Notre Dame Sophomores Will Impact The 2023 Defense

Although the Notre Dame 2022 recruiting class didn't make a huge splash from a volume standpoint, one player from the class had an exceptional first season. That would be cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who earned Freshman All-American honors last season.

Heading into their sophomore season, Morrison is expected to be joined by several more of his classmates on defense. It won't just be Morrison making an impact from his class when the Irish hit the field this season. In fact, the sophomore class is vital to Notre Dame having the necessarily depth to be a top-notch defense this fall.

Jaden Mickey, Cornerback

Mickey impressed during the spring of his freshman season, and he was expected to be the rookie corner that made a big splash in 2022. Mickey had an up-and-down rookie season, but he's ready to take a big leap in year two.

Mickey had another strong spring as a sophomore, but his performance seems better poised to project into the fall. The California native showed better patience, he was more consistent with his reads and he made more plays. Mickey also got a lot stronger this offseason, which combined with his improved grasp of the defense to allow him to make a lot more plays.

With Morrison and Hart entrenched as starters, Notre Dame will have a battle in fall camp for that No. 3 spot. Mickey has a great chance to earn that role, and if he can step up and play well this season it will allow Notre Dame to take some of the snaps burden off of the starters, especially Hart.

Jaylen Sneed - Nolan Ziegler, Linebacker

Notre Dame signed the nation's best linebacker class in the 2022 cycle, and all four are expected to make an impact this season. Sneed are Ziegler are the two that are still playing linebacker, and they are both being counted on to provide help this season.

Sneed is still learning the defense, but his explosiveness and playmaking potential should allow him to earn a very important third-down or pass rushing role at the very least. If Sneed earns that role he'll be a very disruptive force in the pass game, and the more comfortable he gets with the defense the more base down snaps he'll earn.

Ziegler had an outstanding spring and he has a chance to earn a top rotation spot at both Mike and Will. His combination of size (6-3, 230), speed and instincts make him an effective inside defender, and if the defense is run correctly this fall he'll get chances to spell the starters. If that happens I expect both Ziegler and Sneed to show off their elite potential.

Josh Burnham - Junior Tuihalamaka, Vyper

Burnham and Tuihalamaka were the other two linebacker signees in the 2022 class, but they are now both Vypers. Senior Jordan Botelho is the starter and big things are expected of him, but Notre Dame's defensive line won't play at a championship level if the depth players don't also play at a high level.

Tuihalamaka has the kind of stout, big frame and strength to be a strong run defender at Vyper, and this spring he showed he's starting to learn the nuances needed to be an effective edge rusher as well. That's important, because you can't give quality snaps as a rotation player if you're one-dimensional.

Burnham is still learning the position, but his potential is enormous. His growth during the spring allowed him to finish on a very strong note. Burnham's combination of length, explosiveness and speed gives him the tools to be a big time edge rusher, but we'll see if he can tap into that this season.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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