Notre Dame Spring Preview: Defensive End
The edge position in 2023 was a strength on one side and a problem area on the other, but it wasn't what was expected going into the season. Vyper was expected to be a strength, but the defensive end spot was a question mark heading into the spring and the fall. It didn't take long to realize it was actually the end position that was a strength, and the Vyper was a problem area.
Heading into 2024, both positions are a bit up in the air. The Vyper depth chart returns intact, but the end position is basically starting over from scratch. One position must bounce back, the other must be established. How well both are accomplished will go a long way towards telling us if the Irish defensive line can once again anchor one of the nation's best defenses.
Let's look at the edge positions heading into the spring.
PROJECTED SPRING DEPTH CHART
RETURNING PRODUCTION
VYPER
Jordan Botelho - 32 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 4 sacks
Junior Tuihalamaka - 10 tackles
Boubacar Traore - 1 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
END
Josh Burnham - 18 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack
RJ Oben - 17 tackles, 6 TFL, 5 sacks, 1 break up
The lack of returning production is clearly a concern, at least in regard to the 2023 production. There is quality career production, with Jordan Botelho racking up 14 TFL and 10.5 sacks in his career, and RJ Oben bringing in 20 TFL, 14.5 career sacks and five career forced fumbles. This means Notre Dame actually returns more career production on the edge in 2024 than it did in 2023.
This puts pressure on line coach Al Washington to not only repeat what he did with an unproven end group in 2023, but to enhance the disappointing play and production Notre Dame received from the Vyper position. Accomplishing that will be key to the team's success in 2024.
LAST CHANCE FOR BOTELHO
One of the biggest question marks, and keys for the Notre Dame defense is the play of 5th-year senior Jordan Botelho. After finishing off the 2022 campaign with a dominant performance in the bowl win over South Carolina, expectations were that Botelho would have a breakout in 2023. That breakout never happened, and Botelho was a disappointment for the Irish defense.
According to Pro Football Focus, Botelho racked up 14 total pressures, four sacks and two more hits on the quarterback in wins over Syracuse and South Carolina alone. In 2023, Botelho had just 18 pressures and seven combined sacks plus hits the entire 2023 campaign. He finished well against Oregon State in the bowl game against their backup tackles, but it couldn't hide how much he underperformed in 2023.
Here we are again, with Botelho once again getting a shot to become a key cog in the Irish defense. Botelho has flashed enough during his career to say that his strong performances aren't flukes. He has the talent to be an impact edge player, but there is a long gap between where he is now and what that player would look like.
Early in the 2023 campaign, Botelho showed quality edge setting ability, but that went away as the season wore on. He struggled to hold up as the season went on, and his overall lack of technical proficiency played a big role. That was also true as a pass rusher, where Botelho showed a lack of nuance beyond simply winning with speed.
The hope for Notre Dame is that now Botelho has a full season as a starter under his belt, he'll be able to be a more consistent performer. The good moments need to be more prominent and consistent. The Syracuse (2022), Navy (2022), South Carolina (2022), Stanford (2023) and Oregon State (2023) performances need to become the norm.
If that happens, Botelho will give the defense a much needed huge boost from the Vyper position, which was the biggest weak spot in the 2023 unit. If he is the same flashy player he always has been the Vyper position could continue being a problem, unless Junior Tuihalamaka or another young player steps up.
Tuihalamaka was also a disappointing player for the Irish defense in 2023. Despite playing 166 snaps (PFF), Tuihalamaka failed to register even a single tackle for loss and had just 10 tackles. He struggled as a space player and failed to show the ability to win at the point of attack that is needed for him to make plays. It was just his first season as a full-time edge, so the hope is that getting that experience will allow him to develop the more nuanced parts of the position he needs to become a more productive player.
POTENTIAL UPGRADE AT END
One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 season was how good the end position was for the Irish. Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste was a breakout player for Notre Dame, racking up 49 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in his one season in South Bend. His backup - NaNa Osafo-Mensah - added 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks of his own, and he was one of the leaders of the Irish defense.
As a duo they combined for 61 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and 46 total quarterback pressures. Replacing that production, and the quality play they showed, won't be easy.
That's the bad news, but the good news is that there is a lot of talent at the position. A case could be made - and I'm one who will make it - that the physical talent at the position is better (and deeper) than it was the previous season. That in no way guarantees the production or caliber of play will be the same, but it's a good baseline to start with.
More talent also means there is in fact a chance for an upgrade happening at end.
Jean-Baptiste arrived at Notre Dame with 53 career tackles, 10.5 career tackles for loss, 8 career sacks and 49 career pressures (PFF) in five seasons at Ohio State.
RJ Oben arrives at Notre Dame with 67 career tackles, 20 career tackles for loss, 14.5 career sacks and 96 career pressures (PFF) in five seasons at Duke. He racked up at least 27 pressures in each of the last three seasons, with a best of 37 in 2022.
Oben was used primarily as a pass rusher at Duke, but at Notre Dame he'll be asked to be more of an all-around defender that can defend the run at a high level and rush the quarterback at a high level. Oben has the tools to be an outstanding edge rusher in the Irish defense. If you project his 2023 per snap numbers to him playing the same number of pass rush snaps as Jean-Baptiste, Oben would have finished with 37 total pressures and 16 total hits plus sacks. Compare that to Jean-Baptiste, who had 38 total pressures and 16 total hits plus sacks this past season.
He has a lot to prove, but Oben's athleticism, length and experience provide him with the tools needed to keep the end position a strength.
Rising junior Josh Burnham became a key rotation player at Vyper last season, but now he's learning the end position. Burnham doesn't have prototypical size for the position, at least from a weight standpoint, but he's a powerful player with outstanding length, a strong burst off the edge, good strength and his game fits well at the position.
At the very least, Burnham has what it takes to match the play and production that Osafo-Mensah provided last season. At best, he could be much closer to Jean-Baptiste. We don't know which one he'll be, but having a full season on the edge should help him make a jump in 2024.
Oben's arrival and Burnham's move gives this position a chance to continue being a strength, and I project the position will be even better in 2024 due to their overall talent and athleticism being better.
LOADS OF YOUNG TALENT
The players discussed above give the Irish a chance to have an improved performance on the end. Breakouts are needed, players need to show things we haven't seen in the past (or at least show more consistency being their best versions), and the "what ifs" need to become realities.
The good news for Notre Dame is its not those players or bust in 2024. There are some very young and very, very talented edge players who could provide a big boost. There's a chance the young players don't do much this season, but the more that breakout the better chance Notre Dame has at really, really taking things to the next level.
Sophomore Vyper Boubacar Traore will get his chance to make a push up the depth chart in 2024, and the spring is a key period for him. Traore has loads of potential, possessing elite length and explosive athleticism. He didn't play much in 2023, but he did show off his pass rushing potential when he sacked Caleb Williams in the Irish win over USC.
Traore is still quite raw, but he oozes potential and upside. He'll need to grow up in a hurry to help the Irish in 2024, and it would be wise for Washington to make him a pet project this spring. Getting Traore to start tapping into his immense potential on a more consistent basis would give the Vyper position a legit dynamic pass rushing presence.
Freshman Bryce Young enrolled early and he also gets a chance to grow under Washington's tutelage. Young is a massive (6-7, 241) young edge player with enormous tools. He had a breakout senior season that resulted in him becoming a Top 50 national recruit. His game still needs a lot of work, but if Young can force himself into the rotation it gives the end position a third potential impact player, something the 2023 defense didn't have.
Another young Vyper with a lot of talent is Cole Mullins. The Georgia native missed his entire senior season with a broken leg, but he still graded out as a four-star, Top 150 caliber prospect. I'm not sure how much the missed senior season will impact his readiness for 2024, but he's talented enough to mention as a player to watch this spring.
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