Notre Dame Spring Preview: Linebacker
The linebacker position at Notre Dame has been an intriguing one to evaluate over the last decade. At times it has been a position of strength, at times it has been a problem area for the Irish. The 2023 group was a strength of the defense, but much of that group is now gone, and Notre Dame will have a very different look at the position in 2024.
There is no way for the Notre Dame linebacker room to replace the experience it lost, but the group should be even more athletic, and the overall talent and depth will be improved. Will that be enough for the overall play to remain a strength of the defense? That remains to be seen, and the spring will be our first chance to get a glimpse at the new look linebacker corps.
PROJECTED SPRING DEPTH CHART
RETURNING PRODUCTION
Jack Kiser - 62 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 break up, 1 INT
Drayk Bowen - 14 tackles, 0.5 TFL
Jaylen Sneed - 14 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 break ups, 1 forced fumble
Jaiden Ausberry - 3 tackles
Preston Zinter - 2 tackles
Kiser returns with 185 career tackles to go with 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions, six break ups and four forced fumbles. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns back in 2022, his first season as a starter.
Behind Kiser the linebacker corps returns just 33 tackles from the 2023 team, and 47 career tackles, with Sneed and Kahanu Kia both registering seven tackles as true freshmen. Sneed did that in 2022 and Kia did that in 2021.
KISER WILL BE A KEY, BUT WHERE?
Helping to ease the loss of JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau is the fact Jack Kiser is returning for a sixth season. Kiser has been a regular in the Irish defense for three seasons, and he enters the 2024 season with 1,221 career snaps. Kiser has played at least 338 snaps in each of the last three seasons.
Kiser is an athletic defensive player that makes a lot of plays on the ball. The Indiana native was tied for the team lead in solo tackles and third in total tackles despite ranking 12th in total snaps last season (PFF). His per-snap production in the last two seasons has been tops on the Irish defense among regulars.
Kiser is a smart and instinctive player that has continued to improve as a coverage player, he is a force on the perimeter against the run and screen game, and he has shown a lot of potential as an effective blitzer. According to Pro Football Focus, Kiser blitzed just 40 times last season, but he was credited with 12 pressures. If you project his production out to the same number of blitzes as Bertrand (104) and Liufau (129) he would have finished with 31 or 39 pressures, compared to 30 for Bertrand and 25 for Liufau.
The question with Kiser for 2024 isn't whether or not he'll be a factor on defense, that isn't really in question. The question is whether or not he'll keep the same Rover/rotation role he had the last three seasons, or does he move inside and take on either the Mike or Will spot in the base defense.
Kiser can play inside on occasion, but so far in his career he hasn't shown the ability to be an every down player inside. He's on the small side, he's not incredibly long and playing in tighter quarters takes away much of what has made him effective as a Rover. In that role there are obviously times he'll line up inside as they adjust to the look of the defense, but that's different than being a full-time inside backer.
Part of this answer will likely be determined by who steps up around him. Kiser's experience is valuable, and if the younger inside players don't force the issue the staff will likely want to keep Kiser inside as his first position. If the younger players do in fact force the issue and show they can handle the mental demands of the position, Notre Dame can once again use Kiser as a do-it-all player.
BIG SPRING FOR SNEED
Former five-star recruit Jaylen Sneed enters a very important period of his career. After redshirting as a true freshman, Sneed began the 2023 season as a key part of the rotation, both in the base defense and in sub packages. His overall play early was disappointing, with Sneed struggling to remain gap correct and missing too many tackles early on.
After averaging 24 snaps in the first four games, Sneed played just 72 total snaps over the next seven games, never getting more than 16 snaps in a game and being at 10 or fewer in four games. He played 64 snaps in the last two games, and overall he played better football than he did earlier in the season.
There's no disputing Sneed's physical tools. Although he's a bit light, he has good length and he's a top-notch athlete. He can fly downhill and play side to side as well as any linebacker on the roster, at least when it comes to just pure playing speed and athleticism. The issue, however, is that he hasn't mastered the technical and mental parts of the position, and his production hasn't matched his talent.
Sneed was used as a pass rusher 83 times last season, more than twice as much as Kiser, yet they had the same number of total pressures (PFF) and Kiser had more hits on the quarterback. Sneed led the defense in missed tackle rate (PFF), and he just didn't make enough impact plays to really be a positive force on the defense.
Now that he's going into his third season it's time for Sneed to starting turning his talent into more production. The defense could really benefit from having a player with his athletic profile, both in base looks and as a situational pass rusher. But Sneed will need to show this spring that he can be an assignment correct player, that he can learn and utilize better technique, and be a more productive player on a per snap basis.
If he does he'll be a breakout player and give Al Golden an explosive athlete to use to attack offenses. If he doesn't there's a chance he'll get passed up by one of the talented younger backers.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
Breathing down Sneed's neck is a trio of sophomores that for the most part can match his athleticism, but for the most part also have superior size. Sneed and this group of sophomores emerging this spring will be key to success at the position.
Sophomore Drayk Bowen will likely get first crack at seizing hold of the starting Mike linebacker job. Bowen was the backup to Bertrand for much of last season, and according to sources the veteran captain took Bowen under his wing the entire season in hopes of grooming him to eventually take over. Bowen will get that chance this spring.
At 6-2 and 244 pounds, Bowen provides a much bigger and longer presence up the middle than Notre Dame has had in the last decade. He's not just big, as Bowen is also a good athlete for his size. Bowen is explosive downhill, he shows good change of direction skills and he can open up and run.
Bowen was also productive last season, earning a starting role on special teams while also being a part-time rotation player at linebacker. Bowen tied Sneed in tackles last season with 14, but the Indiana native played just 74 snaps compared to Sneed's 231. The key for him this spring will be being a more fundamentally sound player, and whether or not he can win the starting Mike job, and play well enough for Notre Dame to continue being an elite defense will be determined by his ability to learn the defense to the point where he can not only be assignment correct, but he can also make sure the defense is getting lined up correctly.
Bowen having a strong spring is vital to success for the Irish defense.
A player I'll be spending a lot of time watching this spring is Jaiden Ausberry, who was my top ranked defensive recruit in the 2023 class. Ausberry played just 21 snaps as a freshman, but even in limited time he showed me the kind of athleticism and playmaking skills that made him my top ranked recruit.
Ausberry is not as tall as Bowen, but he's a well built defender that shows impressive length. Although he showed a very high football IQ as a prep player, Ausberry was still raw from a technical standpoint. As a rookie he had to learn both the Rover and Will spots, so he was overwhelmed a bit in year one. According to sources, Ausberry has been one of the standouts this offseason, and he enters the spring in position to at least push for a key rotation spot, if not an outright starting position.
If you want to think of a dream scenario for Notre Dame's linebacker room, the light goes on for Sneed and both Bowen and Ausberry have great springs. If that happens the linebacker corps will have a chance to be outstanding in 2024, even with all the youth.
Don't overlook Preston Zinter, the third sophomore on the depth chart. Although he didn't get the acclaim of his teammates, Zinter is a talented athlete in his own right. He had the biggest transition to make as a rookie, and he was swimming mentally for much of the spring a year ago. If he shows a firmer grasp of the defense I won't be surprised if he makes some noise this spring.
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Adding talented freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa this spring greatly enhances the linebacker room. The California linebacker has the size (6-3, 233), athleticism and football smarts to make an immediate impact. Having a player like him on the roster raises the floor of this room and helps ensure that the linebacker group is going to be able to perform at a relatively high level.
Viliamu-Asa also brings excellent positional flexibility, possessing the skills needed to thrive at Mike linebacker, Will linebacker, or even as a situational blitzing linebacker. If the older linebackers are going to keep him off the field they will have to play very well, and do so day after day.
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