Notre Dame Spring Kickoff: What To Look For From The Irish Defense
Notre Dame kicks off the 2024 spring today, which marks the third spring for head coach Marcus Freeman. It will be our first glimpse into what the 2024 Fighting Irish squad will look like.
There are plenty of things I am looking for, but as we kick things off here are the top things I'll have my eye on with the defense at this first spring practice.
NOTRE DAME DEFENSE
Here is what I'll be looking for from the Fighting Irish defense:
1. New Look Edge Depth - Notre Dame lost both of its defensive ends from last season, and that position was a strength for the Irish defense. Josh Burnham moved over from Vyper, RJ Oben transferred from Duke, the Irish landed big time recruit Bryce Young, and talented but unproven edge Aiden Gobaira all get a crack at the position this spring, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing if this group can not only equal last season's level of play, but maybe even surpass it.
At Vyper, Notre Dame won't have a new look from a personnel standpoint, but it needs to look a lot different from a playmaking standpoint. This was the most disappointing spot on the 2023 defense, and it has to get a lot better, but will it? I'm looking hard at this group during the spring.
2. Secondary Makeover - Notre Dame had one of the nation's best secondaries in 2023, but three of the five starters are gone. The makeover begins at today's practice, and I'm excited to see what this new group can do. Sophomore Christian Gray has a chance to be a star, and he has big shoes to fill. Sophomores Adon Shuler, Luke Talich and Ben Minich really need to step up at safety. Nickel transfer Jordan Clark was a highly productive player for Arizona State the last two seasons, and rising sophomore Micah Bell is arguably the fastest player on the team. This is going to be a very interesting spring for this group, who are joined by All-Americans Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts.
3. Young Linebacker Talent Gets A Shot - Notre Dame fans were clamoring for a chance to see the young linebackers early last season, but the more JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau thrived the less you heard that call. With Bertrand and Liufau now off to the NFL there's no choice but for that talented group of young linebackers like Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry and/or Jaylen Sneed to step into the lineup. There is no doubt the linebackers will be bigger, more athletic and have more God-given ability in 2024, but can that talent and potential turn into better production and play? That's the real question, and I'm going to be locked into this group.
4. Youth Movement - Notre Dame returns a lot of experience in 2024, but it's an odd roster makeup. You'll have a lot of 6th and 5th year seniors in the lineup, but the rest of the depth chart is littered with freshmen and sophomores. The young players have loads of talent, and they'll have to make their presence felt in 2024. Some will become starters, others will be key backups. How well the talented younger players perform this spring is going to be a key to the program's success, and I'm curious to see who steps up.
5. Coaching Staff Changes - The Irish only lost one position coach, but the staff will still look different. Mike Mickens takes over the entire secondary and Max Bullough is now the full-time linebackers coach. We'll also see some new graduate assistant coaches. So while the faces will mostly be the same, this group is going to have some differences. How will Mickens split his time between cornerback and safety? Where does Al Golden spend most of his time during individual periods, or does he float around among all the groups? It's going to be interesting to see how this group takes shape.
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