Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/841614
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 95 LINEBACKERS QUOTABLE: LINEBACKERS COACH CLARK LEA ON THE IMPACT OF SENIOR NYLES MORGAN, THE TOP RETURNING TACKLER AND ONE OF THREE CAPTAINS FROM HIS POSITION GROUP: "Everyone on the team respects him, but he doesn't go about things just by yelling and screaming, and trying to get guys lined up that way. He teaches, and there's a level of maturity there that's impressive, too." Senior Nyles Morgan led the team in tackles (94) and sacks (four) last season, and could see a big jump in production this fall in new coordinator Mike Elko's defense. PHOTO BY RICK KIMBALL 2016 VS. 2017: STOCK UP OR DOWN? Despite the graduation of 2016 Sam linebacker James Onwualu, who quietly put together a quality season that included a team high 11.5 tackles for loss (three sacks), five passes defended (third on the team) and two forced fumbles, the all-senior starting unit should be stronger in 2017 — if not the top position group overall on the team. Leading tackler Nyles Morgan could vie for all-star honors during his senior cam- paign at the Mike, senior Greer Martini had a stellar spring while winning the top job at Buck from 2016 nine-game starter and junior Te'von Coney, and the combination of senior Drue Tranquill and junior Asmar Bilal at rover fits their different skill sets versus the run or pass. X-FACTOR The new rover position in the 4-2-5 alignment is a hybrid safety/linebacker re- sponsible for defending a lot of quick passes, contributing in the blitz game and holding up versus the run. The "twitch" nature of the position allows the Irish to swap out players — Tranquill and Bilal — based on matchups. "We've had 230-pound kids that did it really well, and we've had 215-pound players that did it really well," first-year Irish linebackers coach Clark Lea said. "It is a unique set of skills, and when you have varying body types playing the position it gives us a chance to be a little flexible." FRESHMAN OUTLOOK Special teams always provide a good first opportunity for freshman linebackers to get on the playing field at the colle- giate level, and David Adams, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Drew White all could get opportunities there, although it's unlikely all three (if any) would be used in that capacity in their first season. None of the trio arrives with the fanfare of a Morgan back in 2014 and certainly not Jaylon Smith in 2013, and cracking the two-deep on a unit replete with proven seniors and juniors is unlikely without an injury situation. A full season of a college strength and conditioning program likely will be needed before they vie for a spot in the two-deep following the graduations of Mor- gan and Martini after the 2016 campaign. DID YOU KNOW? Notre Dame has had only one linebacker ever taken in the first round of the NFL Draft — Bob Crable, who is a member of the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame class, in 1982. Since then, every position on offense and defense other than linebacker has had a Notre Dame player selected in the first round. Nevertheless, in the last 50 years the Fighting Irish have had seven linebackers drafted in the second round: Jim Lynch (1967), Greg Collins (1975), Bob Golic (1979), Demetrius DuBose (1992), Courtney Watson (2004), and recent Butkus Award winners Manti Te'o (2013) and Jaylon Smith (2016). Te'o and Smith were both deemed as first-round selections before getting derailed by per - sonal issues and a major injury, respectively. NOTABLE DATA The top four returning ca- reer tackles leaders for Notre Dame in 2017 all are at the linebacker and rover posi- tions. Senior Nyles Morgan's 158 stops lead the way, followed by 121 and 116 by classmates Drue Tranquill and Greer Martini, respectively. Junior linebacker Te'von Coney is a distant fourth with 75. This quartet comprised four of the top five tackle totals in 2016, led by Morgan (94) and then-safety Tranquill (79). The graduated James Onwualu was No. 3 with 75, followed by Coney (62) and Martini (55), who split time. The top returning tackler from last year at any position other than linebacker is sophomore cornerback Julian Love with 45. SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (10) Listed after the class year is the years of eligi- bility remaining. Mike Linebacker 5 Nyles Morgan (6-1, 238), Sr./1 45 Jonathan Jones (5-11½, 227), So./4 44 Jamir Jones (6-3, 243), So./3 35 David Adams (6-0½, 222), Fr./4 Buck Linebacker 48 Greer Martini (6-3½, 240), Sr./1 4 Te'von Coney (6-1, 235), Jr./2 40 Drew White (6-1, 220), Fr./4 Rover 23 Drue Tranquill (6-2, 230), Sr./2 22 Asmar Bilal (6-2, 229), Jr./3 30 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6-2, 205), Fr./4