Spring Preview: Linebacker

Notre Dame has a unique situation at linebacker in 2022, and the unit enters spring practice with more questions than answers. One thing is for sure, the unit must play better in 2022 than it did in 2021, and the spring is our first look at what that unit might look like.

I have no idea if the linebacker play will get better in 2022, but I know it needs to. Two things I am confident in, however, is that the linebackers will be longer and more athletic as a whole this season than they were a year ago.

Our spring position previews continue with a look at the Notre Dame linebackers.

SPRING DEPTH CHART (Projected)

2021 STATS

JD Bertrand - 101 tackles, 7 TFL, 1.5 sacks
Bo Bauer - 47 tackles, 4 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, 5 break ups
Jack Kiser - 45 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 INT, 5 break ups
Jordan Botelho - 18 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 sacks
Prince Kollie - 14 tackles

WHO PLAYS WHERE

Arguably the biggest pre-spring question about the linebackers is who plays where. In my projected depth chart I have JD Bertrand moving inside to Mike to battle with Bo Bauer (see below), but there's absolutely no guarantee this happens.

Perhaps the staff wants Prince Kollie inside with Bauer, leaving a strong two-man rotation at Will with Bertrand and Marist Liufau. Perhaps Liufau moves out to Rover, where there are currently some legitimate questions about the depth.

We won't know until spring ball starts, and that will be just a starting point. You can expect players to cross-train in an attempt to not only build depth, but to find the spot that each player is most comfortable.

All with the goal of finding the best rotation possible.

And of course there's the question of Jordan Botelho, who has played Vyper and Rover during his career, something you don't often see. Can he stay out of the dog house long enough to turn his immense talent into production, and if he does where will that be, linebacker or back on the edge?

MIKE HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL

The departed Drew White was a solid and steady player for Notre Dame the last three seasons. He was a great worker, a quality leader and a quality young man. In most matchups he played well enough for the defense to be a strong unit, but if Notre Dame is going to compete with and beat the best teams in the country it must get better at Mike.

New position coach and coordinator Al Golden must decide who actually lines up at Mike linebacker this spring, but if he makes the moves I believe he should I think the athleticism and production potential could take off.

Bauer is the one returner that will almost certainly line up at Mike this spring. All the physical traits are there for him to become a difference maker. Bauer is long (6-3), he adds more beef (233 pounds) than White, he's got good power at the point of attack and his straight line speed is impressive.

The issue for the Pennsylvania native is consistency of execution. Bauer is far too prone to assignment mistakes, especially in the run game, where he's been known to miss gaps at a far too frequent level. If he can clean that up and execute his assignments correctly I have little doubt that Bauer can end his career on a very, very high note.

Bertrand beat out Shayne Simon for the No. 2 Will spot last season and then stepped into the starting lineup when Liufau went down with a season-ending injury. He had some very impressive moments at Will, especially in the run game, and Bertrand led the defense with 101 tackles. He had 19 more solo tackles than anyone else on the defense and 46 more total tackles.

Bertrand can also get himself out of position at times, but when playing the run he was a force for the defense. Where he got in trouble was in the pass game. Bertrand is a good athlete and runs well, but he lacks the length you want at a position like Will, which requires more range in coverage than Bertrand possesses.

A move inside would put Bertrand in position to be a run defender first and a zone defender against the pass, and when he's in man coverage it would often be against backs, which are more favorable size matchups.

A one-two punch of Bertrand and a more disciplined Bauer could make the Mike spot a strength of the defense. I could see this duo going for 150+ tackles this season, and it would have impressive pass rushing potential as well.

If the duo falters, or even if one of them struggles or gets injured it wouldn't surprise me to see sophomore Prince Kollie move to the middle. It could also open up an opportunity for freshman Niuafe Tuihalamaka, who adds significant mass, power and run stopping prowess to the depth chart.

LIUFAU GETS HIS SHOT

When I spoke with sources last summer and early in fall camp the reviews for Liufau were impressive. One source even told me he was without question the most talented player at the position, and one of the best athletes on the entire team. An injury in the middle of camp cost him the entire year, and he enters the spring with a lot of buzz.

The expectation is that Liufau will seize hold of the Will spot he was poised to start at a season ago.

Liufau's return gives the linebacker corps a significant boost in length, speed and athleticism. Remember, the Hawaii native began his high school career playing cornerback. Even as a redshirt freshman in 2020 he showed outstanding range and speed.

The issue for Liufau then is the question about him now, can he be assignment correct. There were snaps where you would be impressed by how fast he got to a spot, only to realize he wasn't in the right spot. He must be more disciplined and eliminate the mistakes that cost him in 2020, and if that happens Liufau could have a monster season in this defense thanks to his ability to play the run, cover at a high level and his pass rushing talent.

As Notre Dame looks at its 2022 team I believe we can all agree it has difference makers up front (Isaiah Foskey, Jayson Ademilola) and it has difference makers in the secondary (Cam Hart, Brandon Joseph). It does not, at this time, have any difference makers at linebacker. Liufau has a chance to change that, and to do so in a hurry.

RISE OF PRINCE

A player I keep hearing about during winter workouts is Kollie, a former Top 100 recruit that finished the 2021 season on a high note. Kollie looked lost during his first few chances to get in at linebacker, but in his final appearances it looked like the light was starting to go on.

Now a sophomore and with a full year of special teams work and a year in the system under his belt, Kollie is working this winter and will work in the spring to force himself into the rotation. Like Liufau, Kollie would give the linebacker rotation an immediate boost in athleticism and speed.

Kollie was a 1,000-yard receiver as a junior in high school and then became a 1,000-yard runner as a senior. He spent his freshman season learning to be just a linebacker, and if he figures it out this spring I just don't see how he doesn't play next fall. The question would be will he be a starter or rotation player, and where will he played?

Kollie began his career at Rover, but the question must be asked if he has the frame to stay out there or if he outgrows it and moves inside. He has the athleticism to play in space but I don't know if he has the game. I'm not saying he does, I'm not saying he doesn't, I'm saying I legitimately do not know since we never really saw him there. He certainly moves like a Rover, and if he can play outside he would answer questions that exist at the position (see below).

I could also see Kollie thriving at both inside linebacker positions (Mike, Will). If the staff wants to keep Bertrand at Will and create a strong rotation with him and Liufau I would expect Kollie to move to Mike and work with Bauer there. If Bertrand moves to Mike I expect Kollie and Liufau to be the one-two punch at Will.

Either way I believe we'll see Kollie start to flash big-time potential this spring.

ROVER IS A QUESTION MARK

Jack Kiser had some quality moments at Rover last season that included a pair of interception returns for touchdowns. The Indiana native is a quality athlete and a smart football player, but his lack of size gets him in trouble at times, and his vertical coverage wasn't as good as I hoped it would be last season.

Kiser now has a year of experience under his belt, which should help him improve and become more effective. The question, however, is will his production be good enough to warrant him remaining in the starting lineup, or will another linebacker beat him out? There is also the possibility that Notre Dame simply goes with more of a true 5-man secondary and the Rover becomes less utilized in the defense.

A lot of that could be dependent on Kiser improving his game and becoming more of a difference maker.

There is also the question of who plays at Rover with him. Will it be Botelho, who can do the run game and pass rush aspects of the Rover at a high level, but I'm not sure you want him lining up in the slot and running vertically in coverage. Will it be a freshman? Will a safety cross-train at Rover in order to give a more pure 5-man secondary look?

The spring will give us a glimpse of this.

FRESHMAN IMPACT

Notre Dame landed the nation's best linebacker class in 2022, and that entire group is already on campus as early enrollees. That gives the group a much-needed head start in learning the requirements of being a college football player at a place like Notre Dame. This is true on and off the field.

Rover needs help, and that is why I am especially looking forward to seeing how Jaylen Sneed and Nolan Ziegler perform this spring. Both give the position a huge boost in athleticism and Ziegler also gives it impressive length. Sneed is an elite athlete and is the highest ranked recruit in the class according to many, and Ziegler was one of the most underrated players in the class.

Both could be very hard to keep off the field this season as Rovers and even more so as special teams standouts.

Sources tell Irish Breakdown that fellow freshman linebacker Josh Burnham has been. a monster in the weight room this spring, and his combination of length (he's 6-4 with long arms) and athleticism is something no one else at linebacker possesses. He could end up playing Mike, Will or even Vyper.

I discussed Tuihalamaka earlier, and he'll make his presence felt this spring as well.

THREE KEY QUESTIONS

1. Who plays Mike? - Until I know the answer to this question it's hard to truly project what the linebacker corps will look like, and how much it will or won't improve.

2. Can Liufau return to form? - Liufau has garnered a lot of buzz, and understandably so. The reality, however, is that he has a lot to prove this season if he wants to back up the hype. If he's as good as I think he can be he'll be a standout and a fan favorite, but we need to see it start to show on the field this spring.

3. How much will the freshmen help? - Notre Dame's freshman class is immensely talented, but they are still freshmen and there are some very talented players ahead of them. Will any of them force their way onto the field this season? If that's going to happen we'll start to see flashes of it this spring.

Notre Dame will have a successful spring if ....

Marist Liufau returns to form and both he and Bo Bauer become more consistent and reliable players. That duo could be special inside, and throw in JD Bertrand and Prince Kollie and the inside linebacker position could go from a question mark to a strength of the defense.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google