Countdown To Kickoff: Notre Dame Linebacker Preview
Notre Dame had the nation's best linebacker in 2020, but Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is now gone, and the rest of the depth chart struggled for much of the season. For Notre Dame to continue being one of the nation's best defenses that returning unit must make significant improvement in the first year of Marcus Freeman running the defense.
Beyond coaching up the entire defense, Freeman's most challenging task might be getting his position group to play at a high level.
CAREER PRODUCTION
Drew White — 144 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks
Bo Bauer — 64 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, 1 INT
Isaiah Pryor — 53 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 1 INT
Shayne Simon — 26 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 5 pass break ups
Marist Liufau — 22 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks
Paul Moala — 22 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1 defensive TD
Jack Kiser — 20 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, 1 INT
JD Bertrand — 7 tackles
MORE PRODUCTION AT WILL LINEBACKER IS A MUST
Notre Dame returns Shayne Simon and Marist Liufau at the Will linebacker spot, but that duo combined for just 36 tackles last season while playing 11 and 10 games, respectively. That is far below the level of production needed at the position, and the duo struggled mightily to make plays.
Simon struggled with being decisive and he made himself too easily blockable. Those two issues kept him from using his athleticism to be more productive. Outside of the Nov. 7 game against Clemson he was well below average last season and his game must get a lot better.
Liufau had the opposite problem, he was extremely aggressive but was often assignment incorrect, or he took poor angles to the ball, things you expect to see from a redshirt freshman getting his first real action.
If both players start to fulfill their potential this position will become a strength. The athleticism is there, of that I have no doubt, but Notre Dame needs at least one of them to seize hold of the position, provide stability at the position and of course produce at a much, much higher rate than we saw last season.
For context, the starting Will linebacker in Cincinnati's defense produced at a rate that would have given him 75 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 3 interceptions in a full season.
IS THERE A BATTLE AT THE MIKE SPOT
Two-year starter Drew White put up good numbers last season (57 tackles, 9 TFL, 1.5 sacks) but his overall play was not as good as it had been. Could that be part of the reason he played fewer snaps than he did the previous season, and why then junior Bo Bauer played more?
The White/Bauer combo has a chance to be really good this season if White can get back on track and Bauer can continue his growth. Both are absolutely going to play, assuming White is fully healthy (and the last reports we got are that he is), but will Bauer be able to push him for the starting job? Or better yet, will Bauer be able to earn the "important" reps late in the game even if White remains a starter.
White is a good athlete and he has racked up 17 tackles for loss in his two seasons as a starter. If he can clean up his game I expect him to keep the starting job and produce at a high level, and if Bauer continues his growth the Mike position will be outstanding.
If the Will players struggle could we see White and Bauer on the field together? That's an interesting proposition, but the one concern is neither of the Mike's are strong pass defenders, which makes that a risky proposition against teams that throw more, unless of course they improve in that area.
KISER READY TO BECOME A PLAYMAKER
The best game Notre Dame got from a Will linebacker last season was the one Jack Kiser started. Then a sophomore, Kiser stepped into the starting lineup against South Florida and played outstanding football, finishing with 8 tackles and two tackles for loss, almost matching Simon's season-long production in one game.
Kiser now moves out to the rover position, where he leads a depth chart that also includes Isaiah Pryor and Paul Moala, two more experienced players. There's really good depth that the position and I expect we'll see all three in some capacity, but Kiser has a chance to have a major breakout season.
Kiser's combination of athleticism and intelligence is really, really impressive and he showed last season he can make a lot of plays on the football. If he can handle the coverage rigors of the rover position he'll make the loss of Owusu-Koramoah sting a bit less.
YOUNG DEPTH MUST GROW UP QUICKLY
The depth at linebacker is a bit thin inside, with JD Bertrand being the fifth inside linebacker. That means Notre Dame can't put a unique three-deep together. Bertrand had a strong spring and should provide good depth inside, and I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see stud true freshman Prince Kollie move inside to provide even more depth, especially with the deep rover depth chart and the fact Notre Dame has two commitments in the 2022 class (Jaylen Sneed, Nolan Ziegler) who also project to play rover when they arrive.
KEY LINEBACKER QUESTIONS
There are four linebacker questions I’m looking forward to seeing answered this summer and into the fall.
1. How much improvement will we see at Will LB? — Notre Dame needs the Will linebackers to be much, much better in 2021. I assume the group will improve, it would be hard not to, but just how much will they improve? That question will have an impact on how good this defense is this season.
2. Will there be a battle at Mike? — I expect both White and Bauer to continue playing together, but is there a battle for who starts? Will it be more about who plays the important moments instead of who starts? That's an intriguing question that I'm looking forward to seeing being answered.
3. Is Jack Kiser really ready for a breakout? — Kiser had a great spring for Notre Dame and he's a talented football player. Will he be able to handle a full-time role? He's being tasked with replacing an All-American, so those are big shoes to fill. Can Kiser help alleviate that loss and be a standout for the Irish? I'm betting he will, but now we need to see it.
4. Can the linebackers provide more consistent production? — The unit beyond Owusu-Koramoah was not overly productive last season. That must change this season. The linebackers in the Freeman defense have to be productive and consistent. The unit must play better, but will it? We'll see.
The linebackers will play to their potential if ....
One of Marist Liuafu and Shayne Simon seize hold of the starting job and turns their potential into production .... Drew White gets back on track and becomes productive and consistent .... Bo Bauer becomes a super sub .... Jack Kiser becomes a breakout at star at rover .... The depth steps up and the Irish can throw waves at people.
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