Notre Dame Football: Midweek Musings
Thoughts on Notre Dame football and its recruiting efforts
BIGGEST QUESTIONS FACING THE NOTRE DAME DEFENSE
Notre Dame has been carried by its defense in recent seasons, and in each season the Fighting Irish went into the offseason with significant questions, some years more than others.
There are plenty of questions that must be answered in the 2021 offseason if Notre Dame is going to continue playing great defense, or perhaps get even better.
1. What will the base defense look like? - We still don't know what the base will be for the defense. Will Notre Dame be a 3-3-5, which is what new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman ran the last three seasons at Cincinnati? Will Freeman make the easy adjustments within his scheme to continue running the 4-2-5 look the Irish ran the last four seasons? Will Notre Dame go with more of a 3-4 look, or a 4-3 look?
We don't know the answer to that yet, and according to sources I spoke with the last few days it sounds like that decision either hasn't been made, or hasn't been spread throughout the program.
I believe a 4-2-5 or a 3-3-5 would both work very well with Notre Dame's personnel and will work well against its schedule. It's biggest rival is USC, and the 3-3-5 would be perfect base to use against the Trojans Air Raid offense. The ACC is also filled with offenses like North Carolina (who Notre Dame plays in each of the next two seasons) and Clemson, and Freeman's version of the 3-3-5 would work well against those programs as well.
2. Where will the pass rush come from? - Notre Dame ranked 40th in sacks per game in 2020 (2.58), and while Freeman's Cincinnati defense ranked 16th in 2020 (3.00), the Bearcats ranked 60th and 46th the two previous seasons. The reality is you can only scheme your way into so many sacks, and at some point you need strong individual pass rushers.
Who will that be for Notre Dame in 2021, especially after the loss of Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Daelin Hayes and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah? Will Isaiah Foskey do for Notre Dame what Myjai Sanders did for Cincinnati this past season, or more? The talent is there, and Foskey is poised for a breakout, but he has to prove it.
Will any other veteran linemen become more impactful pass rushers (Jayson Ademilola, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa), could we see jumps from young guys like Jordan Botelho or Rylie Mills? Will any linebackers bring a pass rushing presence? At some point the Irish will need to have individual pass rushers that can get after it, which means Freeman can bring blitzes when he wants to, not because he has too.
3. Will the secondary make much-needed improvements? - Notre Dame's secondary had plenty of quality moments in 2020, especially when Kyle Hamilton was making plays. Grad transfer Nick McCloud was steady all season, but after those two the secondary had plenty of issues, especially against the better opponents.
Notre Dame gave up far too many big plays in the pass game this season, and the Irish gave up 352.7 passing yards per game in games against Clemson and Alabama. Opposing quarterbacks in those three games completed 69.9% of their passes, averaged 9.4 yards per pass attempt and threw eight touchdown passes.
Much of that was against the secondary, and the safety spot opposite Hamilton was especially a major problem area.
Notre Dame must first shore up the second safety spot, and it must get even better play from the cornerbacks. Is Houston Griffith ready to finally turn his talent and potential into production? A breakout from him would go a long way towards solidifying the back end of the defense.
Will Clarence Lewis continue building on his quality freshman campaign? Will Cam Hart make the needed jump to take over a spot? Will TaRiq Bracy regain his confidence? Will the incoming freshman class make a push for action? There are more questions than answers, but the good news for Notre Dame is it doesn't lack depth, length or talent, it just lacks proven production.
4. Who becomes the next stars? - Notre Dame returns Hamilton, who earned multiple second and third-team All-American squads in 2020, but the loss of unanimous All-America linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and standout ends Adetokunbo Ogundeji and Daelin Hayes means Notre Dame lost most of their stars from this past season. When you think about many of the big plays from the 2020 season, or the clutch plays, they usually involved one of those four players.
That happens quite often, and the best teams in the country have new stars step up season after season. Who will that be for Notre Dame in 2021? Will it be Foskey, or possibly Ademilola? Will one of the linebackers emerge as a star? Notre Dame will need stars to emerge.
ESPN BREAKOUT PLAYERS
I recently wrote about my early, pre-spring candidates for breakout players for Notre Dame and offense and defense. ESPN's Tom VanHaaren had his own prediction for breakout players for the Irish. He predicts up-and-coming tight ends George Takacs and Kevin Bauman.
"Tight end was a crucial position in the Notre Dame offense this season with true freshman Michael Mayer breaking out as the second-leading receiver on the team and Tommy Tremble contributing in a multitude of ways for the Irish. Mayer is back next season, but Tremble and Brock Wright are gone, which means someone is going to have to step in to help along with Mayer next season. That means we could see a breakout season from Bauman or Takacs, or potentially both. Takacs had only three receptions for 30 yards this season and Bauman had one catch for 5 yards, but with Tremble gone, someone is going to need to help replace what he brought in terms of blocking and receiving. With Mayer solidified as the main option, both Takacs and Bauman have a chance to fill the two voids next season and keep some consistency at the position."
Here are the breakout players for Notre Dame's opponents in the Top 25:
#7 North Carolina - CB Tony Grimes
#9 USC - WR Bru McCoy
#11 Cincinnati - RB Jerome Ford
#17 Wisconsin - LB Nick Herbig
TOP CORNERBACK CANDIDATES
Notre Dame landed a strong four-man cornerback group in the 2021 class, and it gave the depth chart a much-needed boost in numbers and talent. Combine that with the three players in the 2020 class (Lewis, Ramon Henderson, Caleb Offord) and the fact Cam Hart gets a much-needed extra year due to the new COVID-19 rules, and Notre Dame finds itself in great position to focus on impact talent over depth at the position in 2022.
Second-year cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens made a huge splash in his first season on the recruiting trail at Notre Dame, and he's already put together a deep and impressive list of offers in 2022. Now, the focus for Mickens is identifying the top players on the board and landing the impact talent needed in this class.
The list is long and will continue to grow, but there are four early cornerbacks to keep an eye on for the Irish.
Toriano Pride, 5-11, 180, St. Louis (Mo.) Lutheran North - Pride isn't the tallest cornerback, but he looks exceptionally long on film, and his athleticism is outstanding. His foot quickness and agility is the first thing that stands out on film, and his loose hips allow him to transition with ease. Pride shows the ball skills and coverage instincts you want in a top man defender. His offer list includes Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma, Penn State, Oregon and Missouri.
Nikai Martinez, 5-10, 170, Apopka (Fla.) High School - Martinez plays for one of the best programs in the state of Florida. What he lacks in ideal size he makes up for with athleticism, speed and an impressive feel in coverage. Martinez needs technical work, especially with his feet, but the physical tools are there for him to develop into a top-notch cover player in college. He has early offers from Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Penn State and Auburn.
Jaeden Gould, 6-2, 190, Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic - Gould's elite size and length jumps off the screen, and he's every bit of 6-2 with long arms. He doesn't have the speed of Pride or Martinez, but he makes up for it with his length. Gould also has much better foot quickness and fluidity than I expected to see from a 6-2 corner. He shows all the instinctive traits you want in a top corner. He has early offers from Clemson, Florida, Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas, USC and Texas A&M.
Jarred Kerr, 6-0, 185, Lexington (Texas) High School - Kerr is listed as a wide receiver by Rivals and an athlete by 247Sports and ESPN. The Texas native plays on both sides of the ball in high school and spends more time at safety than corner, but the Irish like him at corner. He's athletic, has good size and he has the physical traits you want in a cover man. Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M are schools that have already offered.
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
On our Irish Breakdown YouTube channel we broke down the Marcus Freeman defense. You will definitely want to check it out!
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
The Notre Dame players seemed to have a strong first day at the Reese's Senior Bowl, and there were a number of quality tweets to back that up.
The clip below says it is Robert Hainsey, but it's actually Aaron Banks.
FILM TO WATCH
One of the top backs on the board for Notre Dame in 2022 class is Nicholas Singleton. Here are some early season clips from him early in the 2020 season.
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