Will this Notre Dame Football team be different?

Whether or not the 2019 Irish football season will end differently than the last, a 30-3 blowout by a Clemson team that most feel is one of the premier teams in college football will depend on several factors. Can Clark Lea find the next duo of great linebackers among the current roster? Under second-year Quarterback Ian Book, will he make the strides necessary to lead the 2019 Irish offense to the playoffs and then slay the dragons of college football that have pummeled Notre Dame each time they have made it near the top?

One aspect we can’t say has been an issue is recruiting. Notre Dame has gone out and recruited some of the best players in the country to come to South Bend. The 2019 recruiting cycle saw Notre Dame go out and reign in some of the best defensive lineman in the cycle. For years we heard about how Notre Dame couldn’t go out and get some of the elite defensive linemen. In 2019 Coach Kelly and his staff did just that. We heard that Notre Dame couldn’t get 5-star talent. In 2019 Coach Kelly and staff went out and brought Kyle Hamilton to Notre Dame. Hamilton, by the end of the recruiting cycle, was a 5-star safety and 24/7 sports had him as the nations, overall #15 player. 2020 is looking even better.

Offensive Snapshot by Matt Dunbar

Offensively, the Irish will be looking to fill in the gaps, left by the departure of leading receiver Miles Boykin, who led the Irish with 872 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. The Irish also look to the next Irish rusher, presumably Jafar Armstrong to fill the void of the 995 rushing yards and 15 TD’s of production when Dexter Willams moved on to the NFL.

At the receiver spot, the Irish have Chase Claypool and Chris Finke returning in 2019. Both receivers combined for 1,210 yards and 6 TD’s in the 2018 season with a combined 99 receptions. The Irish will need to add a 3rd receiver to the mix to take the pressure off of Claypool and Finke. With Kevin Austin in Coach Kelly’s doghouse, possibly missing the first few games, Michael Young enters the spotlight. Young’s name has been mentioned several times throughout fall camp as a player that’s competing at a higher level. Younger players like Lawrence Keys III and Braden Lenzy are still coming along, looking to contribute to the 2019 offense.

Will the rushing game continue to make strides or will 2019 find the Irish taking a step back? Embattled Irish running back, Dexter Williams started the 2018 campaign on the bench for the first four games due to unspecified violations of team rules. That thrust Irish backs, Tony Jones Jr. and Jafar Armstrong into making serious contributions, early on in the 2018 season. Armstrong was initially thought to be a player that never tired, could take a beating and keep on playing. Armstrong was a serious contributor to the Irish rushing game for the first four games before a knee infection and surgery sidelined him for the Stanford game. With Armstrong appearing to be the starting running back, can he and Tony Jones Jr. stay healthy or will freshman running back Kyren Williams get a chance to show Irish nation his skills?

One place that the skeptic fan base has not questioned for several years now is the Irish offensive line. There were concerns when the Irish lost probably the best offensive line coach in all of football, Harry Hiestand, after the 2017 season. Coach Quinn took over in 2018 and while the Irish did not win back to back Joe Moore awards the Irish line held up throughout the 2018 season.

The 2019 Offensive line will see change at probably the most important position on the line, center. Fifth-year senior Sam Mustipher has moved on and filling his position, as of now is redshirt freshman, Jarrett Patterson. No one can question Patterson’s size, somewhere in the neighborhood of 6’4 1/2” 300 LBS. The question is, will Patterson be able to handle the duties, calling protections out for the other four guys, while adjusting to the speed of the game? I’m sure he’s working hard in camp. I am not doubting him but it’s something we will just have to take a wait and see approach.

It’s a sigh of relief in Irish nation, not having a quarterback controversy going into the 2019 season. Ian Book is the unquestioned leader of the Irish offense and he’s coming into the season looking the part. For the first time in a decade, we have an Irish quarterback with a “C” upon his chest. Book came into camp looking to be in his best physical shape. Last season, Book finished the season with a 68% completion percentage, 19 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. So what do we want to see? What should we expect out of the Irish quarterback? I think we will see a player with more confidence in himself. I think we will see Book playing smart but also taking shots down the field when he sees an opening. We want to see Book lead us past the juggernaut programs like Clemson, Alabama. I think he has the smarts, the ability and now only time will tell us if he can do it.

Defensive Snapshot – by Patrick McCormick



Clark Lea’s 2019 Irish defense is an extremely talented unit, but face a tall task replacing arguably 4 of their top 5 players from 2018. Gone are Julian Love, Te’von Coney, Drue Tranquill, and Jerry Tillery who helped lead the 2018 Irish defense to the college football playoff with a stellar 18.2 points per game average. Even still, the Irish will return a number of talented starters and should boast the best tandem of rush ends in the country in Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem, both of whom are potential first-round picks. To that end, both could have gone pro last year, but instead chose to return for their senior seasons. Irish fans are no doubt grateful, as were their teammates, as evidenced by both players being elected Captains. These two potential All Americans will be complemented by Daelyn Hayes and Ade Ogundej, both of whom could start for most teams in the country. Depth like this is a testament to Brian Kelly and his staff’s recruiting excellence over the past three seasons, as the Irish defense has not possessed this much quality since the Holtz era.

The starting safety pairing of Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliot will also be one of the best tandems in the country. Better still, the safety position is bolstered by another recruiting triumph, namely, 5-star freshman Kyle Hamilton who has had a stunning camp thus far. So much so, you can pencil him in as the #2 safety and a stalwart on special teams. Reports from fall camp are that Hamilton already has double-digit interceptions and is a once in a generation type athlete at safety. The safety unit will be rounded out by the other clear #2, Shaun Crawford, who will also likely see time as a cornerback, particularly in the Dime formation. Crawford brings veteran experience and impeccable football character to the defensive backfield after suffering devastating injuries three times in his career. His coaches, teammates, and fans all admire him for his perseverance and dedication. It’s also worth noting that Crawford has a shot to earn a starting cornerback position, but for now it looks like he will be the go-to at Dime and be one injury away from starting at safety. One thing is certain, it will be extremely useful to have his experience and versatility to rely on.

Look for the cornerbacks to be led by Troy Pride Jr, who will play as both boundary and field cornerback to help ensure the most experienced cover corner (as well as legit 4.3 speed) can match up against opposing offenses’ best receivers. Defensive back coach, and Irish legend, Todd Lyght, will need players like Houston Griffith, Tariq Bracy, and Donte Vaughn to step up and live up to their potential. Look for Vaughn, in particular, to bounce back after a rough outing in the Cotton Bowl where he was tasked with replacing All American Julian Love on a moment’s notice. To be fair, the defensive play-calling could have protected a raw player off the bench against two of the most elite receivers in the country. Alabama’s elite secondary was similarly torched in the National Championship, so in our opinion, it is misguided to pile on Vaughn for the Cotton Bowl. At a minimum, it’s certainly not an indictment on his future ability as a starter. Additionally, Tariq Bracy has a chance to earn a starting spot and should see significant playing time, regardless. Bracy also struggled on the big stage against USC, but he has tremendous upside going forward. Bracy should also contribute as a returner and throughout special teams.

The biggest question mark and potential stumbling block the 2019 defense must overcome is relative inexperience along the interior defensive line and at linebacker. Again, the bright side is that the staff’s recruiting acumen has provided tremendous (albeit inexperienced) athletes at both position groups. The interior defensive line must replace Jerry Tillery, who was one of the best Irish defensive linemen of the last 15 years. Look for Kurt Hinish to initially start at nose guard, but he could potentially be pushed by an elite freshman, Jacob Lacey. Similarly, Jamion Franklin coming off an injury last year will certainly be in the rotation and push for playing time. The defensive tackles will be led by Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Jayson Ademilola both of whom are talented athletes against the run and should be able to disrupt opposing offensive lines. Certainly, Lacey and Franklin could also provide depth at the defensive tackle rotation to keep everyone fresh.

The biggest question mark for the 2019 defense will be which pairings of linebackers for Clark Lea to start. The only returning linebacker with significant playing experience is fifth-year senior Asmar Bilal, who played most of last season as Buck (outside). Look for Bilal to switch to Mike linebacker (middle) this season, but there is an outside chance someone like Drew White could earn the start at Mike, in which case Bilal will switch back to starting buck linebacker. One thing is near certain, Bilal will start at either Mike or Buck (most likely Mike). The task then becomes a complicated puzzle of which extremely athletic and talented linebackers will fill in the rest of the pieces. At the middle linebacker spot, we anticipate the depth chart to be Asmar Bilal, Drew White, and Bo Bauer, and perhaps even true freshman J. D. Bertrand could move up the depth chart as he has impressed in summer camp. The starting Buck spot will likely be claimed by talented sophomore Jack Lamb and backed up by Genmark Heath and Shayne Simon. Take these predictions for what they are, predictions, as with even less than 20 days out, the Mike and Buck linebacker pecking order is far from settled.

Clark Lea’s hybrid 4-2-5 system also employs a linebacker/3rd safety position referred to as Rover. (think Drew Tranquill last year who has taken his skill set to the San Diego Chargers). The Rover is in many ways the key to Lea’s system and requires a hard-nosed, superior athlete who can drop into coverage as well as take on the physical run game. The 2019 Rover will be talented sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Coaches Kelly and Lea are both excited for Owusu “Wu” because it’s the first time the Irish will start an athlete specifically recruited to play Rover. The Dos Leprechaun editors anticipate Wu could lead the team in tackles and will be an integral part of this unit’s success.

It’s clear the 2019 defense is talent-laden throughout and with exceptional game day experience along the outside defensive line and the defensive backfield. However, they are very inexperienced at linebacker and moderately inexperienced on the interior defensive line. The concern then, is can the inexperienced but extremely talented interior line and linebackers get up to speed by week 3 at Georgia? Similarly, can the elite rush ends of Okwara and Kareem and the steady back end duo of Elliot and Gilman help mitigate the inexperience up the middle? We suspect that most opponents will likely try to grind it up the middle and control clock to keep the ball out of Book and the offense’s explosive playmakers. Against the top tier, physical offenses of Georgia, Michigan, and Stanford stopping this strategy will be even more paramount.

This much is certain, it’s one thing to have defensive speed and superior athletes at linebacker, but it’s quite another to have linebackers that can physically bang week in week out with top 10 caliber offenses. This is where a physical summer camp and strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis’ work with the team year-round can pay huge dividends. Considering how transformative Balis’ program has been getting the Irish to the next level since his hire in 2017, the Dos Leprechaun editors like this defense’s chances to be ready for a great year in 2019.

Matt Dunbar (Assistant Chief Editor)

Patrick McCormick (Senior Staff Writer)