Max Bullough Is Excited About His Group Of Notre Dame Linebackers
Year two looks a lot different for Notre Dame linebackers coach Max Bullough. The most obvious difference this year is Bullough has the official title of Linebackers Coach and not the graduate assistant label he had in his first year on Al Golden’s defensive staff last season.
“There’s a lot more teaching and coaching involved in this year,” Bullough said of heading into his second season at Notre Dame. “Last year I came in, I was very new, it was very similar. I was the linebacker coach last year. You know what I mean? I was in there, I ran the meetings.”
Bullough ran the meetings, but he was also able to lean on fifth-year veteran linebackers JD Bertrand, Marist Liufau and Jack Kiser. They were going into their second season with Golden as defensive coordinator, while Bullough had just arrived at Notre Dame. He leaned on the veterans to help bring some of the young guys along while he was learning the scheme. Bertrand and Liufau are now gone, but Bullough has a much better knowledge of the defense now.
On Jack Kiser
Jack Kiser opted to use the sixth season of eligibility the NCAA granted after the pandemic. Kiser only played in four games as a freshman in 2019 and has played in 50 more games over the past four seasons. Bullough sees immense value in what the veteran brings to the linebacking corps.
“I think he’s one of the most improved from the beginning of last year to the end of last year,” Bullough explained. “I really do. He’s always been a guy that can run, even though people say for a long time that he couldn’t. He’s a guy that can run. He’s a guy that’s a little bit smaller, so he had a hard time keeping his feet at times. I think he’s gotten a lot better at that. I mean, Kis is a guy, like I said, you can put at any position on the field. He's going to help me get lined up. But I think he’s becoming more than that.
“I think he’s becoming sturdier,” Bullough continued. “He’s becoming someone that can actually hold up and doesn’t look small out there. I mean he’s 230 now. He’s a different person than when he came in here. But I’m really excited about his physicality, his taking control and just taking the next step and trying to be, not be like JD (Bertrand), but just, that’s what this is. It is what it is.”
On Jaylen Sneed
Rising junior Jaylen Sneed came to Notre Dame as a highly rated linebacker out of Hilton Head, SC two years ago. He kept his redshirt by playing in four games as a freshman in 2022 and saw expanded time last year, much of it on special teams, with 14 tackles in 13 games. He has shown flashes as a pass rusher but he is now going into his third season looking to maximize his talent.
“He’s someone that’s really gotten a lot better since I’ve been here,” Bullough began. “For him it’s just, and he knows this, it’s ‘How can I maintain a high level of focus’? Because when he’s locked in and he’s focused and he’s in the meetings paying attention in practice, not worrying about school or anything, he’s great. He’s in a great stance, he’s got great eye control, he knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s a really smart kid.
“To him, it’s a hundred percent can I maintain that level of focus throughout the duration of whatever it is,” Bullough continued. “Whether it’s school, whether it’s whatever, it doesn’t matter. When you come out here it is what it is. For him, that’s his biggest thing day after day. Day after day. Consistency.”
On Drayk Bowen
Drayk Bowen was another key special teams contributor. He tallied 14 tackles in 12 games as a freshman last season. The St. John, Ind native is also in his first season with Shawn Stiffler’s Fighting Irish baseball team this spring. His baseball schedule will cede to the spring football practice schedule, though. Bullough says Bowen will not miss any football time, but he also appreciates what baseball does for Bowen.
“Drayk’s sharp,” Bullough remarked. “He was someone that, he didn’t get a ton of reps at practice last year, because we just don’t do that with our twos late in the season and he was always a guy that I felt confident if it came to it he could go in the game and execute. That’s just a testament to his work. The way he’s able to retain information. I think the baseball helps him; I really do. I don’t think kids play enough sports nowadays. Just doing all the different sports, I think, helps a lot more than people think. Spatial awareness, just understanding things and ball awareness. He's doing what he’s supposed to do right now.”
On Jaiden Ausberry
Jaiden Ausberry played in five games last season. One of them was the Sun Bowl, which means his redshirt is preserved. Ausberry is expected to be in the mix at Rover this spring.
“Jaiden Ausberry got so much better over the course of the last season; nobody knows about him,” said Bullough. “He's a guy that was kind of pissed about scout team, went home, regrouped, came back, had the light back in his eyes, you know what I mean? I’m excited for that stuff. The guys that I’ve worked with for a year and now let’s go do it again and see how much better we can do. That’s what fires me up.”
On Kahanu Kia
Kahanu Kia played both linebacker and Vyper defensive end as a freshman for the Irish in 2021. He played in two games that season and then embarked on a church mission for the last two years. He is now working with the inside linebackers after returning to Notre Dame this spring.
“I think someone like Kyngstonn (Viliamu-Asa) coming in will be able to process a little bit better in terms of the defense, just because I know what he did in high school. Kahanu hasn’t been playing for a little bit and he comes from a little bit different culture that way. But I tell you what you’re going to get with Kahanu, he’s a big, big athletic kid. He's a hard charger, like he’s coming.
"He's on kickoff, he’s coming and he’s someone that’s going to fly around. I think he could play multiple positions. Whether it’s stacked of we move our Rover up to the end of the line of scrimmage. It'll be really interesting these next few months to watch him process and kind of learn the defense because I don’t think he really knows any of it. It’s changed quite a bit. I know that part’s a little bit more challenging for him that say Kingston, but I do know he’s got what it takes athletically.”
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