Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
DEFENSIVE BACKS POSITION COACH Mike Elko is in his first season as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator and will also coach the team's safeties. During this decade, he has developed a reputation as one of the nation's top defensive minds. Over the past five seasons, Elko is one of only two Football Bowl Subdivision coordinators to direct units that ranked among the top 40 nationally in total defense (2014‑16 at Wake Forest and 2012‑13 at Bowling Green). Last year, Wake Forest was one of four schools in the FBS to finish the regular season among the country's top 20 in turnovers forced, sacks and scor‑ ing defense. The other three schools — Alabama, Clemson and Washington — qualified for the College Football Playoff. In his second season in Winston‑Salem, N.C., the Demon Deacons ranked among the national lead‑ ers in fewest first downs allowed (10th), red‑zone defense (31st), pass defense (32nd) and third‑down conversion percentage (36th). Elko made an im‑ mediate impact in his first year at Wake, guiding a group that finished 12th nationally in passing yards allowed while producing five All‑ACC performers. During his stop at Bowling Green (2009‑13), Elko directed a squad that led the Mid‑American Confer‑ ence in scoring defense, total defense, rush defense and pass defense in each of his last two seasons. All told, in his five seasons as a coordinator the Falcons forced 106 turnovers (1.7 per game) and held opponents to just 35.9 percent on third‑down conversions. Elko started to make his mark as a coordinator at Hofstra (2006‑07). His second unit limited oppo‑ nents to just 136.8 passing yards per game (first in the Colonial Athletic Association), and ranked 11th in the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing defense and 15th in total defense. From 2004‑05, Elko served as the recruiting coordi‑ nator, linebackers coach and special teams coordina‑ tor at Richmond. He also was the linebackers coach and co‑defensive coordinator for two years at Ford‑ ham (2002‑03). Before that, he was the defensive coordinator at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (2001), the secondary coach at Pennsylvania (2000) and a graduate assistant at Stony Brook (1999). In 1999, Elko graduated from Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in history. During his time there, he played safety for the Quakers and helped them to the 1998 Ivy League title. Former Irish All‑American and NFL player Todd Lyght is in his third year at Notre Dame, and his first as just the cor‑ nerbacks coach after two seasons overseeing the entire secondary. Last year, Lyght deftly directed a unit that dealt with more than its fair share of injuries and attrition (via suspension and dismissal). His crew required 24 starts from true freshmen, led by nine from safety Devin Studstill and eight from cornerback Julian Love. Still, the Irish surrendered just 196.4 yards per game (21st nationally) and 14 touchdowns through the air (tied for 25th). During his first season in charge of the secondary, the Irish ranked 23rd nationally in pass efficiency de‑ fense (123.96 rating), 24th in passing yards allowed per completion (13.96) and 27th in passing yards surrendered per game (197.1). Safeties Elijah Shumate and Max Redfield ranked third and fourth on the team in tackles with 64 and 63, respectively, and cornerback KeiVarae Russell was sixth with 60 stops. Russell also intercepted two passes and broke up four others en route to being selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Lyght was hired to be the cornerbacks coach at Vanderbilt in 2015 before taking his post in South Bend, but he never coached a game with the Com‑ modores because the opportunity in South Bend proved too good to pass up. Prior to that, he served as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Phila‑ delphia Eagles from 2013‑14. Lyght broke into the coaching profession as a de‑ fensive intern at Oregon, where he focused on the secondary from 2011‑12 under Chip Kelly, who was also the head coach during his time in Philadelphia. Lyght also was an assistant at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas from 2009‑10 and helped the school win back‑to‑back state titles. As a sophomore at Notre Dame, Lyght started for the 1988 national champs and then was voted a consensus All‑American in 1989 for the 12‑1 Irish. He earned consensus All‑America honors again in 1990 before being selected No. 5 overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. He is the highest‑drafted defensive back in Irish history, and to this day only 11 secondary players have ever been selected higher. He played in the NFL for two teams during his 12‑ year career, which included a Pro Bowl berth and All‑Pro honors in 1999. He scored six touchdowns during his pro days, four of which came after one of his 37 career interceptions. Lyght helped the St. Louis Rams win Super Bowl XXXIV and is the lone player in Notre Dame annals who can claim all of these honors: starter on a national championship team, unanimous All‑ American, first‑round NFL Draft pick, starter on a Super Bowl squad and an All‑Pro selection. RETURNING PLAYERS NICK COLEMAN • S Jr. • Dayton, Ohio Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 187 Career Highlights: Made the switch from cornerback to safety during the spring … Played in 11 games and made two starts at cor‑ nerback last fall … Made 17 tackles (one for loss) and broke up one pass … Saw action in all 13 contests in 2015, predominantly on special teams … Made five tackles and broke up a pair of passes. Prep: Rivals listed him as a three‑star recruit, the No. 35 prospect in Ohio and the No. 63 cornerback in the country … Recorded 48 tackles and three interceptions as a senior, helping his school finish second in the state … Also racked up 1,125 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns … Tabbed by the Associ‑ ated Press as a first‑team Division IV All‑Ohio selec‑ tion at running back. Personal: Born Dec. 26, 1996 … His father, Trey, played tailback for Notre Dame in 1983 … Enrolled in Mendoza College of Business. Year G-GS TT TFL Sacks Int. PBU 2015 13‑0 5 0.0 0.0 0 2 2016 11‑2 17 1.0 0.0 0 1 Totals 24-2 22 1.0 0.0 0 3 SHAUN CRAWFORD • CB Jr. • Lakewood, Ohio Ht.: 5-9 • Wt.: 175 Career Highlights: Started the first two contests of the 2016 cam‑ paign before suffering a season‑ ending torn Achilles in the second game … Notched six tackles (five solo) and an interception he returned 22 yards, and also returned a blocked extra point the length of the field for a two‑point conversion … Missed the entire 2015 campaign after suffering a torn ACL in August. Prep: Ranked as a four‑star prospect, the No. 4 recruit in Ohio, and the No. 7 cornerback and No. 82 overall player nationally by Rivals … Totaled 91 tackles, eight stops for loss, seven interceptions, 17 passes broken up and three forced fumbles as a senior for 2014 Ohio Division I state champion St. Edward … On offense, he caught 54 passes for 824 yards and nine touchdowns … Named Associ‑ ated Press Division I first‑team all‑state … Picked to play in the Under Armour All‑American Game … As a sophomore at the Ohio Division I championships in track and field, finished third in the state in the 100‑meter dash with a 10.84 time and recorded a 10.54 time in the preliminary heat. Personal: Born Aug. 23, 1996 … Hails from the same high school as former Irish defensive lineman Bryan Flannery (1986‑89), who later served in the Ohio House of Representatives … Enrolled in the College of Arts and Letters, majoring in psychology and minoring in business economics. Year G-GS TT TFL Sacks Int. PBU 2016 2‑2 6 0/0 0.0 1 0 JALEN ELLIOTT • S So. • Richmond, Va. Ht.: 6-0½ • Wt.: 208 Career Highlights: Played in all 12 games as a true freshman in 2016 … Made 14 tackles (seven solo). Prep: Rated as four‑star recruit, the No. 6 prospect in Virginia and the No. 15 safety in the country by Rivals … Inter‑ cepted five passes and broke up seven as a senior … Also played quarterback, passing for 2,664 yards and 38 touchdowns his last two seasons … Chosen as a USA Today All‑USA Virginia second‑team member at defensive back … Named to the Virginia High School League all‑state first team as a defensive back and offensive all‑purpose player as a senior, and earned first‑team honors as an offensive all‑purpose player following his junior campaign … Won defensive MVP honors in the Virginia High School Coaches Associa‑ tion All‑Star Game after breaking up five passes and making five tackles … Also played varsity basketball for three seasons. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 107