Biggest post-spring strengths for the Notre Dame football defense

Notre Dame is entering its second season under the direction of defensive coordinator Al Golden. Here are Golden’s two biggest strengths with which to work coming out of the spring and going into the summer.

Interior line depth

It was difficult for Notre Dame to watch Jayson Ademilola move on to the next level considering all he did for the Fighting Irish to plug up the middle of the defensive line for the better part of five seasons. But his departure could be a blessing in disguise for the Blue and Gold.

Howard Cross III is still around to retain his starting nose tackle spot, but Ademilola’s void at three-technique tackle opens the door for a young, hungry core of players on the Notre Dame roster. Sophomore Tyson Ford finished the spring schedule with authority in the Blue-Gold Game. Wearing a green jersey so he could play for both sides, Ford was a menace in the middle of the trenches. He played one snap as a true freshman. His sophomore leap could be immense.

For Ford to become a regular part of the rotation, though, he’s going to have to compete with a long list of players who are in line to eat up snaps this fall. Seniors Rylie Mills and Aidan Keanaaina and juniors Jason Onye and Gabriel Rubio are the elder statesmen who will likely slot in ahead of Ford on the depth chart, but Ford will be solidly ahead of freshmen Brenan Vernon and Devan Houston and sophomore Donovan Hinish.

For Ford to be firmly in the middle of the pecking order says a lot about what Notre Dame has at the two tackle spots. Though he’s only entering his second season at the college level, Ford has shown he’s on track to contribute despite his lack of in-game experience. He could probably start at another school. Not at Notre Dame, though, which is a testament to what position coach Al Washington has to work with.

Pass-rushing might be a work in progress for Notre Dame early in the year, but defensive tackle play should be stout from the start.

A superstar at an important position

The last thing Notre Dame needs is a sophomore slump from cornerback Benjamin Morrison. A freshman All-American who’s already generating preseason award-worthy buzz for the 2023 season, Morrison needs to be everything everyone says he is. Having a lockdown corner on the field does so much for a defense. It’s game-altering when a quarterback can’t comfortable look toward one side of the field because he knows there is a dangerous defender over there.

As deep as the defensive line is and as experienced as the linebacking corps is with three graduate students slated to start there, Morrison is Notre Dame’s best chance at having a superstar on defense after the program’s all-time sacks leader in Isaiah Foskey moved on to the NFL. He had 6 interceptions last year. That’s a number that could dwindle as QBs throw at him less as time goes on, but if he doesn’t hit that mark it doesn’t mean he was less effective. His mere presence can have a negative effect on an opposing offense.

These are all projections. Sometimes a player never gets back to the level he played at in year one. But if Morrison does, and then some, Notre Dame will be much better for it overall in 2023.

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