What We Know, And Don't Know, About Notre Dame

Notre Dame has played just one game so far in the 2023 season, which means there are plenty of things we don't yet know about this team. But after evaluating this team through fall camp and the opener against Navy, there are also plenty of things we do know about this team as we project it through the rest of the season.

In our latest Irish Breakdown show I discuss what we know, and don't know, about Notre Dame as we look forward to a schedule that is going to pick up very quickly.

We already broke down the offense, now let's move onto the defense.

NOTRE DAME DEFENSE

What We Know

1. Linebacker Play Is Better - The linebacker play against Navy was a dramatic improvement from last season, which we expected with JD Bertrand being healthy for this game. Bertrand was Notre Dame's best linebacker last season, and while he played good football against Navy, it was the brilliant performance of Marist Liufau and the strong play of Jack Kiser that shined through in this game. We knew the unit would be better with more experience in the system, but they played even better than expected against Navy.

This group will be much improved from last season, and the depth should be good as well thanks to the development of Jaylen Sneed and presence of talented rookies Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry. This will be a position of strength for Notre Dame this season, and that's something that was made clear throughout camp and in the win over Navy.

2. D-Line Is Long, Deep And Athletic - Despite the loss of second round pick Isaiah Foskey, who ended his career as the team's all-time leader in sacks, Notre Dame will be a much longer and athletic front than they were a season ago. That was on full display against Navy. There are certainly production questions that remain, and parts of the defensive line must play better than they did against Navy, but the length and athleticism of this group stood out.

It wasn't just the starters, and a case could be made that the rotation players add even more of that than the starters. Notre Dame brought players like Josh Burnham, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Gabriel Rubio and Jason Onye off the bench. That's a lot of length and talent in that group, even more so than in the starting lineup at the big end position.

The strong performance from Jordan Botelho was very encouraging, but now we need to see if he can do that more consistently.

3. Cornerback Is Improved - We know the starting corners can cover, but two things made it clear throughout fall camp and in the opener against Navy that this group would be even better than last season. One is this group is noticeably thicker and stronger than a season ago. Cam Hart is clearly improved from a strength standpoint, and it was very obvious with Jaden Mickey.

Mickey's emergence in fall camp was very important for the cornerback position, which had two strong returning starters but questions from a depth standpoint. The emergence of true freshman Christian Gray, who played 20+ snaps against Navy, also adds to the depth of talent at cornerback.

What We Don't Know

1. Will Safety Play Get Better - The safety position needed to play better in 2023, and that remains a question mark. There were some positive moments from the position, but overall the group struggled in the win over Navy. Missed tackles, blow coverage assignments and a lack of impact play were concerning. This remains arguably the biggest personnel question mark on the team.

2. What Are The Scheme Changes - Notre Dame's defensive staff, led by coordinator Al Golden, did a great job preparing the defense to be ready to play at a high level against Navy. The plan was sound and it was executed at a high level. Projecting that to future games is challenging for two reasons. One, they had more time to prepare for Navy and two, no one else will run an offense like Navy, or anything close to it.

We'll need to see how this staff handles more traditional offenses and when it has less time to game plan and still what they want from the players, but the first game was certainly a very positive sign.

3. Pass Rush Remains A Question - The pass rush success rates were outstanding considering how infrequently Navy passed the football. Botelho and Burnham had great edge rushes, Jean-Baptiste flashed and the interior collapsed the pocket multiple times.

Projecting that is still a question because Navy's offensive line isn't all that good as pass blocking and the scheme Navy employs is so unique. We also need to see if the staff is going to continue working with such a deep rotation once they get past the option offense. I'm encouraged by what I saw, but now we need to see it happen against a better line and against a more traditional offense.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

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

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter