Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 18, 2017 21 BY ANDREW OWENS E very step along the way, ver- satility has been the driving force for Julian Love. While in high school, Love starred as a defensive back, register- ing 92 tackles, 19 stops for loss and three forced fumbles as a senior. He produced highlights at running back, with more than 1,000 yards and 18 scores in his final campaign. He was also a valuable target out of the back- field in the passing game, with seven additional scores. He even returned kickoffs and punts. Those abilities have allowed him to develop into an indispensable asset on the Irish defense and even special teams. "I think it helped me conceptually understand the defense, the place- ments, the alignments," Love said of his versatility. "That has taken my game to the next level. I still need to work and focus on all the things that helped me growing up." Love was a rare bright spot in an otherwise dreadful 4-8 campaign for the Irish in 2016. After serving as a reserve for the first four games, he was inserted into the starting lineup at Syracuse after Notre Dame fired defensive coordinator Brian Van- Gorder. Love started the final eight contests. "I was a little nervous, but I knew that the coaches had my back and the players had my back," Love said. "The older guys really helped me and coached me up and gave me that confidence to perform, and I did make some mistakes, but I felt like I bounced back and made some plays when they needed to be made." Now in his sophomore season, that versatility might again come in handy for the native of Westches- ter, Ill. He opened the season as the starting cornerback, but a thin Irish secondary might also need Love to contribute at safety as well — partic- ularly after the NCAA denied trans- fer safety Alohi Gilman immediate eligibility in 2017. "I'm not sure [how much safety I will play]," Love said. "If they need me to play safety for any situation or package, I'm capable of doing that. "But I think our safeties are doing a great job. They're really developing. Nick Coleman, who played corner last year and a bit of safety, he's do- ing a great job; Jalen Elliott, Devin Studstill. They're looking really good, so I don't think they'll need me much, if at all. If I'm called on, I'll do it." Where Irish head coach Brian Kelly has been particularly impressed with Love is in the weight room. Kelly noted that players typically hit a pro- verbial wall late in preseason camp, but that Love's numbers actually im- proved in late August. "He has been so productive in the weight room," Kelly said. "We did some speed squats, which is a real in- dicator of where you are in terms of neuromuscular firing. … Stick your foot in the ground after 25 practices, you tend to slow down a little bit. He's increased by about 22 percent in that area. "Here is somebody that has been getting a lot of work, a lot of reps. His GPS has been at a high rate — in other words, his player load in prac- tice — but yet continues to increase in the weight room. So we're get- ting a young man who's just physi- cally continuing to develop, and that is also translating into his play. … We're just really blessed that we've got a young man that has it all to- gether right now." When asked about Kelly's com- ments, Love said it all goes back to his days before arriving at Notre Dame when he was called upon to do a little bit of everything. "I think it's my high school train- ing kicking in," said Love, who is also a gunner on special teams, where he made two stops against Temple. "I've had long high school seasons and I've always progressed throughout the season, and it's in my blood. I subconsciously do that and I feel good. I've been recovering and trying to get active in my treatment and it's paying dividends. "I'm used to running a lot and my load being pretty high, even last year as a freshman. I'm ready to take on that load and it's showing in the weight room." Love has quickly adapted to the coaching style of new defensive co- ordinator Mike Elko and says Irish fans can expect to see a "high octane, relentless" defense throughout 2017. Even after registering the third most tackles (45) by a Notre Dame freshman defensive back since 1972 last season, Love is not satisfied. He's quick to point out that, while he has strong instincts that assist him in pass coverage, he can oftentimes become too dependent on that on that ability. He also considers 2016 to have been a great learning expe- rience to set himself up for success this fall. "I'm more confident," he said. "I know I can be the best in the country and I developed a chemistry with my teammates that I didn't quite have last year because we were all young. The general concept of the defense, I feel much stronger and confident in that." As anyone that has followed Love's career can confirm, it never takes him too long to succeed after being handed a new challenge. ✦ Love Connection Now in his second year with the Irish, sophomore Julian Love is being depended on for even more in 2017 "I KNOW I CAN BE THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY AND I DEVELOPED A CHEMISTRY WITH MY TEAMMATES THAT I DIDN'T QUITE HAVE LAST YEAR BECAUSE WE WERE ALL YOUNG." LOVE Last year as a freshman, Love played in all 12 games with eight starts and recorded the third most tackles (45) by an Irish rookie defensive back since 1972. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL