Players Lost - Shane Walton, Gerome Sapp. Notre Dame lost a large chunk of the foundation of the 2002 defense with the graduation of Gerome Sapp and Shane Walton. Walton was a first team All American and lead a Notre Dame defense that controlled most of the games they played. Sapp was a fine safety who came full circle in 2002 and became the play maker everyone said he was destined to become coming out of high school. Walton started at corner for the Irish for the last three seasons and leaves Notre Dame with 11 interceptions. What will be lost more than his interceptions however was his leadership and confidence. Walton knew he was good and wasn't afraid to show it on the field.

Players Returning - Preston Jackson, Vontez Duff, Glen Earl, Lionel Bolen, Quentin Burrell, Dwight Ellick, Garron Bible, Mike Richardson, Jake Carney. Duff returns as an All American candidate. He is one of the most physically gifted athletes on the Notre Dame roster. Last season he became the first Irish player to return a kickoff, punt, and interception for a touchdown in the same season. Two yards separated him from becoming the only player in NCAA history to return a kickoff, punt, interception, and fumble for a touchdown. Duff will be a senior in 2003 and will be the leader of the ND secondary. Duff has all the physical tools to place himself among the nation's elite at cornerback.

Glen Earl also returns for another season as a starter, or does he? Quentin Burrell made huge strides and is pushing Earl for his starting position. Earl is still clinging to the spot, but Burrell is right behind him and will see plenty of playing time in 2003. Both players are big hitters who will lay anyone out coming across the middle. Earl also has a propensity for making big plays when they are needed most - remember Earl blocking that kick against Air Force in 2000 as a sophomore? Garron Bible should step in for Gerome Sapp. Bible played a lot in Sapp's absence in the Navy game in 2002. Bible is another player who brings a load when he hits you and has very good speed. Bible showed glimpses in 2002 but was still very raw. A full spring and fall camp as a starter should have Bible ready for bigger and better things in 2003.

Among the other returnees, Preston Jackson figures to be the nickel back with Jason Beckstrom filling the other cornerback position. Beckstrom's career has been plagued with injuries, but a healthy Beckstrom in 2003 will be a welcomed sight for the Notre Dame defense. Beckstrom can flat out fly and has shown, in limited action, that he can handle the job of starter. As long as Beckstrom can stay healthy, he should be starting cornerback opposite Vontez Duff giving Notre Dame two corners that have some serious after burners. Young guys Mike Richardson and Jake Carney are coming along nicely and have shown some play making ability in practice but will need to continue to improve to fight off competition from a very talent incoming freshman class. Also in the mix is speedster Dwight Ellick. Ellick has come a long way from when he came in as a freshmen and will be a solid contributor to the Notre Dame defense this year.

Players coming in - Freddie Parish, Tom Zibikowski, Isaiah Gardner, Labrose Hedgemon, Ambrose Wooden? Chase Anastacio?. Notre Dame landed an outstanding class of defensive backs with Parish, Zibikowski, and Gardner (who is also a running back and could play there). They also landed Ambrsoe Wooden and Chase Anastacio, two players listed as wide receivers, who can also play defensive back. Wooden and Anastacio will both start off as wide receivers for the Irish, but it will be interesting to see where both end up by their senior years.

Parish will compete at the safety positions while Zibikowski will compete at cornerback along with Gardner. Zibikowski comes in with the most fan fare of the three who are listed as defensive backs by Notre Dame. He has excellent speed and size and while playing cornerback for the first time at the Army All Star game, he more than held his own. With some practice, he could develop into a top notch cornerback for the Irish. With both starters this year in their final seasons, Zibikowski could see a starting role as early as next year. Hedgemon is a speedster but doesn't have ideal size. He has great covers skills however and with his speed he can be a very solid cornerback for the Irish. Allen Rossum didn't have ideal size, but was still a very solid starter for the Irish in the late 90's. Gardner may move to running back with the numbers Notre Dame has at defensive back. Gardner also has great speed and it will be interesting to see where he is playing by the end of fall practice. Parish was one of Notre Dame's first commitments and is a real play maker. He loves Notre Dame and will be hard to keep off the field for very long.

Analysis - Notre Dame is loaded with talent in the defensive backfield this year and has a lot of depth. The starters should be Duff, Beckstrom, Earl, and Bible. Behind them will be a host of others vying for playing time. Quentin Burrel will be plenty of action as he presses Earl for the starting spot. Preston Jackson will be the nickel back again this year. Lionel Bolenl will have to show something soon because the younger guys behind him including Richardson, Carney, Zibikowski, Parish, and Gardner will all be looking to see the field this year.

The defensive backfield will see some potent passing attacks and some of best wide receivers in the country this year with games against the likes of Michigan, Purdue, Florida State, and Pittsburgh. In 2002, the secondary came up with big play after big play and helped carry the team early in the season with the offense struggling. The offense should be improved this year, but the secondary will still need to be at the top of its game for this team to make its way back into the top 10 as they did last year. Look for Duff to be a first team All American and no less than a second round pick in next year's draft. With his size, speed and cover skills to go with his outstanding abilities as a kick returner, he will be hot commodity.

The talent is here to give Notre Dame one of the premier defensive backfields for the second year in a row, but what Notre Dame will need to replace is the leadership and attitude of Shane Walton and Gerome Sapp. Both players were leaders on the field and Walton definitely had enough confidence and attitude for the rest of them. The Irish will need to replace the fear no one attitude of Walton for the Irish to be as good as they were last year.