Notre Dame 2020 All-Opponent Defense

We are another day closer to the start of the 2020 season, when Notre Dame will kick off its campaign with a home contest against Duke. It will mark the first conference game in school history, and will be the first of 10 ACC games. The Irish will also face South Florida, but the strength of the schedule will be the 10 conference foes.

Yesterday we broke down the best offensive players Notre Dame will face this season, and now we turn to the defense.

FIRST TEAM

DE Carlos Basham Jr., Sr., Wake Forest

Basham had an absolutely brilliant junior season, which made it a surprise he returned for his senior campaign. The Wake Forest edge player racked up 18 tackles for loss and 11 sacks last season, and his all around dominance makes him the best returning defender Notre Dame will face this season.

DE Patrick Jones II, Sr., Pittsburgh

It was hard not to have Duke’s Chris Rumph II here, but I’m a big fan of the game of Jones. Like Basham, Jones has a unique combination of size, length, power and athleticism. He used those traits to register 12 tackles for los and 8.5 sacks for arguably the best defensive line in the ACC last season.

DT Marvin Wilson, Sr., Florida State

Wilson finally started turning his five-star talent into top-level production last season. Like Basham, him returning for his senior season was a bit of a surprise. There is room for his game to grow, and if it does he could be one of the nation’s premier big men as both a run defender and pass rusher.

DT Tyler Davis, Soph., Clemson

Davis earned Freshman All-American honors last season after racking up 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Now in his second season, Davis should see his game take a big leap. The depth at the position for the Tigers should help Clemson keep him fresh, and now he’s a year stronger. Watch out for a big year from Davis.

LB Chazz Surratt, Sr., North Carolina

The last time Notre Dame faced North Carolina, Surratt was the starting quarterback. He moved to linebacker in 2019 and the transition was exceptionally smooth. Surratt registered 115 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last fall. According to Pro Football Focus, he had the most run stops and hurries of all returning ACC backers.

LB Max Richardson, Sr., Boston College

What Richardson lacks in size he makes up for with instincts and athleticism. He was highly productive last fall, ranking fourth in the ACC in tackles (108) and seventh in tackles for loss (14.5). Richardson, however, played at least one less game than everyone that ranked ahead of him in TFLs.

LB Amari Gainer, Soph., Florida State

Gainer didn’t step into the starting lineup until the fifth game of the season, but he still put up quality numbers in his redshirt freshman season. He made 69 tackles, seven tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last fall. This is a projection pick, and he might not even start this season, but he’s an athletic and talented player.

S Paris Ford, Sr., Pittsburgh

Ford and teammate Damar Hamlin form the best safety duo Notre Dame will face in 2020. In fact, they are arguably the best safety duo in the country, and a big part of that is Ford. He registered 97 tackles last season and also had more pass break ups than any other safety in the league. According to PFF he had more run stops than any safety on the Irish schedule.

S Hamsah Nasirildeen, Sr., Florida State

Nasirildeen and Ford would make quite the combo as well. Ford is a strong all-around safety while the 6-4, 220-pound Nasirildeen is more of an alley player. He had just three break ups and two picks last year, but he racked up 101 tackles last season and PFF gave him the highest run defense grade of any safety that Notre Dame will face.

CB Asante Samuel Jr., Jr., Florida State

Samuel has represented the family name extremely well. He was one of the best cover corners in the ACC last season, and he should be even better in 2020. Samuel ranked second in the ACC in passes defensed last season (15) and led the conference in pass break ups (14). He could emerge as one of the nation’s top cover players in 2020.

CB Ifeatu Melifonwu, Jr., Syracuse

This is a projection pick. Melifonwu is still raw and he has to stay healthy, but his elite size (6-3, 213), length and playmaking ability is tremendous for a cornerback. Despite playing in just nine games, Melifonwu racked up 10 passes defensed last fall, and according to PFF opponents completed just 43.1 percent of their throws against him.

SECOND TEAM

DE Chris Rumph II, Jr., Duke
DE Janarius Robinson, Sr., Florida State
DT Cory Durden, Jr., Florida State
DT Derrick Tangelo, Sr., Duke
LB James Skalski, Sr., Clemson
LB David Curry, Sr., Georgia Tech
LB Rodjay Burns, Sr., Louisville
S Damar Hamlin, Sr., Pittsburgh
S Andre Cisco, Sr., Syracuse
CB Michael Carter, Sr., Duke
CB Tre Swilling Jr., Georgia Tech

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