Notre Dame DL Coach Al Washington Is Looking For Passion, A Great Motor And Of Course, Talent
Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington knows a thing or two about what it to standout up front. Despite being a linebackers coach for the last four years, Washington is a natural defensive line coach. It is, after all, the position he played at Boston College, and Washington racked up nine tackles for loss and five sacks in his final season.
Washington also coached Harold Landry at his alma mater in a year in which Landry racked up 22 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles. That same season, fellow BC end Zach Allen also racked up 10 tackles for loss and six sacks, and end Kevin Kavalec registered 14.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
With that background, it makes sense why Marcus Freeman pushed so hard to get Washington to Notre Dame once the job opened up. Washington explained what he will look for in his current linemen and those he pursues on the recruiting trail.
"I’d start with mentality; passion," Washington said during the press conference that introduced him and the rest of the staff. "You look at the best of the best, you cannot tell me that JJ Watt was the most talented guy. You can’t tell me Aaron Donald, his attributes, who in my opinion is one of the best players on the planet to ever play, I don’t care what position, but passion.
"When you can see motor, when I look at tape, I first want to identify a motor," continued Washington. "What does he look like when the ball is snapped, and then you look at and see throughout that play is there a change in speed, is he picking and choosing or is he relentless? I think that’s number one."
It's not just about attitude for Washington.
"I like explosiveness like everybody. I like guys who are able to sink their hips and then come out of their hips," Washington explained. "The analogy of coming out like an airplane not like a helicopter, I think that’s very important. Like you can develop the skill with your hands, you can do all that, but those are the initial things – passion, motor, and then twitch, is kind of the phrase, and then hip mobility and all that stuff, being loose, being able to dance. That type of stuff, seriously, you look at can you bend, and that’s important.
"Those are the things that I get excited about when I evaluate young defensive linemen."
Washington inherits a depth chart filled with a lot of the physical traits he looks for, especially standout end Isaiah Foskey and defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola. Now it is up to Washington to enhance their games and then get the younger, less proven players to show the motor and passion that he covets.
Do those things and Washington will oversee one of the nation's best defensive lines in 2022.
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