Notre Dame Spring Preview: Defensive Tackle
Notre Dame had one of the nation's best defenses in 2023, and the Irish defensive line was a big part of that. The driving force behind the success of the line was the defensive tackle group. That should continue in 2024 with the Irish returning much of its depth chart at the position.
If the unit can repeat its 2023 success, the Irish defensive line should once again be a strength of the team. If the unit can improve on its success it will give the defense a foundation for which it can build an even stronger overall group.
This spring should tell us if this group has a chance to take that jump.
PROJECTED SPRING DEPTH CHART
RETURNING PRODUCTION
Howard Cross III - 66 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles
Rylie Mills - 47 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks
Jason Onye - 17 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks
Donovan Hinish - 10 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Armel Mukam - 2 tackles
Devan Houstan - 1 tackle
Brenan Vernon - 1 tackle
Tyson Ford - 1 tackle
Notre Dame has a significantly more experienced defense returning in 2024 than it did in 2023. The 2023 defensive tackle rotation had a combined 142 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and a forced fumble going into last season. The 2024 rotation returns 145 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, six sacks and two forced fumbles from the 2023 season alone. The career numbers for this unit are 287 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 18 sacks and three forced fumbles. That does not include Gabriel Rubio, who is not with the team this spring.
DYNAMIC DUO
Notre Dame returns arguably the best defensive tackle tandem in the country in Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills. This duo was outstanding throughout the 2023 season. Cross earned second team All-American honors, but what made the line so good is that both Cross and Mills were standouts.
No team in the country returns as much pass rush production as this duo. In 2023, According to PFF, Texas was the only team with a DT pair that had more total pressures. The Longhorns had 76 total pressures while the Irish duo had 71 (Cross 39, Mills 32). The Texas duo had 14 total hits + sacks on the quarterback, a total Mills (12) almost matched on his own. Add in Cross' production and the Irish duo combined for 20 total hits + sacks on the quarterback last season.
Texas lost both of its defensive tackles, and no other team returns anything close to what the Notre Dame pair returns next season. Although Cross gets much of the attention, while Mills seems to get scorn from Irish faith, it was Mills who had more sacks + hits on the quarterback (12 to 8), and his production on a per snap basis. According to PFF, Mills had a 15.1% win rate as a pass rusher while Cross had a 13.3% win rate.
PFF also ranked Cross and Mills in the Top 10 nationally in run game tackles, with Cross checking in 3rd (39) and Mills ranking 6th (33). Notre Dame was also the only team in all of college football last season to have two defensive tackles to rank in the Top 20 in run stops. Michigan is the only other Power 5 team to have two tackles to rank in the Top 25. Cross tied for 2nd in run stops (29) and Mills ranked 16th (23) in run stops. Michigan's two DTs ranked 16th (Kris Jenkins) and 21st (Mason Graham).
Notre Dame and Michigan are the only two teams to rank in the Top 50 in pressures and run stops last season. Notre Dame is the only team who had the same two defensive tackles to rank in the Top 50 in both areas.
There were only five Power 5 defensive tackles to rank in the Top 20 in both pressures and run stops. Two of those players were at Notre Dame, Mills and Cross. The other three were T'Vondre Sweat (Texas), Jer'Zahn Newton (Illinois) and Bear Alexander (USC).
ROTATION GROWTH IS NEEDED
Of course, Notre Dame can't reach its full success with just the starters making plays. Both Cross and Mills will need breathers, and if they are forced to play 50+ snaps each week they are going to wear down, especially in the postseason. Notre Dame needs its depth to emerge and play better than it did a season ago, and the spring is when that group needs to start to really step up.
Rising senior Jason Onye was a spring standout last year, and he parlayed that into his first season in the rotation. Onye showed flashes and was a quality backup, but he averaged just 11 snaps a game against Power 5 opponents. This spring it will be about Onye going from rotational player to impact defender off the bench.
Onye is 6-5 and weighs 287 pounds. Despite not having ideal size, he's a well built defender that can hold up at the point of attack when his technique is right. His athleticism, natural power and motor let him be a legit playmaker when he's locked in. The hope is that the year of experience he gained last season, and the expected technical improvement he'll gain from that extra experience, will allow him to become an even more productive interior player.
Onye is arguably the biggest key to Notre Dame's interior group making a big jump this season. He can play both nose tackle and the three-technique, and if he breaks out and can handle at least 20 snaps a game, he'll be able to take some of the snaps burden off both Cross and Mills. If he can do that and be productive, it would allow the starters to be even more fresh in the fourth quarter and then late in the season.
Rising junior Donovan Hinish is another player to keep an eye on, and for the same reason discussed above. Hinish gave quality snaps last season, and his PFF run stop rate was the best among the regulars inside, including Cross and Mills. He'll be stronger as a junior, and the hope is that added strength - and a bit more weight - will allow him to hold up a bit better at the point of attack.
If one of Onye or Hinish has a big jump this spring it will make the interior much better, which is saying something. If both step up and become the playmakers they're capable of being, the Irish interior will be truly elite and will anchor the Irish defense.
WILL YOUNG TALENT EMERGE
Notre Dame doesn't need its younger players to step up this season, but them doing so certainly would be a major benefit. There is a lot of untapped potential in the younger group, and if they are going to help in 2024 we should start to see some movement during the spring.
Rising junior Tyson Ford is one of the biggest enigmas on the team, and he's something I have my eye on this spring. Ford was one of my favorite recruits in the 2022 class, and he's seen multiple jumps in weight, both up and down. He's played inside and out, but he's never been able to do enough to work his way onto the field. In practice and limited game reps you can see the tools with Ford, that's what makes him so intriguing. This spring is important for him, and he's another player you'd like to see Washington take under his wing a bit and really try and push. If Notre Dame can figure out a way to get Ford to break out it would give the interior a really talented weapon that could be an impact pass rusher.
Sophomore Devan Houstan missed last spring with an injury and he didn't see much action during the fall. Like Ford, Houstan is a long and talented young player with a lot of potential. Whether he is ready now or still a year away remains to be seen, and the spring should tell us a lot. Houstan can play either nose or three-technique, and he has the potential to be a stout player against the run if he can fill out and get a firmer grasp of the defense.
Another player I'm keeping my eye on is talented sophomore Brenan Vernon. A former defensive end, Vernon is a player the Irish staff decided to attempt to transition inside. He's still on the light side at just 274 pounds, but Vernon has a lot of talent and potential. He came to Notre Dame as a relatively raw technician, and that remains his biggest need for improvement, along with adding some weight. If he can start to master the nuances a bit I could see Vernon being a breakout player for Notre Dame at some point soon. His combination of length, quickness and power is really impressive.
Freshman Sean Sevillano brings something no one else on the roster does, huge size. He's listed at 333 pounds and he's got pure nose tackle written all over him. His size and power alone could allow Sevillano to make some early noise in short yardage and goal line situations. If he can work into a bit better shape this spring, and learn to use his hands better he'll have a chance to make some noise.
Notre Dame doesn't need all of these young players to make a jump this spring, but at least one, and ideally two prove themselves enough to really work their way into the rotation by the end of spring.
I was really looking forward to seeing rising sophomore Armel Mukam this spring, but he is out for the spring session due to a labrum injury. Mukam is raw, like most of the players in this section, but he has loads of talent and potential. He might have needed the spring coaching and reps more than anyone else on the roster, so this missed opportunity stings.
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