Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/140522
defensive line player biographies Position Coach Mike Elston enters his 15th year of collegiate coaching and his fourth at Notre Dame as the defensive line coach. He served as the special teams coordinator during his first two seasons in South Bend, and he has coached under Irish head man Brian Kelly since 2004, mentoring the defensive line in six of the last nine years. He has also held the title of recruiting coordinator at Cincinnati from 2007-08 and served as Kelly's special teams coordinator from 2006-11. The Notre Dame defense was especially stout against the run in 2012, led by Elston's defensive front. The Irish permitted just four touchdowns on the ground — a mark that stood as the lowest in the nation. The squad held eight different opponents to less than 100 yards rushing, and only one Football Bowl Subdivision team allowed fewer opponents to reach triple digits. Irish foes averaged just 3.47 yards per carry, which ranked 17th in the FBS and marked the lowest season average for the program since 2004 (2.7). Despite Notre Dame utilizing a 3-4 scheme, 23.5 of the team's 34 sacks (69.1 percent) were from defensive linemen, while the trio of starters accounted for 137 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, eight passes broken up, six forced fumbles and one fumble recovery last fall. Elston's group also played a huge role in limiting opponents to 3.8 yards per carry in 2011 — which marked the school's best performance since 2004 until this past fall — and held 11 of its 13 opponents below their season rushing average. In his first year with the Irish, Elston helped spur a defensive turnaround and guided an All-American effort from placekicker David Ruffer, a former walk-on who was one of three finalists for the Groza Award (nation's top placekicker). The defensive line contributed to a unit that held opponents to 4.0 yards per carry, an improvement of almost one full yard from the previous season. In 2009, Elston was promoted to assistant head coach at Cincinnati, in addition to his duties with the defensive line and special teams. Despite having to replace all of their starters up front and transition to a new defensive scheme, the Bearcats tallied the third-most tackles for loss and 10th-most sacks in the nation. From 2007-08, he mentored the Bearcats' tight ends. Elston served in a variety of roles under Kelly at Central Michigan from 2004-06. He began as the defensive line mentor, a position he held for one season, before be- BGI's 2013 Depth Chart No.Defensive EndHt. 7 Stephon Tuitt 6-6 53 Justin Utupo 6-0 or 94Jarron Jones 6-5 89 Jacob Matuska 6-5 No.Nose GuardHt. 1 Louis Nix III 6-2 96 Kona Schwenke 6-3 92 Tyler Stockton 5-11 No.Defensive EndHt. 91 Sheldon Day 6-2 69 Tony Springmann 6-5 90 Isaac Rochell 6-5 50 Chase Hounshell* 6-4 Wt. Cl./Elig. 322 Jr./2 281 Sr./2 295 So./4 255 Fr./4 Wt. Cl./Elig. 347 Sr./2 297 Sr./1 284 5th/1 Wt. Cl./Elig. 286 So./3 284 Jr./3 265 Fr./4 275 Jr./3 * Ruled out for 2013 season because of shoulder surgery ing promoted to the co-defensive coordinator position while still working with the line. In 2006, Elston coached linebackers, in addition to his first stint as the special teams coordinator. Elston first became a full-time assistant coach at Eastern Michigan, where he served from 2001-03. He came in as a defensive ends coach before serving two seasons as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. His coaching career kicked off as a graduate assistant at Michigan from 1999-2000. Prior to coaching, Elston lettered for the Wolverines as an outside linebacker from 1994-96. Returning Players Sh eldon Day • D E So. • Indianapolis Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 286 Career Highlights: Played in all 13 games as a rookie … Registered 23 tackles, 3.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and a pair of sacks … Notched a solo sack against both Michigan State and Michigan. Prep: Runner-up for the 2011 Indiana Mr. Football Award, chosen by the Indiana Football Coaches Association … Named Super Team Player of the Year by the Indianapolis Star after he tallied 55 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 12 quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries as a senior … Was one of eight defensive linemen named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Top 50 all-state squad in both 2010 and 2011 … Listed as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in his home state, the No. 10 defensive tackle nationally and the No. 80 overall player in the class of 2012 by 247Sports … Played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. Personal: Born July 1, 1994 … Was enrolled in First Year of Studies. Year G-GS SoloAst. Total TFL Sacks 201213-0 13 10 23 3.5 2.0 Cha se H oun sh ell • D E Jr. • Kirtland, O hio Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 275 Career H ighlights: Missed the entire 2012 campaign with a torn labrum … Suffered the same injury during the past offseason and will be sidelined during the 2013 season after undergoing surgery … Appeared in six games as a rookie … Tallied four tackles, all against Air Force. Prep: Named Ohio Division II Co-Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press as a senior at Lake Catholic High … Was a two-way lineman who tallied 36 stops, nine tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles as a senior … All-state defensive lineman in 2010 and earned the same honor on the offensive side of the ball in 2009 … Listed as a three-star prospect by 247Sports. Personal: Born April 1, 1993 … Twin sister, Colette, plays for the St. Francis (N.Y.) College women's basketball team, while his older brother, Chad, played offensive line at Central Florida … Enrolled in College of Arts and Letters. Jarr on Jon es • D E So. • R ochester, N.Y. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 295 Career Highlights: Did not see action as a rookie. Prep: Two-time first-team defensive lineman on the New York State Sportswriters Association Class A allstate team … Recorded 71 tackles with five sacks, recovered a fumble, broke up nine passes and blocked two field goals as a senior … Totaled 68 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, an interception, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery on a state title team as a junior … Listed by 247Sports as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in New York, the No. 10 offensive tackle the country and the No. 107 overall player in the class of 2012 … Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Personal: Born March 11, 1994 … Was enrolled in First Year of Studies. L ou is Ni x III • N G Sr. • Jacksonville, Fla. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 347 Career Highlights: Appeared in all 26 games the past two years, with 22 starts … Recorded 95 total stops, 12 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and one forced fumble … Paced all Irish defensive linemen in tackles for the second straight year in 2012, with 50 stops … Ranked fourth on the team in tackles behind the line of scrimmage (7.5) and sacks (two), and led the squad in passes broken up (five) … Also tallied a forced fumble … Recorded five solo tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage, in the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama … Named the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year and was also listed as a third-team All-American by CBS Sports … Appeared in every game with 11 starts and led all defensive linemen with 45 tackles in 2011 … Also tallied 4.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks … Did not play as a freshman. Prep: A four-year starter on the gridiron at Raines High School … Finished his senior campaign with 50 tackles and 10 sacks en route to SuperPrep All-America honors … Was also named all-state … Rivals.com ranked him as a four-star recruit, the No. 7 defensive tackle in the country, the No. 14 player in Florida and the No. 85 overall prospect in the nation … Selected to play in the Under Armour All-America Game. Personal: Born July 31, 1991 … Is one of seven children … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters as a film, television and theatre major. Year G-GS SoloAst. Total TFL Sacks 201113-11 12 33 45 4.5 0.5 201213-11 20 30 50 7.5 2.0 Totals 26-22 32 6395122.5 Kona Sch wen ke • N G Sr. • Hauula, Hawaii Ht.: 6-3 • Wt.: 297 Career Highlights: Moved to nose guard after playing defensive end during his first two years on campus … Has logged action in 19 games and recorded seven tackles with a fumble recovery … Made 11 appearances, including a pair of starts, in 2012 … Totaled five stops last fall, including one tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks … Played in three games in 2011 … Saw action in five games as a freshman … Notched two tackles against Utah and recovered a fumble against Tulsa. Blue & Gold Illustrated 2013 Football Preview ✦ 87 84-88.DLs.indd 87 6/25/13 2:13 PM