Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 87 DEFENSIVE LINEMEN POSITION COACH Mike Elston enters his 19th year of collegiate coaching and his eighth at Notre Dame. This will mark his third season as the pro‑ gram's recruiting coordinator and his first back in charge of the de‑ fensive line, following two seasons as the linebackers coach. He previ‑ ously worked with the Irish defen‑ sive linemen from 2010‑14. Last year, Elston oversaw a unit that produced four of the team's top tacklers; the quartet accounted for 286 of the team's 879 stops (32.5 percent) and also compiled 26 tackles for loss with 10 sacks. Elston's first linebacking corps in 2015 featured the team's top two tacklers in Jaylon Smith (114 stops) and former walk‑on Joe Schmidt (78). Smith became the lone Power Five linebacker to eclipse 100 tackles in both 2014 and 2015 en route to All‑America hon‑ ors and the 2015 Butkus Award, which is awarded to the nation's top linebacker. In his first go‑around as the program's recruiting coordinator, Elston helped the Irish land a consensus top‑15 class. The 24‑player haul spanned 11 states and one Canadian province, and there were no de‑ commitments in the process. This past February, his efforts helped the Irish land another top‑15 group despite the program's 4‑8 finish and the fact they added six new assistant coaches between the end of the season and National Signing Day. In his previous stint as the program's defensive line coach, Elston mentored players such as Sheldon Day, who went on to be selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He also helped groom Stephon Tuitt and Louis Nix, who in 2012 became Notre Dame's first pair of de‑ fensive linemen to earn All‑America honors in the same season since 1989. In 2014, that duo also became the first pair of Irish defensive linemen to be selected in the top three rounds of the same NFL Draft since 1997. He also doubled as the special teams coordina‑ tor in his first two years in South Bend, and helped former walk‑on kicker David Ruffer finish as one of three Lou Groza Award (the nation's best kicker) finalists in his first year. Elston, who played outside linebacker at Michi‑ gan from 1994‑96, has served in a number of roles in his time as an assistant under Irish head coach Brian Kelly, whom he has worked for every year since 2004, when he was hired to mentor Central Michigan's defensive line. He added the title of co‑ defensive coordinator the following year before he shifted his focus to linebackers and special teams coordinator in 2006. When Kelly left for Cincinnati in 2007, Elston fol‑ lowed as the recruiting and special teams coordina‑ tor, plus he coached tight ends. That arrangement lasted for two seasons, and then he shifted to de‑ fensive line coach, special teams coordinator and assistant head coach for the 2009 campaign. His other coaching stops include Michigan (1999‑2000), where he also worked as a student as‑ sistant and video intern from 1997‑98, and Eastern Michigan (2001‑03). RETURNING PLAYERS JONATHAN BONNER • DT Sr. • Chesterfield, Mo. Ht.: 6-3½ • Wt.: 284 Career Highlights: Saw action in all 12 contests and made one start last year … Contributed nine tackles and forced one fumble … Played in 10 games in 2015 … Re‑ corded five tackles, one sack and one forced fumble … Redshirted in 2014. Prep: Listed by Rivals as a three‑star recruit and the No. 13 prospect in Missouri … Finished his career with 206 tackles, 40 tackles for loss and 34 sacks at Parkway Central … Compiled 70 tackles and 17 sacks as a senior … Tabbed as a second‑team MaxPreps All‑America selection … Was named The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Defensive Player of the Year … Tabbed as a first‑team Class 5 all‑state pick as a junior and senior by the Missouri Football Coaches Association. Personal: Born June 17, 1996 … His uncle, Dan Knott, was a reserve running back on Notre Dame's 1977 national championship squad … His grandfa‑ ther, Elmon Hampton, is a godfather to former Irish safety Sergio Brown … Enrolled in the Mendoza Col‑ lege of Business, majoring in information technology management. Year G-GS Solo Ast. Total TFL Sacks 2015 10‑0 1 4 5 1.0 1.0 2016 12‑1 3 6 9 0.0 0.0 Totals 22-1 4 10 14 1.0 1.0 DANIEL CAGE • NT Sr. • Cincinnati Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 329 Career Highlights: Was limited to eight games played and four starts in 2016 due to lingering con‑ cussion symptoms … Finished the season with 10 total stops, half a tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one pass bro‑ ken up … Saw action in 11 games and made seven starts in 2015 … Tallied 18 stops (eight solo), includ‑ ing four behind the line of scrimmage … Appeared in 11 contests in 2014 and posted four tackles (0.5 for loss). Prep: Regarded as a three‑star recruit, the No. 27 prospect in Ohio and the No. 27 defensive tackle nationally by Rivals … Was named a first‑team Asso‑ ciated Press Division II All‑Ohio pick as a senior after receiving special mention his junior year. Personal: Born Jan. 17, 1996 … Enrolled in the Col‑ lege of Arts and Letters, majoring in sociology. Year G-GS Solo Ast. Total TFL Sacks 2014 11‑0 1 3 4 0.5 0.0 2015 11‑7 8 10 18 4.0 0.0 2016 8‑4 5 5 10 0.5 0.0 Totals 30-11 14 18 32 5.0 0.0 MICAH DEW-TREADWAY • DT Jr. • Bolingbrook, Ill. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 299 Career Highlights: Did not see any game action last season … Redshirted in 2015. Prep: Rated as a three‑star prospect, the No. 36 recruit in Illinois and the No. 11 defensive tackle na‑ tionally by Rivals … Had 50 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, eight sacks and four forced fumbles his senior season … Named to The Cham- paign News-Gazette's all‑state football team … Played in the Sem‑ per Fidelis All‑American Game. Personal: Born Dec. 19, 1997 … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, television and theatre. DAELIN HAYES • DE So. • Belleville, Mich. Ht.: 6-3½ • Wt.: 255 Career Highlights: Saw action as a reserve in all 12 games in 2016 after enrolling in January … Contributed 11 tackles (five solo), one forced fumble and one pass broken up. Prep: Ranked as a five‑star prospect, the No. 1 player in Michigan, and the No. 7 outside linebacker and No. 31 overall recruit in the country by Rivals … Totaled 14 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a touchdown in three games before a shoulder injury ended his senior season at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Skyline … Selected to participate in the U.S. Army All‑American Bowl, but did not play due to injury. Personal: Born May 16, 1998 … His father, Der‑ rick, was an all‑state basketball player at Detroit Southwestern and played at Iowa State (1993‑95) and the University of Detroit Mercy (1996‑98) … His mother, Lakeshia Neal, ran track at the University of Detroit Mercy. Year G-GS Solo Ast. Total TFL Sacks 2016 12‑0 5 6 11 0.0 0.0 JAY HAYES • DE Sr. • Brooklyn, N.Y. Ht.: 6-3½ • Wt.: 281 Career Highlights: Played in 10 contests as a reserve last fall … Notched 10 tackles and half a tackle for loss … Redshirted in 2015 … Played in the final three contests of 2014 and made a pair of tackles. Prep: Rated as a four‑star recruit, the No. 3 player in New York, and the No. 14 defensive tackle and No. 233 overall prospect nationally by Rivals … Tabbed as a three‑time first‑team all‑city selec‑ tion by MSG Varsity … Played for the U.S. Under‑19 National Team in the International Bowl against Canada. Personal: Born Aug. 16, 1995 … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in film, televi‑ sion and theatre. Year G-GS Solo Ast. Total TFL Sacks 2014 3‑0 1 1 2 0.0 0.0 2015 Did Not Play 2016 10‑0 2 8 10 0.5 0.0 Totals 13-0 3 9 12 0.5 0.0 KHALID KAREEM • DE So. • Pontiac, Mich. Ht.: 6-4 • Wt.: 267 Career Highlights: Enrolled in January 2016, but did not see any game action as a rookie. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 87