Defense
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Notre Dame Spring Preview: Where’s the Pass Rush?
February is the hardest month of the football calendar. College football fans suffering the effects of withdrawal after the end of bowl season are given a brief reprieve until early…
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Sophomores Set to Impact ’16 Notre Dame Defense
In part one we zeroed in on the offensive recruits of 2015 and how they looked to impact the team in 2016, now in part two we focus on the…
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An Early Look at Notre Dame’s 2016 Defensive Depth
In 2016 Notre Dame will have to replace two of the most dominant players in college football – Jaylon Smith and Sheldon Day, but they are not the only stars…
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How Notre Dame Will Replace Jaylon Smith
Earlier this week Jaylon Smith surprised few when he declared for the NFL Draft. Had the 2015 Butkus Award winner not injured himself in the Fiesta Bowl, his declaration likely…
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An Expanded Defensive Role for Torii Hunter?
Torii Hunter has filled in in a pinch at the nickel back position already this year. Could the wide receiver see more time their in the Fiesta Bowl?
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Can Romeo Okwara Challenge Justin Tuck’s Record?
Notre Dame has been able to withstand a myriad of injuries in 2015 because of the depth the Irish have built up over the last few years on the recruiting…
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Joe Schmidt, Jaylon Smith Hold Key for Notre Dame D
Prior to the 2015 season, I wrote about this being a make or break year for Brian VanGorder as the Notre Dame defensive coordinator. He returned a litany of starters…
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Notre Dame A Tale of Two Defenses
Notre Dame fans had every reason to be concerned about the USC Trojans heading into last Saturday’s prime time matchup at Notre Dame Stadium. Yes, the Trojans were coming off…
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Sheldon Day Emerging as Notre Dame’s Defensive Leader
Sheldon Day has been a captain for Notre Dame for the past two seasons now, but it hasn’t been until the last few weeks that Notre Dame’s stout defensive end…
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Jaylon Smith – Notre Dame’s Quiet Leader
There are many definitions of a leader. There are some who are vocal and outspoken, some who lead by example, and some who are a combination of all these traits. Many would…
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2015 Notre Dame Football Pre-Season Defensive Unit Rankings
This rating is easier to make than the offensive ratings, as the unit overflows with both veterans and experienced backups. Except for Jerry Tillery, frosh will play small roles. We…
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Keivarae Russell To Work at Nickel in Spots
When Shaun Crawford went down with a torn ACL earlier this week, one of the few starting positions that was up for grabs this summer was reopened.
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Defenders with Attitude
In civilian life, a “chip on the shoulder” is often a precursor for conflict.
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Notre Dame’s Mature, Veteran Defense
2014, defensively, was Notre Dame’s Year of Living Dangerously.
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Instant Maturity: KeiVarae Russell and Avery Sebastian
Two vintage wines recently arrived in South Bend from West Coast vineyards. Avery Sebastian came in from Berkeley and KeiVarae Russell from Tacoma. Last Spring Brian Van Gorder and Kerry…
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Cornerback a Position of Strength for Notre Dame in ’15
The ineffectiveness of the Irish 2014 secondary, specifically the cornerback position, had less to do with talent and ability and more to do with lack of depth and experience. Heading…
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Is Nyles Morgan Ready to Breakout for Notre Dame?
Nyles Morgan was widely projected to be an impact freshman before ever stepping foot on campus last summer, but it took injuries to thrust the Scout 5-star linebacker into the…
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Light Turning on for Max Redfield?
If Max Redfield can have a Harrison Smith-like turnaround to his career in 2015, the Notre Dame defense should be able to make some huge strides.
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Hype Building for Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery
When people learned that Jerry Tillery would be starting his collegiate career on the defensive side of the ball, some pundits scoffed that it was a gimmick by the Notre…
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Notre Dame Defense Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow
YESTERDAY Last Spring was Brian Van Gorder’s first coordinating the Notre Dame defense. As Spring practice unfolded, there were some intriguing personnel groupings. These Four: Ishaq Williams, the Five Star,…
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Where’s the Rush for Notre Dame Football?
Lost in the sea of injuries and big plays surrendered by the Notre Dame defense in the second half of the season, was the lack of pass rush from the…
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A Pre-Spring Ranking of Notre Dame’s Starting Defense
We take a pre-Spring Practice look at the putative defensive starters. This may well change during Spring practice or in the Fall. The middle linebacker situation remains fluid, but suddently…
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2015 Notre Dame Defense – An Early Glimpse
Three overarching factors will impact the 2015 Fighting Irish Defense. First, it is the second year of the Brian Van Gorder defense. While Van Gorder and Kelly, for counter-espionage reasons,…
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Notre Dame Defense – Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
As Notre Dame enters its first bye week of the season, we take a close look at the revitalized Notre Dame defense led by a ground of talented youngsters who…
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Romeo Okwara – ’14 Breakout Candidates
We continue to identify players who could breakout for Notre Dame in 2014 today by taking a look at a player who could potentially provide a huge boost to the…
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