Notre Dame's Defensive Stars Must Play Likes Stars In 2022, Especially Against Ohio State
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Notre Dame is just over three weeks away from kicking off the 2022 season, the first under head coach Marcus Freeman. The program's recent success has been fueled by a strong defense, something that must continue this fall. If Notre Dame wants to take the next step and become a championship caliber program the defense must be even better.
Notre Dame returns a number of talented players with star potential, and the Irish defense needs those players to step up and play like stars if the defense is going to take the next step. This is especially true in the big games, and the biggest game of the season is arguably the opener against Ohio State.
Of course, standout defensive end Isaiah Foskey is at the top of the list, but that is along with veteran defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola. For Notre Dame to reach its full potential as a unit this year it needs more than Foskey, and Ademilola has shown flashes of being a dominant force. The duo must both play to their potential this season if the line is truly going to thrust itself in the conversation with group like Clemson and Georgia.
We know what Foskey can do, he just needs to continue making normal strides. For Ademilola it's about turning his flashes into a more regular occurrence. If that happens the Irish front is going to be very, very good.
Notre Dame's only current consensus All-American is safety Brandon Joseph, who earned that honor in 2020 as part of the Northwestern secondary. Joseph was solid in 2021, but he needs to get back to being the 2020 version of himself. That kind of player will make a huge difference on this defense and will result in the Irish secondary being better than it was a season ago.
Cornerback Cam Hart was pretty good last season, especially in the second half of the season. Like Ademilola, Notre Dame needs Hart to be more consistently at his best. When Hart is on him game he can shut down his side of the field with his ability to blow up perimeter screens, and his combination of length and speed that makes him a highly effective cover man.
Senior linebacker Marist Liufau has just 22 career tackles, but he was on the verge of a breakout a year ago before going down in camp with a season-ending injury. Now that he's back the Irish need him to turn his explosive athleticism into production. If Liufau becomes the star we believe he can it will go a long way towards Notre Dame becoming a truly elite defense.
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