Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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98 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW LINEBACKERS JORDAN GENMARK-HEATH • BUCK So. • San Diego Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 211 Career Highlights: Made the move from safety to Buck line- backer during the spring … Played in all 13 games last season, see- ing time on special teams and at safety … Compiled 16 tackles (nine solo). Prep: Rated as a four-star talent, the No. 26 prospect in California, and the No. 23 athlete and No. 230 overall player nationally by 247Sports … Led Cathedral Catholic to a 15-0 record, a No. 22 final national ranking by MaxPreps and the 2016 CIF Division IAA state championship as a senior … Rushed for 197 yards and nine touchdowns on 47 carries, while also adding 291 yards and two scores on 16 receptions … Recorded 59 tackles, four in- terceptions, five passes broken up and one forced fumble on defense … Received first-team All-San Diego CIF accolades … Named to The San Diego Union-Tribune's All-San Diego Section team follow- ing his senior campaign. Personal: Born Dec. 16, 1997 … Born and raised in Sweden, and moved to San Diego with his mother and stepfather when he was 15 … Played with Morri- son Mirer — son of former Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer (1989-92) — at Cathedral Catholic. Year G-GS Solo Asst. Total TFL Sacks 2017 13-0 9 7 16 0.0 0.0 JONATHAN JONES • MIKE Jr. • Ocoee, Fla. Ht.: 5-11½ • Wt.: 222 Career Highlights: Saw action in all 13 contests last year … Contrib- uted 10 tackles (one for loss) … Redshirted in 2016. Prep: Rated as a three-star pros- pect, the No. 66 player in Florida and the No. 19 inside linebacker in the country by Rivals … Helped Oak Ridge High to 9-3 and 10-2 records and play- off berths his last two seasons … Was an Associ- ated Press Class 8A (Florida's highest classification) second-team all-state selection as a senior and a Class 7A second-team all-state pick as a junior… Ranked by The Orlando Sentinel as the No. 3 talent in Central Florida and the No. 37 overall prospect in the state … Played for the U.S. Under-19 National Team in the International Bowl and was named captain of the defense. Personal: Born Nov. 18, 1998 … Didn't start playing organized football until his eighth-grade year … Was coached by former Notre Dame flanker/return man Clint Johnson (1990-93) at Oak Ridge … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in design. Year G-GS Solo Asst. Total TFL Sacks 2017 13-0 7 3 10 1.0 0.0 D.J. MORGAN • BUCK Jr. • Norwalk, Calif. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 208 Career Highlights: Moved from safety to Buck linebacker during the spring … Played in two games and made a pair of tackles last season … Redshirted in 2016. Prep: Listed as a four-star prospect, the No. 47 player in California and the No. 23 safety in the country by Rivals … Credited with 49 tackles, four stops for loss, two interceptions and one pass de- fended as a senior at St. John Bosco High, and pro- duced 112 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception as a junior … Named second-team All- Trinity League as both a junior and senior. Personal: Born April 8, 1998 … His grandmother is from South Bend, and he also has a couple of great uncles residing in the area … Second cousin of three-time Notre Dame women's basketball All- American Skylar Diggins-Smith (2009-13) … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in an- thropology. JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH • ROVER So. • Hampton, Va. Ht.: 6-1½ • Wt.: 210 Career Highlights: Redshirted in 2017. Prep: Rated as a four-star re- cruit, the No. 15 prospect in Vir- ginia and the No. 28 safety nation- ally by ESPN … Notched 71 total stops, 13 tackles for loss, seven interceptions and five forced fumbles during his senior season … Also scored six touchdowns … Earned a spot on the 2016 Virginia High School League all-state first team. Personal: Born Nov. 4, 1999 … Enrolled in First Year of Studies. ISAIAH ROBERTSON • ROVER So. • Bolingbrook, Ill. Ht.: 6-1½ • Wt.: 207 Career Highlights: Moved from safety to the rover position dur- ing the spring … Saw action in 12 games as a true freshman last sea- son and recorded eight tackles … Enrolled at Notre Dame in January 2017 and partici- pated in spring practice. Prep: Rivals listed him as a four-star prospect, the No. 4 recruit in Illinois, and the No. 18 athlete and No. 202 overall player in the country … Was held back by a hamstring injury during his senior year, but managed to record 50 tackles, three passes broken up, two fumble recoveries and an interception for a Neuqua Valley team that went 8-2 and qualified for the 2016 Illinois Class 8A playoffs … Also caught 29 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns as a wide receiver … Named first-team All-USA Illinois on defense by USA Today as both a junior and senior … Earned a spot on the 2016 EdgyTim.com all-state team as a defensive back, and was identified as one of Illinois' "best two-way players" … Selected to The Chicago Tribune all-state first team. Personal: Born March 29, 1999 … Plans to major in communications with a minor in theater. DRUE TRANQUIL • BUCK 5th-Sr. • Fort Wayne, Ind. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 233 Career Highlights: Became the 23rd two-time team captain in pro- gram history when he was elected to reprise the role he held in 2017 … Moved from rover to Buck line- backer during the spring … Manned the rover posi- tion last year after playing safety his first three years in South Bend … Started all 13 games in 2017 while posting career highs in tackles (85), tackles for loss (10.5) and sacks (1.5) … Also notched one intercep- tion, three passes broken up, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries … Started all 12 contests in 2016 and ranked second on the team with 79 tackles … Also contributed two tackles for loss, two passes broken up and one interception … Played in the first three games with one start in 2015, but was lost for the season due to a torn ACL suffered after breaking up a pass in the end zone … Made nine tackles (2.5 for loss) and broke up two passes before getting hurt … Notre Dame's Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2014 … Played in 11 contests and started three times before a torn ACL ended his rookie campaign … Finished with 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, half a sack, one interception, a fumble recovery and one blocked punt. Prep: Rated as a four-star prospect, Indiana's No. 2 senior, and the No. 14 outside linebacker and No. 171 overall player nationally by Scout … The two-way standout was named The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel's Football Player of the Year in 2013 after he tallied 75 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks and an intercep- tion at linebacker, to go with 1,420 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns on offense … Also hauled in 16 passes for 348 yards and five touchdowns, plus threw a 29- yard touchdown pass … Was named to the first-team Indiana Class 6A all-state squad at linebacker by the 98 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW Jordan Genmark-Heath was credited with five tack- les at safety in the Citrus Bowl win versus LSU, and this spring he was moved to Buck linebacker to provide some depth at the position. PHOTO BY ANGLEA DRISKELL