Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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defensive backs Farley — a junior who was a wide receiver when he arrived in South Bend in 2011 — started 11 contests at safety in 2012, and finished with 49 tackles (23 solo) and one interception. photo by bill panzica How Far Matthias Farley Has Come It's been little more than 16 months since Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly announced he was going to move Matthias Farley from wide receiver to safety, a fairly inconspicuous shift in the spring of 2012. Now the junior is the veteran leader and one of the pace setters on a defense that could be dominant again in 2013. Farley started 11 games in his first season on defense — only his fourth playing football at any level — and helped hold together a patchwork secondary that finished the year ranked 16th nationally in pass efficiency defense. The North Carolina product registered 49 tackles and returned his one interception 49 yards to help set up a score in Notre Dame's overtime win against Stanford. Once the pupil soaking in all he could from Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter, Farley's at the front of the class. "I'm just a lot more comfortable. At this time last year I was still learning everything," he said. "I'm still learning as I go, but I'm trying to help people along just as Zeke and Jamoris helped me last year. It's crazy to me, though, that so much has happened in a year." Farley stepped in for an injured Slaughter midway through Notre Dame's 20-3 win over Michigan State in mid-September. After a year of on-the-job training and daily extensive film sessions with safeties coach Bob Elliott, Farley said he's prepared to fill Motta's void. Elliott explained how Diaco designed the defense to protect the secondary last year, and the result was a growth in confidence that should pay dividends this year. "[Diaco] did some things strategically that helped [Farley and Russell], and we were able to help them schematically to not hide them but support them. That allowed them to mature and settle down, and then they started getting better in their own right, and then we didn't have to do those things later in the season. "A defensive coordinator that's willing to do that because of personnel issues is a great defensive coordinator. Some just won't change no matter who's playing. Bob has a great understanding of, no matter what you'd like to do defensively, if you don't have the guys to do it, you just can't do it." In 2013, cornerback is now a strength with the return of pro prospect Jackson, 2012 Freshman All-American Russell and Wood, who excelled this past spring. With Jackson coming off shoulder surgery "As a safety you have to communicate, so now having that experience I'm in that role," he said. "That's a lot more responsibility, but I feel like I've been well prepared for it. I think watching Zeke lead by example has helped a lot, too." Being more vocal is the first order of business for a soft-spoken Farley, who admits he's been pushed to crank up the volume this year. "As far as on the field it was fine, but in workouts and stuff I don't know if I should be loud," he said. "I still feel young. It's just being more comfortable in the role I am in now and knowing it's not the role I had last year." — Wes Morgan and sitting out spring drills, Wood worked at boundary corner with Russell on the field side, although the goal is for all the corners to learn both positions. Junior Josh Atkinson worked behind Wood, and freshman reinforcements Butler and Kinlaw will get a first look in fall camp. Starter Russell also could back up Jackson, with junior Jalen Brown and incoming freshman Luke rounding out the depth chart. Atkinson still has to progress more consistently before the staff can put its full trust in him, and Brown didn't seize a major opportunity last year when Wood went down, but both should begin coming into their own. "You would hope that with 13 games — and you've got some depth now of guys that have played — that allows you to be a little more flexible in your defense," cornerbacks coach Kerry Cooks said. "Last year we had a young guy who was kind of given the position by default because of the injury to Lo [Wood], so we had to do some things to protect him. As the season wore on, we did 102 ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview 100-106.DBs.indd 102 6/25/13 2:34 PM