, and the early start gave them a much-needed jump on learning the defense. Both Jack Lamb and Bo Bauer went through the typi- cal growing pains, but Bauer's power and Lamb's athleticism were evident. Ovie Oghoufo is the most likely to redshirt. With the lack of experience returning behind the starters, the trio will get a chance to rise up the depth chart, as will incoming freshman Shayne Simon. NOTABLE DATA The four-man freshman linebacker class that signed with Notre Dame — Bo Bauer, Jack Lamb, Ovie Oghoufo and Shayne Simon — was ranked as the fifth best in 2018 at its position group by Rivals, behind USC, Ohio State, Penn State and Georgia. Bauer, Lamb and Oghoufo all enrolled in Janu- ary, the most at any single position since Notre Dame began accepting early enrollees in 2006. Lamb was ranked as the No. 77 overall player nationally by Rivals, while Bauer was No. 158. Meanwhile, No. 168-rated Simon became only the 10th player ever at New Jersey's St. Peter's Prep to reach 1,000 career points in basketball. None of the three early enrollees were listed on the two-deep at the end of spring while ac- climating to the collegiate game, but at least a couple (if not more) could be called on to aid special teams this season. QUOTABLE: MIKE LINEBACKER TE'VON CONEY ON HIS DECISION TO RETURN FOR HIS SENIOR YEAR RATHER THAN TURN PRO: "I just wasn't a complete player last year. I think I did great things, but there was more in the tank for me. I knew that this coaching staff would be able to get me to the highest level, and I knew that coming back I'd reach my full potential. "… Coming back and being able to improve in coverage and being able to showcase in the fall, I think that will help me become a better player as well. Coach [Clark] Lea just continues to push me to another level. When I think I'm at that next level … you've got more to go." DID YOU KNOW? Clark Lea this winter became the 13th coach to hold the defensive coordina- tor title at Notre Dame since 1990, when Barry Alvarez — after a glo- rious reign in 1988-89 — was hired as the new head coach at Wisconsin, where he is now the athletics director. The succession began with Gary Darnell (1990-91) and included the interim role for Greg Hudson the fi - nal eight games of 2016, with much assistance from current defensive line coach Mike Elston to formulate the game plan. Overall, Notre Dame has had 16 defen - sive coordinators since 1985, or a new one every 2.2 years. Last year Mike Elko came from Wake Forest for a successful one- year stint before departing for Texas A&M. Linebackers coach Lea, who came with Elko from Wake Forest, was promoted to co- ordinator for the first time in his career to maintain continuity. Despite rotating much of the season with senior Greer Martini, Te'von Coney paced the team with 116 tackles. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA