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Mike Elston Seeking Leaders At Linebacker

Mike Elston is looking for leaders at linebacker like Nyles Morgan.
Mike Elston is looking for leaders at linebacker like Nyles Morgan. (BGI/Andrew Ivins)

From a fan's perspective, leadership can be an underappreciated trait in a college prospect.

An attribute like talent and athleticism is tangible. It can physically be seen on the field or court. Recruiting services assign prospects ratings based on their potential, delivering a quantifiable number with a ranking of a recruit.

But an aspect like leadership has to be accounted for. And that’s crucial when it comes to analyzing Notre Dame’s linebacker group for 2016.

Not returning to this year’s squad is middle linebacker Joe Schmidt, who started every game for the Irish last season and led the team in defensive reps. Also gone is ultra-talented weakside linebacker Jaylon Smith, another 13-game starter and the team’s leading tackler (114).

Replacing Schmidt is junior Nyles Morgan, a former four-star recruit in the 2014 class who was ranked as the No. 5 inside linebacker nationally by Rivals.com.

There’s no doubting Morgan’s raw talent compared to Schmidt, who originally joined Notre Dame as a walk-on. Where the question mark comes is the leadership portion.

Middle linebacker is the most critical position of the program’s defense, according to linebackers coach Mike Elston. That’s why Schmidt never left the field last season. Despite his limited athleticism, the departed linebacker understood the system well enough to help the rest of the team line up correctly.

Now, that role falls to Morgan.

“Joe definitely wasn’t the best athlete in coverage,” Elston said. “It was more of a product of his intelligence and he was going to be in the right spot.

“Athletically he struggled at times in space to make plays and everybody saw it, but the tradeoff was he was going to be in the right spot and get other guys around him in the right spot.

“Nyles is having a really good spring. I’m very excited about his growth from the offseason from where he was a year ago. His communication is much improved. He’s playing very physical. His leadership is much improved.

”He’s going to be a really good cover linebacker. I don’t see Nyles leaving the field on third down either, unless a guy like James [Onwualu] develops into that role, or a guy like Greer [Martini].

“Nyles is a good penetrating rusher too, where Joe wasn’t. When you bring him, you’re going to feel something, and so we’ve got that going on third down too.”

Elston explained a major part of the rise in level of play from Morgan has been his confidence. Now that he’s the top dog, he’s more comfortable in his role and that’s translated into development.

He still has areas in which he needs to improve, however.

“His game has come along, and all the attributes we want our middle linebacker to have has come along, but now he needs to bring other people with him,” Elston said. “Days like [Wednesday], coming off Easter break, the first practice is a little lethargic.

“Nyles was good – he needs to bring other people with him. That’s the area I’d love to see him grow in this spring.

“He understands what other guys around him are supposed to do now. Whereas before he was just learning what the Mike linebacker was supposed to do. So his communication wasn’t at the level it needed to be. Now he knows what the d-linemen in front of him are supposed to do; he knows what the secondary are supposed to do.”

Replacing Smith at the weakside position would be sophomore Te’von Coney, according to Elston, but he’s been unable to practice this spring due to a shoulder injury. For now that’s bumped up sophomore Asmar Bilal into the Will role.

Yet another sophomore, Josh Barajas, backs up Morgan at the middle linebacker slot. Both underclassmen are working on soaking up as much knowledge of the defense as they can.

“Asmar is drinking through a firehouse right now learning everything,” Elston said. “We aren’t slowing down because everyone else around him needs to get the install.

“Him and Josh are struggling a little bit with learning it, but it’s good because they’re getting tons of reps. They’re getting the package thrown at them, and then we can reinstall it in the summer during OTAs, and then we can reinstall it again in the fall. I think Asmar’s growth through 15 practices will be great, and so will Josh’s.”

Both Bilal and Barajas are penciled in their positions at this stage, and aren’t cross-training in other areas, in addition to Morgan. Elston noted both Coney and junior linebacker Greer Martini (also injured this spring) are “cross-learning."

Senior James Onwualu returns at the strongside spot after nine starts and 38 total tackles last season, although he’s cross-training at the weakside position too.

“In our first group of linebackers we’d have a pretty good group with James, Nyles and Tevon,” Elston said. “Then Greer could be anywhere, but probably running with the Sam linebackers with James, and also getting some dime work because he’s got the athleticism to be in on third down and in coverage.

“So he’d maybe replace Tevon on third down at the Will/dime position. That’d tentatively be the plan for them right now if they were healthy.”

Like Morgan, Onwualu is being counted on as a leader for the unit.

“Along with Nyles, James needs to bring guys with him,” Elston said. “He’s an accomplished linebacker.

“He’s getting better with what he needs to do. He’s at the point in his career where he’s able to do that and bring other guys with him. Leadership is a contact sport for a linebacker, you’ve got to grab guys and bring them with you. James needs to improve in that area.

“Why would guys follow James Onwualu? Because No. 1, he busts his butt everyday. Nobody outworks him. He does the right things. He’s going to be accountable on the defense. And he’s got production. Those three major things are going to allow people to follow him. Because it’s ‘look at me, I’m over here doing it. Get your butt over here and let’s go.’ If somebody else is doing that that isn’t doing the right things consistently, then they aren’t going to follow them."

The leadership torch carried by Smith and Schmidt has been passed to Morgan and Onwualu for 2016. How well the junior middle linebacker can instruct the rest of the defense is certainly a storyline to watch entering the fall.

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