Notre Dame Position Battles Will Have A Big Impact On The 2023 Defense

Notre Dame was good on defense in 2022, but if the Irish are going to be a playoff team in 2023 they need to be a great defense. Many things need to happen for Notre Dame to get to that level, and it must begin this spring.

One aspect that will go into Notre Dame making a jump is several position battles that will rage throughout the spring and likely into the fall. Should the Notre Dame coaching staff allow those battles to actually happen, they should not only be entertaining, they'll have a significant impact on how good the defense will be next season.

Let's take a look at the battles that I'm most interested in, and that could have the biggest impact on the 2023 defense.

DEFENSIVE END

With how much Notre Dame rotated the end position last season this battle isn't about who wins the starting job as much as it's about who can best establish an all-around game, who fits into what niche roles and whether or not this position can provide more production than we've seen the last two seasons.

Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste is expected to get a shot to compete for the defensive end position. He was a key rotation player for the Buckeyes the last three seasons, and now he gets a chance to grab a more prominent role. Jean-Baptiste was a disruptive player for the Buckeyes and he brings impressive length and pass rushing skills to the table.

If Jean-Baptiste earns a starting job it will likely mean he has adapted quickly to the Irish defense and has added a much-needed pass rushing boost to the position.

Fifth-year senior NaNa Osafo-Mensah was a key rotation for Notre Dame the last two seasons. He had a couple of pass rushing flashes in 2021, but this past season he was primarily an edge setter in the run game. Osafo-Mensah has taken on a leadership role this offseason, and he'll certainly be a key member of the rotation again in 2023.

The question now is can Osafo-Mensah show enough playmaking ability to seize hold of a starting role.

Senior Alexander Ehrensberger showed promise in 2021, but he hardly saw the field this past season. The German edge has exceptional length and he shows some decent athleticism for his size. He's a player I have my eye on for a potential breakout this season.

A player to keep an eye on is rising sophomore Aiden Gobaira. The Virginia native might not yet be physically ready to handle the job, we'll see more of that this spring. But what Gobaira does possess is outstanding length and the kind of explosiveness off the edge to be an impact pass rusher. He needs to be a pet project for position coach Al Washington over the next six months.

VYPER

Notre Dame's other end spot is the Vyper, and it's a position I'll have my eye on this spring. It's a position that is a major question mark based on the lack of proven production returning to the depth chart, but it's also a position that is absolutely loaded with talented players.

Right now the expectation is that senior Jordan Botelho will step into the starting role. Botelho replaced Isaiah Foskey in the bowl game and he performed extremely well. Botelho has the talent to be an impact pass rusher, but this spring we need to see him be more consistent with his focus and his production.

The battle will be partly about the starting lineup, which is always true when a starter departs. The more interesting aspect, however, is more about the battle to fill the depth chart. How that battle turns out will have a huge say on just how good Notre Dame is at Vyper.

I'll make the statement now, if the Vyper position has a legit battle this spring the Irish will get more production from the position in 2023 than it got the last two seasons with Foskey dominating the snaps. That means sophomores Josh Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka will compete for snaps along with Botelho.

A case could be made that Burnham is the best pound-for-pound athlete on the defense, if not the whole team. A high school quarterback-linebacker, Botelho has elite size potential, length and explosive athletic ability. He's still learning the position from a technical standpoint, but Burnham has freaky athletic ability. Washington needs to work hard to get the most out of Burnham from a technical standpoint. If he can do that the combination of Botelho and Burnham could be electric.

Tuihalamaka brings a different skill set to the table. He's more stout and powerful as a football player, and he shows the potential to be a quality run defender on the edge. I don't know how much of a pass rush repertoire he brings, but Tuihalamaka is a talented player in his own right. If both Burnham and Tuihalamaka force their way into the rotation this position immediately becomes a major strength for the defense.

WILL LINEBACKER / ROVER

I'm very curious to see how Notre Dame handles the Will and Rover positions this spring. My worst fear is that Al Golden simply goes with the veteran players so that he can continue pushing an unnecessarily complex defense. If he's smart, he'll scale things back schematically and allow the talented younger players to push both Marist Liufau (Will) and to push for time at Rover.

Liufau is a long and athletic player, but his performance in 2022 was incredibly disappointing. His inability to consistently execute his assignments in both the run and pass game were crushing to the defense. At times Liufau flashed the impact skill that had IB so fired up about what he could be last season, but too often he looked lost or out of place.

If the light goes on for Liufau this spring, great, but the staff needs to make him battle hard to keep his starting role. Allowing talented sophomores Nolan Ziegler and Jaylen Sneed to push for playing time is a must. Ziegler brings the same length and explosiveness that Liufau does, and this spring he'll need to show he can absorb the defense and make plays. Sneed could push for time at Will or Rover.

Sneed pushing for time is interesting, because if the staff puts him at Rover it could free up that position's starter - Jack Kiser - to move inside. Kiser doesn't really have the frame to be an every down inside linebacker, but he is at his best when he's closer to the box and attacking the football. Notre Dame put Kiser in too much situations it shouldn't have last season, and his lack of length is problematic in space. When Kizer was flying to the ball and playing a more downhill game he was often very good.

An interior combination of JD Bertrand, Kiser, Liufau and Ziegler could be quite good, with Sneed getting time at Rover and in nickel situations. That would add some length and athleticism to the defense and would give the coaches the opportunity to use the veterans in more niche roles, get more length and athleticism on the field, and therefore give the linebacker depth chart a chance to be more and more effective and disruptive.

CLARENCE LEWIS

I fully expect Clarence Lewis to push for time this spring, the question right now is where. At the current moment, Lewis is still a cornerback and he'll be pushing for the third cornerback role. He also got time in the nickel last season, and he'll compete with Oklahoma State transfer Thomas Harper for snaps in the slot. Of course, I'm on record stating that Lewis should move to safety, where he would shore up the depth chart at that position.

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