Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports
Replace And Reload: Buck Linebacker
For the fourth straight season Notre Dame will have to find a new starting Buck linebacker. There is a lot of youth in competition for the position, but within that young group is a lot of talent.
WHAT WAS LOST
A year ago I was of the opinion that replacing Drue Tranquill with Asmar Bilal was going to be bad for the defense. I spent a lot of time breaking down the position, and every time after throwing out caveats about Bilal being athletic and physical the discussion turned to how he could not handle the position and play well enough for the Irish to have an elite defense.
Now, a year later, I’m writing about how big of a loss Bilal will be for the Notre Dame defense. From a coaching standpoint, watching him go from what he was his first four years to what he was in 2019 was a lot of fun. I don’t enjoy being wrong, but every time Bilal put together a strong performance for the Irish defense I reminded myself how wrong I was about him, and did so with a smile.
Bilal racked up 79 tackles and 10 tackles for loss on the season. He was a steady force on the Irish defense and stepped up in several big moments. He was outstanding in the win over USC and played very well against Georgia. Bilal led a linebacker group that shut down Boston College’s vaunted rushing offense.
Pro Football Focus graded him as the second highest starting defensive player for the Irish and named him an honorable mention All-American.
WHAT RETURNS
Notre Dame does not return much in the form of experience at the Buck position, but there is a great deal of depth, athleticism and potential returning. It will need to be coached up and developed, but after what defensive coordinator Clark Lea and graduate assistant Nick Lezynski have done at the linebacker position in recent seasons there is reason to be incredibly optimistic about what we will see from the position in 2020.
After junior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah played so well inside against Boston College there were questions about possibly moving him inside to Buck. While an option, it’s not one I would view as near the top of the list. There is solid depth at rover, but Owusu-Koramoah’s size (6-1, 215) and impact ability at rover makes him a difference maker at that spot, and there’s more than enough talent inside to develop at Buck and Mike.
When looking at who might emerge as the starter alongside rising senior Drew White, the possibility of White playing Buck must be considered in the event the linebacker who separates himself this spring and next fall is a player better suited for the Mike spot.
Let’s break down the other contenders for the second starter inside:
Jordan Genmark Heath — The rising senior linebacker made an impact as a freshman safety, but outside of filling in for an injured Drue Tranquill last November against Northwestern, Genmark Heath has had a hard time cracking the rotation at linebacker.
Two areas have kept Genmark Heath from being a more consistent factor at linebacker. At times he doesn’t show the burst needed, and it doesn’t seem he’s been able to maintain the same level of quickness while adding the weight needed to play linebacker. Now going into his third season as a linebacker, the converted safety should finally be able to get that burst back.
The second area is similar to what some other younger players in this breakdown struggle from, he just hasn’t shown enough consistency from an execution standpoint.
He and White are now the veterans inside, and with Bilal gone and other younger players battling to get healthy, Genmark Heath will have a chance to make a push for a starting role the spring.
Jack Lamb, Junior — Lamb was a starter in the nickel defense this season before going down with a season-ending hip injury in the win over Navy. Right now we don’t know if Lamb will be healthy enough to go through spring practice, and how quickly he gets back on the field will help determine how much of a factor he’ll be in the battle for the Buck and Mike spots.
Lamb is a long and rangy athlete that thrived in coverage in the nickel. His instincts in coverage combine with his athleticism to make that a strong part of his game. Lamb had some outstanding moments last spring, which helped him earn the nickel role in the fall. The hope was that Lamb could build on that this spring and force his way into a starting role - or key rotation role - inside as a junior.
The injury raises questions about that now, but if he can get back to full speed and take another step as a run defender Lamb will be hard to keep off the field, whether that’s as a starting linebacker, a part of a rotation inside or as the starting nickel backer once again.
A key for Lamb is being more consistent from a downhill perspective. When Lamb is confident and comfortable he flies to the football and is a playmaker, but there are still too many moments where Lamb isn’t as certain and doesn’t attack with the same level of force. When the former becomes the norm he’ll find his way onto the field on a regular basis.
Shayne Simon, Junior — Simon also suffered a season-ending injury in the victory over Navy. A regular on special teams, Simon showed flashes of being a strong in the box run defender in limited linebacker snaps last season. The tools are there; Simon has good size, above average length, impressive downhill speed and he arrives at the ball with force.
Simon will need to continue developing his feel for the defense and improve in coverage, otherwise he’ll be limited to being more of a two-down player, which would make him more of a rotation player than a starter.
Like Lamb, it remains to be seen how healthy Simon will be in the spring after suffering a late-season injury. Simon has the athletic tools to be a strong all-around player, but he has yet to show that on a consistent basis in practice or games. If he gets back to full speed and starts showing greater consistency then he will force himself onto the field.
Lea has said from day one that he wants a deeper linebacker rotation, but the lack of experience at the position has resulted in him sticking mostly with the veterans. Simon and Lamb will get their chance to deepen that rotation in 2020, but their play and production must become more consistent.
Bo Bauer, Junior — Bauer was arguably Notre Dame’s best special teams cover player this season. His speed and physicality made him an impact player, especially on kickoff coverage. This spring we’ll see Bauer get a chance to earn more time at linebacker. In limited snaps this season we saw Bauer display explosiveness attacking downhill, and he arrives at the ball with a great deal of power. The rising junior has all the tools to develop into a stout run defender inside, but like the others in his class he must be more assignment sound, and his work in coverage needs work as well.
If Bauer emerges as the second best inside linebacker, along with White, there’s a chance White could move outside to Buck and Bauer step into the lineup at Mike. White is an athletic linebacker whose body type is actually better suited at Buck, but his instincts and downhill skills fit the Mike spot. White would need to be better in coverage, but he showed improvement against the pass later in the season.
White could serve a similar role to what we saw from Te’von Coney and Greer Martini in 2017, playing both the Mike and Buck spots as part of a rotation. He would still play starter snaps, but his versatility allows Lea to be more flexible when it comes to getting the best players on the field in the scenario in which Bauer or another Mike forces himself into the rotation.
Marist Liufau, Sophomore — There isn’t a young player on the roster whose name has been brought up to me from sources around the program. Based on conversations I’ve had it was apparently a very hard decision not to play him more than four games, but the staff rightfully stuck to their plan and Liufau got a redshirt season.
Liufau is an intense, high-motor player that has a passion for the game, but he’s much more than an effort player. The Hawaii native is an outstanding athlete and a highly instinctive defender that showed a knack for making plays in high school, and he was my highest ranked player in a talented group of 2019 linebackers. In fact, Liufau earned a five-star upside grade on my board.
Liufau has an incredible frame that still needs more mass, and adding more weight room strength is a must, but he’s always shown power that went beyond his slight build. Once he fills out that frame I expect Liufau to be a physical force against the run. He spent the first two years of his prep career playing cornerback and safety, and he brings impressive coverage skills to the position, which is why the Buck spot suits him so well.
Do not be surprised if Liufau is a player getting a great deal of discussion during the spring, , and if reports I’ve received from various sources proves accurate, he’s going to be a major factor at linebacker as soon as 2020. I expect Liufau to compete for a chance to not only be in the rotation in 2020, but he’ll get a shot at cracking the starting lineup.
Osita Ekwonu, Sophomore — Ekwonu started three games on special teams this season, giving him experience while also preserving a season of eligibility. Ekwonu is an impressive physical specimen that still has a lot to learn about the nuances of playing linebacker, but a strong spring could put him in position to make a charge in the fall.
The spring will be our first chance to see Ekwonu getting meaningful reps at linebacker. He has the length, punch and explosiveness that Lea covets at linebacker. Now we need to see how much of the defense he has mastered, and that will ultimately determine how much of a chance Ekwonu has at getting into the linebacker rotation in 2020.
JD Bertrand, Sophomore — Bertrand is quite similar to White, both physically and athletically. He also earned a late-season special teams role this season while also preserving a season of eligibility. Bertrand is undersized but in high school he displayed good quickness and range.
The spring will give us a chance to see how much his frame has filled out and whether or not he’s at the point where he can physically handle taking on and beating blocks with consistency. If he is at that point he’ll be yet another in a long line of young, inexperienced but athletic and instinctive young linebackers fighting for time.
It remains to be seen how many of these linebackers will truly be a factor at linebacker in 2020, but their presence on the roster gives Lea a lot of tools to work with. This group will also be favorites of special teams coordinator Brian Polian.
KEY QUESTIONS
1. How healthy will Lamb and Simon be this spring?
2. Is White locked in at Mike or will he be a factor at Buck, depending on who emerges at the Buck spot?
3. Is Liufau ready to make a serious run for the starting position?
4. Between 2018 and 2019, which talented linebacker class will see the most growth this offseason?
5. Beyond the starter, how does the depth chart shake out and will Lea finally be in position to play the kind of deep rotation he’s wanted?
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