Notre Dame's Defense Has Star Power In 2022
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Notre Dame has been a strong defense in recent seasons, but there is definitely another level that side of the ball must get to if it is going to play championship caliber football in 2022.
One of the key ingredients to an elite defense is star power. Its players that can dominate opponents on a consistent basis, that step up in big games, and are at their best in the biggest moments. Noter Dame has had stars every season, but the 2022 defense has a chance to be the deepest group of impact players on defense since 2018, and possibly as far back as 2012.
How many of those potential star players step up and play to that level will determine if the Irish defense can truly be elite this season under first-year coordinator Al Golden.
ESTABLISHED STARS
Defensive end Isaiah Foskey and safety Brandon Joseph are established stars for Notre Dame. Foskey broke out last season, leading the defense with 11 sacks and tying for the nation's lead with six forced fumbles. Joseph led the nation in interceptions in 2020 during his consensus All-American campaign.
Foskey's production is only part of the story, what made him a star last season was his consistently dominant play and his ability to make plays in big moments. It was Foskey's strip sack of Desmond Ridder that sparked Notre Dame's comeback against Cincinnati. Although the Irish came up short, without Foskey's big play that game might have been a rout.
He bypassed a chance at the first round of the NFL Draft to return for his senior season, and Foskey is poised for even bigger things. His game still has plenty of room to improve, with more nuance as a pass rusher being the primary focus. Foskey is poised to become one of the game's very best defensive players, and opponents will be forced to game plan for him every week.
Joseph steps into big shoes, but he's more than capable of wearing them. He's not flashy, but he's athletic, he's instinctive and he's very, very productive as both a tackler and cover player. His key will be shoring up the tackling issues that plagued him last season while continuing to provide top notch coverage ability.
The Northwestern transfer provides leadership and plenty of experience, but Notre Dame needs him to continue showing the big game playmaking ability that made him one of the nation's best defensive backs in 2020. He'll have a much better supporting cast this fall, which should help him perform at a very high level.
ON THE VERGE
Notre Dame has several defenders that have shown flashes of big time ability, or who have top-level talent but have lacked the opportunity to show it.
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola has been getting very little preseason love, and I get it. Most of those awards are stats driven, and Ademilola has yet to post eye-popping stats. But anyone that breaks down his film from last season saw a player who can dominate when he's on. They keys for Ademilola in 2022 are two-fold, finish better at the ball and be more consistent with his "A Game."
Ademilola is quick off the ball and has great hand play, and when he's on his game he's incredibly hard to block. He also showed himself to have playmaking ability last fall, but he missed out on too many opportunities in the backfield due to missed tackles. If all he does this season is clean that stuff up he's a 10+ tackle for loss interior player that will have at least 5-6 sacks. If he also becomes more consistently dominant he'll combine with Foskey to provide one of the best one-two defensive line punches in the country.
The emergence of linebacker Marist Liufau over the last several months reminds me a great deal of what we saw from Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah heading into the 2019 season. A long, explosive, dynamic defender who simply needed time and needed to shore up his game as a decision maker. Once Owusu-Koramoah did that he became a game changer, and I expect Liufau to do the same in 2022.
Liufau is long and he's a tremendous athlete, one that can cover a lot of ground when working side to side and in coverage, and one that can be a legitimate weapon as a pass rusher. If he is more disciplined with his execution this fall than he was the last time we saw him (2020) I have no doubt he'll emerge as a game wrecker at linebacker.
Cornerback Cam Hart had moments of brilliance last season, but like much of the defense he simply lacked consistency. For Hart, that had a lot to do with his inexperience. Now that he has a year under his belt, and the NFL is right in front of him, Hart seems hungry and poised to become one of the game's best corners this season.
Hart has exceptional length and speed, much more than you'd expect from someone his size. His ability to transition with ease is also rare for a player as long as he is (6-2 1/2). When he was locked in technically last season, Hart could lock down a half of the field, and opponents would simply avoid him. The issue, however, was he wasn't always locked in and his technique was erratic, which was largely due to his inexperience.
Now with a year under his belt expect those aspects to get cleaned up, and as long as he can stay healthy Hart has a chance to become one of the best cover players in the country.
POTENTIAL BREAKOUT
Breakouts happen every year, and Notre Dame has a couple of defenders ready to step into much bigger roles. Defensive end Rylie Mills is not only ready to step into the starting role, he is a young defender that has the talent and potential to become a star. Will it happen in 2022? That's tough to say, as Mills is still a relatively inexperienced player, but the tools are there.
Mills has outstanding size for the edge (6-5, 283) and the junior has filled out quite a bit this offseason. He flashed in 2021 and during the spring, but it's time for him to put it all together. If his motor can run consistently this season he could be Notre Dame's most dominant big end edge rusher over the last several seasons. Considering two of the last three starting big ends were drafted, that's saying a lot.
Mills will benefit from teams focusing a lot of attention on Foskey and Ademilola (both of them at times), and he'll be given plenty of one-on-one opportunities. If he can win those battles in the pass game and be stout against the run he'll flash star power this season. The more consistently he does that, the better chance Notre Dame has of having an elite defensive line.
The talent is there for Notre Dame on defense in 2022, but several players need to elevate their games, get to their full potential and play sound, consistent football. If that happens the Irish defense could be truly outstanding.
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