Numbers Abound For Notre Dame D-Line; Building Depth Next Step
Even with the graduation of two-time captain Sheldon Day, top 2015 sack man Romeo Okwara (eight) and losing senior reserve rush end Doug Randolph for good because of medical reasons, second-year Notre Dame defensive line coach Keith Gilmore has more scholarship bodies — 15 — to evaluate this spring than ever in his 32 years as a college coach.
“I look around and I’m like, ‘Wow, it’s a bunch of guys,’ ” said Gilmore after the sixth practice this spring earlier this week. “We’re pretty overloaded at the d-line at this point.”
“Defensive line" and “overloaded” usually have not been used in the same sentence at Notre Dame in recent decades. Having warm bodies there is no longer an issue after signing six in 2014, four in 2015 and four more this February, including current early entrants Khalid Kareem and Daelin Hayes (no contact work while recovering from shoulder surgeries), both of whom are working as ends.
“At this point I’m trying to get them all out there,” said Gilmore of balancing his evaluations this spring. “I put a lot of time and a lot of thought into who is playing and in what situation. I don’t come out on the field just saying, ‘Okay, first team, second team.’ I’m mixing and matching. I count out the plays: I want to see this guy today, I want to see this guy the next day — just trying to come up with enough information to make an evaluation. If I don’t get them on the field, I don’t know. It’s a little bit different.”
According to Gilmore, this is how the personnel is aligning by position:
Strong Side End — Senior Isaac Rochell, junior Jonathan Bonner, and freshman Kareem.
Three-Technique — Sophomores Jerry Tillery, Micah Dew-Treadway, and Elijah Taylor.
Nose Guard — Junior Daniel Cage and fifth-year senior Jarron Jones sharing time, with junior Peter Mokwuah, senior John Montelus and sophomore Brandon Tiassum vying to become the third man.
Weak Side End — Juniors Andrew Trumbetti, Jay Hayes, Grant Blankenship and freshman Hayes (no relation).
“Numbers” are one topic. “Depth” is completely another, and contingent on who is ready to play at this level without significant drop-off. There were several certainties through the first six practices. Foremost is that third-year starter Rochell is the linchpin and will be counted on as the unit’s best combination of run stopper/pass rusher. He was easily the top tackler among the linemen last year (63, 7.5 for loss), fifth overall on the team, and can play any position up front. But his sack total last year of one (the same as Day after his junior year), plus seven QB hurries, needs to elevate to become a playmaker.
“Isaac is a solid football player,” Gilmore said. “He had [sack] opportunities last year that he didn’t cash in on. Just getting him over that hump of going ahead and finishing the plays. He’s got all the techniques down, he knows what to do, it’s a matter of in- game situations, converting and making plays, but I think he’s going to be the guy.”
At nose guard, Gilmore said he has two starters in Cage, who has been lauded for a strong spring, and Jones, who is gradually being eased back in while trying to fully recover from last August’s MCL tear.
“With his length and power — he has a very powerful upper body — he should be able to help us,” said Gilmore of the 6-5 1/2, 315-pound Jones.
Jones’ return allowed for the rangy 6-6 ½, 310-pound Tillery to move to Day’s three-technique slot, where he is more of a natural but is learning anew.
“He did decent at the nose,” said Gilmore of Tillery, who made 12 tackles as a freshman. “The 3-technique has a little more thought to it, a few more obstacles you have to overcome, so his thought process has got to change. He does have a great amount of athleticism and I think he’s going to be a special guy there. …. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Trumbetti played 368 snaps to Okwara’s 650 last season on the weak side, but now he will be counted on heavily to provide the stamina and production to be a capable pass rusher at the position that is expected to make the most plays against the quarterback. What he needs to develop, per Gilmore, is a signature move and then apply it with consistency.
“He’s probably our quickest guy, he’s got the most speed off the edge,” Gilmore said. “…I think he’s at a comfort level now that he can play with confidence. A lot of times he would run too deep or pass the quarterback. He’s starting to understand the quarterback drops and the depth of the quarterback and how to level rush, and that’s going to really help him in his production.
“Everything starts with speed in pass rush. If you’ve got some guys with quick twitch and great speed, you’ve got a chance. You have to develop techniques and teach them the understanding of what the protections are doing, giving them indicators as to when you can get a jump — Is the center twitching? Is the back set off a certain way? What does the quarterback do? — trying to get any little advantage that you can get to get a jump, because you’re talking about two-and-a-half seconds to get to the quarterback, so you have to find whatever indicators you can to help you get there better. It always starts with speed and athleticism.”
Beyond the first five, the sixth player Gilmore projects as the most likely to aid the depth, not just numbers, is Bonner, who lines up behind Rochell but will be the inside tackle in the sub packages, such as nickel, for the pass rush. Of Bonner's 106 snaps last season, 37 came versus Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
“You’ll probably see Bonner just as much as you see Isaac Rochell, so I’m kind of getting him prepared to be the next guy,” said Gilmore of the sub package. “He’s performed and playing really well. He’s one of the better guys this spring.”
Redshirted last year as a sophomore, Jay Hayes’ shift to weak side end might be a bit of a surprise with his 285-pound frame (whereas Trumbetti is 260), but it was necessitated because of a lack of veteran figures there.
“We’re trying to find a spot for Jay,” Gilmore said. “You have so many bodies at the interior spots, and he was the one guy I thought had enough pass rush ability that would warrant that. … I see him right now being able to help us in a pass-rush situation. Hopefully he can play the run. It’s all a new position for him, so how much he’s going to learn from coverage is going to be a work in progress, but I’m hoping he can come in and contribute this year.”
The same can be said of the three other sophomores besides Tillery. Every defensive line coach has the intent to rotate players and not have one individual play more than 50 snaps in a game (Rochell averaged 60 last year), but plans and reality once you get into live action sometimes differ.
“That was my intent last year,” said Gilmore of wanting to play more linemen, but not yet having enough confidence to do so. “As you get into the thick of things, you just go with the flow of the game and what your heart feels is going to win for you at that point, but I think that we’re better as a unit.
“With Sheldon and Romeo they were better individual players probably than some of our guys — but I think as a unit collectively we will be better and hope to be able to play a better rotation.”