Notre Dame kicks off its 2024 season in less than a week. When they do, they’ll be powered by a defense that could rival, or even surpass, the 2012 defense that the Irish rode to an appearance in the National Championship Game.
Notre Dame’s defense was very good last year. The Irish finished 8th overall in scoring defense and 5th in yards allowed per game. And they should be even better this year.
Notre Dame lost strongside defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste, cornerback Cam Hart, safety/nickel Thomas Harper, and linebackers JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau from last year’s defense. All fine players, but all of the unit’s top players are back this fall. All-Americans Howard Cross and Benjamin Morrison, along with the reigning defensive player of the year, Xavier Watts, will all be lining up for the Irish in Kyle Field against Texas A&M.
Notre Dame replaces its lost starters from 2023 with more than capable replacements. RJ Oben transferred to Notre Dame to fill the place of Jean-Baptiste. Rylie Mills is back along with Cross to give Notre Dame one of the best interior defenses in the country. Jordan Botelho is back at the VYPER position along with sophomore Boubacar Traore, who could be Notre Dame’s next great pass rusher. If Traore takes the leap many feel he is capable of; this unit will be better than the 2023 defensive line.
A youth movement at linebacker could give the Irish a better linebacking corps despite losing two players with Liufau and Bertrand’s experience. Jack Kiser will be at his more natural WILL position while Jaylen Sneed appears ready for liftoff finally. Jaiden Ausberry will feature in the mix at ROVER as well, giving Notre Dame better overall athleticism in the linebacking corps than last year. Sophomore Drayk Bowen and freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will both play a lot at MIKE, improving Notre Dame’s playmaking at the position. This group lacks the experience of the 2023 squad, so it may have a few bumps along the way. However, the athleticism in this group is some of the best the Irish have had in a long time.
Losing Cam Hart is a significant loss for the Irish secondary, but with Christian Gray and Jaden Mickey ascending, the drop-off should be more than sustainable. Notre Dame landed Rod Heard III from Northwestern from the transfer portal to start at safety opposite Watts, but sophomore Adon Shuler may have taken that starting role this summer. Either would be an upgrade from last year. Transfer Jordan Clark should be a seamless transition from Harper, who was an underrated performer on the Irish defense last year.
Factor in improvement from the returning players along with the development of some of the younger, more athletic defenders than have been recruited by Marcus Freeman the last few years, and there is every reason to believe the defense will be better. Now factor in this being year three of Al Golden’s defense and the familiarity the team has with it, and the ability Golden has to install more nuances compared to other seasons when the players were still mastering the system, and there’s even more reason to believe the defense will be better.
If the defense is better, it will rival the 2012 defense. The strength of that defense was the defensive line and star linebacker Manti Te’o, who helped a young secondary grow throughout the season. The defensive line will be a strength this year, but instead of a star linebacker leading the charge, it will be the star-studded secondary.
Many forget just how young that secondary was in 2012. Keivarae Russell was a true freshman who converted from offense to play corner. Matthias Farley was a redshirt freshman. Bennett Jackson was a junior but a converted wide receiver who was still learning to play corner.
Like this year’s defense, they were in the third year of Bob Diaco’s defense and took some time to master Diaco’s 3-4 system. We saw signs of Notre Dame’s defense being really good in 2011, but they took it to another level in 2012.
Linebacker will be the wild card in determining whether this is a 2012-type defense for Notre Dame or just another very good defense. Bertrand and Liufau were steady for the Irish last year, but the linebacking corps as an overall unit lacked playmaking. The trio of Kiser, Liufau, and Bertrand combined for just 15 tackles for loss on the season, and Bertrand and Liufau were second and third in total missed tackles. Notre Dame will likely play more backers this year with a 5-man rotation planned instead of giving the lion’s share to the top guys. That 5-man rotation of Bowen, Viliamu-Asa, Sneed, Ausberry, and Kiser has the potential to improve on those totals quite a bit.
The secondary in 2024 could be one of the best Notre Dame has had in years. The defensive line has depth and top-line talent, with a potential emerging pass-rusher (Traore). Add all this to Al Golden proving himself to be one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, and it’s easy to see how this defense could be every bit as good as that 2012 unit.
