Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
LINEBACKERS JONATHAN JONES • MIKE So. • Ocoee, Fla. Ht.: 5-11½ • Wt.: 227 Career Highlights: Redshirted in 2016. Prep: Rated as a three-star pros- pect, the No. 66 player in Florida, and the No. 19 inside linebacker in the country by Rivals … Helped Oak Ridge High to 9-3 and 10-2 records and playoff berths his last two sea- sons … Was an Associated Press Class 8A (Florida's highest classification) second-team all-state selec- tion as a senior and a Class 7A second-team all-state pick as a junior… Ranked by The Orlando Sentinel as the No. 3 talent in Central Florida and the No. 37 overall prospect in the state … Played for the U.S. Under-19 National Team in the International Bowl and was named captain of the defense. Personal: Born Nov. 18, 1998 … Didn't start playing organized football until his eighth-grade year … Was coached by former Notre Dame flanker/return man Clint Johnson (1990-93) at Oak Ridge … Enrolled in First Year of Studies. GREER MARTINI • BUCK Sr. • Cary, N.C. Ht.: 6-3½ • Wt.: 240 Career Highlights: Chosen as a team captain for 2017 … Saw ac- tion in all 12 contests and made four starts last season … Tied for fifth on the team with 55 tackles, which included seven tackles for loss and three sacks … Appeared in all 13 contests and made four starts in 2015 … Recorded 35 tackles, 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and one sack … Played in all 13 games with two starts as a true freshman in 2014 … Tallied 26 stops, two tackles for loss and one sack. Prep: Ranked as a four-star recruit, the No. 7 pros- pect in Virginia, and the No. 11 inside linebacker and No. 255 overall player nationally by ESPN … A Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I all-state pick as both a junior and senior … Led his team with 92 tackles and was named to the USA Today All-USA Virginia team … Played for the U.S. Under-19 National Team in the International Bowl against Canada. Personal: Born June 6, 1995 … Enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in finance. Year G-GS Solo Asst. Total TFL Sacks 2014 13-2 17 9 26 2.0 1.0 2015 13-4 19 16 35 2.5 1.0 2016 12-4 29 26 55 7.0 3.0 Totals 38-10 65 51 116 11.5 5.0 NYLES MORGAN • MIKE Sr. • Crete, Ill. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 238 Career Highlights: Named a team captain for 2017 … Started all 12 games in 2016, and led the team in tackles (94) and sacks (four) … Also contributed six tackles for loss, three passes defended and one fumble recovery … Saw action in all 13 contests as a reserve linebacker and on special teams in 2015 … Notched eight tackles on special teams, which ranked second on the squad, and finished with 17 total stops … Played in 12 con- tests and started four times as a true freshman in 2014 … Was named to the Football Writers Associa- tion of America's Freshman All-America team after he posted 47 stops, 3.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks … His tackle total ties for the eighth-highest ever among Irish rookies. Prep: Listed as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 recruit in Illinois, and the No. 5 inside linebacker and No. 72 overall player in the nation by Rivals … A first-team USA Today All-USA selection after an outstanding senior campaign for Crete-Monee High … Racked up 115 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception as a senior … Named a first-team 6A all-state linebacker by The Chicago Tribune … Helped his squad to a 14-0 mark and the state crown as a junior … In his three years as a starter, the school went 40-2 on the gridiron … Played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Personal: Born Aug. 16, 1996 … His father, Thomas, played football at Western Illinois … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters. Year G-GS Solo Asst. Total TFL Sacks 2014 12-4 23 24 47 3.5 0.5 2015 13-0 9 8 17 0.0 0.0 2016 12-12 49 45 94 6.0 4.0 Totals 37-16 81 77 158 9.5 4.5 DRUE TRANQUIL • ROVER Sr. • Fort Wayne, Ind. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 230 Career Highlights: Selected as a team captain for 2017 … Will play the rover position in new coordinator Mike Elko's defensive scheme after playing safety his first three years in South Bend … Started all 12 contests last year and ranked second on the team with 79 tackles … Also contributed two tackles for loss, two passes broken up and one interception … Played in each of the first three games with one start in 2015, but was lost for the season due to a torn ACL suffered after breaking up a pass in the end zone … Made nine tackles (2.5 for loss) and broke up two passes before getting hurt … Notre Dame's Defensive Newcomer of the Year in 2014 … Played in 11 contests and started three times before a torn ACL ended his rookie campaign … Finished with 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, half a sack, one interception, a fumble recovery and one blocked punt. Prep: Rated as a four-star prospect, Indiana's No. 2 senior, and the No. 14 outside linebacker and No. 171 overall player nationally by Scout … The two-way standout was named The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel's Football Player of the Year in 2013 after he tallied 75 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception at linebacker, to go with 1,420 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns on offense … Also hauled in 16 passes for 348 yards and five touchdowns, plus threw a 29-yard touchdown pass … Was named to the first-team Indiana Class 6A all- state squad at linebacker by the Associated Press … Tabbed as an honorable mention Class 5A all-state pick as a junior. Personal: Born Aug. 15, 1995 … Enrolled in the College of Engineering, majoring in mechanical engineering. Year G-GS Solo Asst. Total TFL Sacks 2014 11-3 16 17 33 1.0 0.5 2015 3-1 6 3 9 2.5 0.0 2016 12-12 52 27 79 2.0 0.0 Totals 26-16 74 47 121 5.5 0.5 NEWCOMERS DAVID ADAMS • MIKE Fr. • Pittsburgh Ht.: 6-0½ • Wt.: 222 Prep: Listed as a four-star talent, the No. 4 player in Pennsylvania, and the No. 4 inside linebacker and No. 88 overall prospect in the country by Scout … As a senior, led his team in tackles with 84, and recorded 5.5 sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries … Helped Central Catholic post a 14-2 record and reach the Class 6A state championship game … Named to the USA Today All-USA Pennsylvania first team in both 2015 and 2016 … Selected to the 2016 Pennsylvania Football Writers' Class 6A all-state team … Tabbed as the Pennsylvania Football News Class 6A Defensive Player of the Year and named to its all classification all-state team … Was one of five finalists for the 2016 Class 4A-6A Mr. PA Football Award … Picked to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25 as a junior and a senior … Participated in the Under Armour All-America Game. Personal: Born March 22, 1998. JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH • ROVER Fr. • Hampton, Va. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 205 Prep: Rated as a four-star recruit, the No. 15 pros- pect in Virginia and the No. 28 safety nationally by ESPN … Notched 71 total stops, 13 tackles for loss, seven interceptions and five forced fumbles during his senior season … Also scored six touchdowns … Earned a spot on the 2016 Virginia High School League all-state first team. Personal: Born Nov. 4, 1999. DREW WHITE • BUCK Fr. • Boca Raton, Fla. Ht.: 6-1 • Wt.: 220 Prep: 247Sports rated him as a three-star pros- pect, the No. 38 player in Florida and the No. 14 outside linebacker in the land … For his career, com- piled 177 total tackles, 116 solo stops and 18.5 tackles for a loss while helping St. Thomas Aquinas win three straight Class 7A state titles … Led the team in tackles (107), solo stops (63), assists (44) and tackles per game (8.2) as a senior, when St. Thomas Aquinas was 13-2 and finished No. 9 in the USA Today national rankings … Selected to USA Today's 2016 All-USA Florida first team. … Picked to the 2016 Associated Press Class 7A all-state second team … Named a 2016 first-team All-Broward County per- former by The Miami Herald. Personal: Born Sept. 15, 1998 … His brother Sean White is a redshirt junior quarterback at Auburn University … Is the fourth St. Thomas Aquinas player to sign with Notre Dame since 2006. 98 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW