Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MAY 2024 45 E ven if you don't watch Notre Dame sophomore safeties Adon Shuler and Luke Talich perform on the field in spring ball, it's not hard to see that they look the part. Shuler, now wearing a sleek, dark vi- sor, crops his No. 8 jersey to reveal a defined physique and is as smooth a mover as anyone on the Irish. Talich, who has always been tall and fast but looked like his head was too big for his body at times last season, has filled out has 6-foot-4 frame and is one of the freakiest athletes on the team. According to Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, the two of them — along with fellow sophomore safety Ben Minich — have stood out during spring ball. For several reasons, that's a great sign for the Irish. "I've been really impressed with Adon and Luke in what they've done, espe- cially getting some reps with the ones. Those dudes in four practices have re- ally improved," noted Freeman. "Ben has gotten more reps with the twos, but he has shown a lot of growth, too." With ex-safeties coach Chris O'Leary departing for the Los Angeles Chargers, then-cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens overseeing the entire secondary and spe- cial teams coordinator Marty Biagi help- ing with the safeties, the young group has responded well, Freeman explained. "They've got brand-new coaches with Coach Mickens and Coach Biagi," Freeman said. "I'm really pleased to see the way they've just bought in and per- formed in these four practices." It's too early to tell if their strong start to the spring will lead to a starting job in 2024. But even if doesn't, at least one of them will play a bigger role than many would anticipate this season. Graduate transfer safety Rod Heard II will join the Irish this summer. He's in South Bend now, but he's unable to practice while he takes remote classes at Northwestern, his previous school. When Heard suits up, he'll have the up- per hand in a competition with Shuler and Talich for the starting job alongside the one constant at the position: defending Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner Xavier Watts, who is now a graduate student. Even assuming Heard does eventually win the starting spot, Notre Dame fans need to put a much higher premium on the third safety role than usual. If you had to guess which of line- backer Jack Kiser and safety Ramon Henderson played more snaps, you'd guess Kiser, right? And you'd be correct, but it's much closer than you're prob- ably thinking. Kiser played 354 snaps in 13 outings, for an average of 27.2 per game. Henderson played 304 in 12, for an average of 25.3. Both had one game in which they played more than normal due to an injury at their position. Kiser was obviously the better player, which is why he's in line to start at Notre Dame this season and Henderson left for UCLA, but that's not the point. The point is that while conventional wisdom places much more significance on the third linebacker role than the third safety role, Notre Dame uses them almost equally. The Irish, led by defensive coordina- tor Al Golden, have made it no secret that they're a nickel-based team. But this past season saw the advent of the "spear" package, a dime set that re- moved a defensive tackle and inserted a third safety. The idea was lock down the back end while letting the two line- backers and three defensive linemen wreak havoc up front with devious rush schemes in passing situations. Did it work? Oh, yeah. That's why the spear package, which was advertised as a small wrinkle, became Notre Dame's go-to third-down call. And because the Irish deployed it primarily on those critical downs, one could make the case that safety No. 3 is a more important job than linebacker No. 3. That's why the progress made by Shuler, Talich and Minich is so encour- aging for Notre Dame. Barring any more additions, the Irish will need at least one of them to play a huge role. Whoever it is will be one of Notre Dame's least- experienced major contributors. It's a similar situation to the linebacker group, where several youngsters will bat- tle for playing time alongside Kiser, but it hasn't received as much attention. That could change after Freeman's praise. "All three of those guys are going to help us in some way," Freeman said. "I don't know what the role is going to be this year: starter, backup, special teams. But I think all three of those guys will [help us], and I'm really pleased with how they've performed in four practices." Beyond 2024, Watts and Heard are out of eligibility. It could be Shuler, Talich and Minich's show in 2025, and if the early re- sults are any indication, it will be. ✦ Adon Shuler is one of a trio of sophomores — along with Luke Talich and Ben Minich — who are making a strong impression at safety this spring. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. Young Safeties To Play Critical Role In 2024