Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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96 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2015 FOOTBALL PREVIEW LINEBACKERS "He holds up physically," he said. "He's a strong enough player to compete, and he doesn't get physically overwhelmed. He seems to be handling it pretty well mentally. I'm excited with where he's taking his game." Kelly praised Smith — whose leadership is expected to shine in year three — as a mentor for Coney. For Smith, year one was about reaching the field and staying on it. Last year, during a new defensive installation, he was moved inside to the Will linebacker position. In some ways, it was like a second fresh- man season with all of the newfound responsibilities in VanGorder's defense. Now the standout talent has found a comfort level and can focus on being a leader for teammates like Coney. "He's really trying to break out from just worrying about his own position and taking care of that to bringing other guys around," Kelly said. "He's been a great mentor for Te'von Coney, for example. He worked out with him all offseason. "He's really been outstanding in terms of reaching out and more than just worrying about himself. He's thinking about others now. That's one of the real great signs of being a leader. He's much more comfortable with his own position where he can start to now influence others." ✦ PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★ National Title Caliber; ★★★ Playoff Contention; ★★ Top 25 Potential; ★ Too Unproven Starters ★★★ Notre Dame returns its 2014 starting trio of junior Jaylon Smith, fifth-year senior Joe Schmidt and junior James Onwualu. Schmidt quickly rose into an irreplaceable piece of the Irish defense, which was affirmed when the team went on a four-game losing streak following his season-ending injury. Smith enters 2015 as one of the premier talents in college football and could assert himself as an early first-round pick in next year's NFL Draft. Onwualu, meanwhile, should benefit from the full year he has spent at linebacker after moving from wide receiver following 2013. Experience ★★★ The unit brings much more experience to the field this year than a year ago at this time. Entering 2014, only Smith (13 starts in 2013) had previously started, though none came at the Will linebacker slot he moved to following defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder's hiring. Notre Dame enters year two of the new defensive system with three returning starters at linebacker. Among the reserves, three additional players have prior starting experience — including Jarrett Grace, who started three of the first six games of 2013 prior to suffering the devastating fractured leg injury that kept him out for 18 months. Depth ★★★½ It seems difficult to gauge how much depth the Irish linebacking corps carries into the 2015 season considering the way the unit struggled down the stretch in 2014. With Grace out for the entire season and Schmidt knocked out of the final five games with an ankle injury, freshmen Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini were called into the starting lineup with mixed results. Their respective experiences should aid the Irish this time around, plus Schmidt and Grace are healthy entering fall camp. Overall Grade ★★★ Notre Dame's linebackers are arguably the strength of the defense entering fall camp, with a standout like Smith, a rising talent in Morgan and veterans in Schmidt and Grace. Expect the shredding of the defense by opposing rushing attacks to subside with a full and healthy unit. Another positive is the versatility Notre Dame will boast after cross-training Smith at Will and Sam and with plans to cross-train Schmidt and Morgan as well. BY THE NUMBERS 5 Linebackers on roster that have started at least three games for the Irish during their career. 6 Consecutive games to end the season in which the Irish allowed 100-plus rushing yards, with only one (188 at Arizona State) falling short of 200. 112 Jaylon Smith's tackle output in 2014, ranking seventh among Irish line- backers in that category since 1990. Year Player Total Tackles 2005 Brandon Hoyte 92 2006 Maurice Crum 100 2007 Trevor Laws 112 2008 Kyle McCarthy 110 2009 Kyle McCarthy 101 Year Player Total Tackles 2010 Manti Te'o 133 2011 Manti Te'o 128 2012 Manti Te'o 113 2013 Dan Fox 95 2014 Jaylon Smith 112 ND'S YEAR-BY-YEAR LEADING TACKLERS Early enrollee freshman Te'von Coney impressed during his first spring practice with the Irish and is poised to see time as the No. 2 Will linebacker in 2015. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA QUICK FACTS Position Coach: Mike Elston (6th year at Notre Dame, 1st with linebackers) Returning Starters: WLB Jaylon Smith (26 career starts), MLB Joe Schmidt (8) and SLB James Onwualu (8) Departing Starters: None Projected New Starters: None Top Reserves: MLB Nyles Morgan (4), MLB Jarrett Grace (3), SLB Greer Martini (2) and WLB Te'von Coney Waiting Their Turn: WLB Michael Deeb and SLB Kolin Hill Newcomers: WLB Josh Barajas, SLB Asmar Bilal and Coney Moved In: None Moved Out: None Other Departures: None FYI: Smith earned second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press in 2014 … Last year, Schmidt became the first former walk-on to start on the Irish defense since All-America cornerback Shane Walton in 2002 … Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America both named Morgan to their respective Freshman All-America squads … Last year's outside linebacker coach, Bob Elliott, shifted to an off-field role as a special assistant to Irish head coach Brian Kelly.