Countdown To Kickoff: Notre Dame Defensive Tackle Preview
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has talked often about how his defense is going to be defensive line driven. That means the interior of the defensive line has to produce at a much higher level than it has in recent seasons. There is a lot of talent on the roster and now that unit is expected to be turned loose.
CAREER PRODUCTION
Kurt Hinish — 55 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks
Jayson Ademilola — 56 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack
Howard Cross III — 20 tackles
Jacob Lacey - 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks
Rylie Mills — 7 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks
LAST HURRAH FOR KURT HINISH
It seems like fifth-year senior Kurt Hinish has been around forever, and he kind of has been. A key part of the rotation going all the way back to his freshman season, Hinish is taking advantage of the extra season of eligibility granted to all players due to last season's Covid ravaged season.
Hinish returns for a final season, and he's coming off the most productive season of his career. The veteran nose guard racked up 7.5 tackles for loss last season, which was third on the defense and is quite good for a nose guard in the Clark Lea defense.
In the Freeman defense the veteran Hinish will continue to get chances to make a lot of plays, and all Notre Dame really needs him to do is repeat his 2020 production. That means repeating the volume of stops behind the line but also repeat the strong play we saw from him against the run.
Hinish is never going to be a guy who gets a lot of attention, but he's definitely going to be a vital part of any success the Irish have this season on defense.
TIME FOR JAYSON ADEMILOLA TO BREAK OUT
Senior Jayson Ademilola came to Notre Dame as a highly ranked recruit and he's been a key part of the Irish rotation for each of his first three seasons. Ademilola has shown flashes of big-time skill throughout his career but he's never been able to turn his talent into consistent production, whether it was due to a lack of high-volume snaps, injuries or how he was used.
The move of Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa to end opened up an opportunity for Ademilola to step into the starting line up at defensive tackle, but that move was as much about the staff's confidence in Ademilola as it was about the need to add more depth and talent at end.
Ademilola has not played at a high volume in his career but for much of his tenure he's been as good as any interior player on the roster at production on a per-snap basis. The New Jersey native took his game to a much higher level in the final two games of the 202 season, especially the final game against Alabama.
Ademilola was brilliant in the loss to the Crimson Tide, and his combination of athleticism, elite hand play and natural power was on full display. He followed that up with a brilliant spring and now he must carry that into the fall and become the high-volume dominant player he's capable of being. That is a significant key to the Irish defensive line playing to its full potential.
JACOB LACEY MUST GET BACK ON TRACK
A shoulder injury kept Jacob Lacey from doing much for the Irish last season, and his reps and production actually went down from his freshman season. In many ways he's become an overlooked part of the defensive line depth chart, but if he can get his career back on track it would have a huge impact on the defense.
Lacey was a big-time recruit and played well as a true freshman. He's a quality athlete, he's powerful and he has the potential to be a highly productive member of the rotation, but that requires him to be healthy, which isn't a given.
If Lacey can get back to good health and stay there it would give the Irish interior rotation a major weapon. Lacey can be disruptive inside and can play both the three technique and nose guard positions, which gives the Irish more chances to get him on the field and in position to make plays.
LOTS OF TALENTED YOUNG DEPTH
Not that long ago players that will end up on the third string, and in some instances fourth team on this defense would have been major parts of the rotation. That's how deep this interior unit is heading into the 2021 season, which means the Irish are also poised to be able to easily overcome injuries or if a player or two fails to play up to par.
Junior Howard Cross III doesn't get much attention but he was a key rotation player last season. Cross is undersized for the nose position but he's very quick off the ball and plays bigger than his listed weight.
Sophomore Rylie Mills is a very talented young defender but there's still a lot of room for him to improve his game. Mills must continue improving and enhancing his block destruction and add good size and strength, but he's athletic and has the chance to be a very productive player on the ball. Mills is a unique talent that could also play the big end position if the need arose. Him taking a leap this fall could play a key role in this defensive line reaching its full potential.
Expect fellow sophomore Aidan Keanaaina to find a niche role on the Irish defense this season. At 312 pounds, Keanaaina brings a combination of size, power and space eating talent that no one else on the roster possesses. He's a quality athlete for his size and he had a good spring, which has him in position to at least earn a short-yardage goal line role.
Freshman Gabriel Rubio also brings unique size to the position but he's also a high-motor player with the athleticism to be a highly disruptive defender. Rubio injured his elbow during the spring, which stunted his development a bit. Sources indicated that Rubio was really starting to come on when he went down, and when he gets back to full strength he'll once again make a major push for playing time.
KEY DEFENSIVE TACKLE QUESTIONS
There are four defensive tackle questions I’m looking forward to seeing answered this summer and into the fall.
1. Can Jayson Ademilola become a dominant force? — There's no doubt that Ademilola is the most talented player along the line and he has the potential to be a dominant player. The question now is can he turn his potential and talent into consistent production.
2. Will Jacob Lacey stay healthy? — When healthy as a freshman Lacey was a key rotation player and he showed the potential to be a really good interior defender. Last season was obviously a down season, but if Lacey can get healthy - and stay that way - he'll get back on track and be a major weapon for the defense.
3. Will the young players produce? — Notre Dame has some young players that hold the key to the depth chart. Mills, Rubio and Keanaaina are talented players but they are also young. If their talent is talked about more than their youth they will provide the defense with the necessary depth and impact production off the bench you need to be an elite line.
4. Can the interior players hold up against the run? — Notre Dame doesn't have the biggest interior players and in the past the unit has struggled to hold up against bigger lines. We saw improvement in 2020, and that must continue in 2021. If the unit can physically hold up, use its athleticism to win and produce in big games this group will be one of the nation's best group of interior defenders.
5. Will the interior unit be more productive? — Freeman's defense calls on interior players to make more plays than the previous defense. Can the unit answer that call and become more disruptive on the ball, especially in the pass game? That will tell us a lot about how good this group can be.
The defensive tackles will play to their potential if ....
Jayson Ademilola carries his brilliant season-ending performance into the 2021 season and he becomes one of the nation's best interior defenders .... Kurt Hinish keeps doing what he did in 2020 .... Jacob Lacey is healthy and gets his career back on track .... The young players all make a jump and give the defensive line the depth needed to dominate.
PAST POSITION PREVIEWS
Quarterback
Running Back
Wide Receiver
Tight End
Offensive Tackle
Guard-Center
Defensive End
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