Notre Dame 2023 Preview: Major Questions - And Talent - At Defensive End

The Notre Dame defensive end depth chart is very talented, but there are also a lot of questions that must be answered

Notre Dame has the difficult task of replacing the program's all-time leader in sacks in 2023, and that won't be easy. Despite the loss of Isaiah Foskey, there is a lot of talent returning - and arriving - at defensive end. There certainly isn't a lack of ability, but there are also major questions that must be answered.

If Notre Dame is going to put a championship caliber defense on the field there is no doubt the end position needs to not only match last season's level of play, but it must surpass it. That's why I am kicking off the 2023 Notre Dame Season Position Preview series off with the defensive ends.

It's a big year for position coach Al Washington, who can win over Notre Dame fans with a strong year of coaching. If he can turn the potential at the position into production the Irish ends will be outstanding, and Washington will start to be viewed as a strong developer at the position.

Let's dive in:

2023 ROSTER

The roster looks way different than it did a year ago thanks to the arrival of a transfer (Javontae Jean-Baptiste) and three talented freshmen. You also have two converted linebackers (Josh Burnham, Niuafe Tuihalamaka) that are expected to play key roles. Last year's starting field end - Rylie Mills - has moved inside to defensive tackle in an attempt to put a more athletic defensive line on the field.

That means Notre Dame must replace both of its starting ends from last season, and there isn't much returning experience coming back. Notre Dame will have a relatively inexperienced depth chart, but the talent level is still impressive.

BIG YEAR FOR BOTELHO

The success of the edge positions isn't entirely on the shoulders of senior Jordan Botelho, but there is no doubt his play will have a very, very big say on how good the Irish defensive line will be this season. Botelho is a former Top 100 recruit that has flashed impact potential, but for a host of reasons he has yet to develop into a consistent producer for the Irish.

Botelho played just 127 snaps last season, and just 88 snaps in passing situations (77 as a pass rusher) according to Pro Football Focus. Despite limited playing time, Botelho finished the season second on the defense with 4.5 sacks and he had 18 total pressures. He had 10 pressures and two sacks in the Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina, which was the first game he was tasked with replacing Foskey.

Obviously Botelho isn't going to do that game after game, but the Hawaii native did show the disruptive skills that do have to be prominent week after week. Whether or not he can be that type of consistent player week after week is the big question for him.

Botelho is on the shorter side compared to Foskey, but he brings a much different pass rushing game to the table. His ability to win on the edge is not in question, at least when he's locked in. Botelho has an outstanding first step, he can win on the bend and when used as a pass rusher he has shown a knack for getting after the quarterback. The issue for Botelho last season was that early in the season he made himself too blockable. That improved later in the season, beginning with the Syracuse game.

The South Carolina game, for example, wasn't the only game where Botelho had an absurd pass rushing production rate. He had 10 pressures on 37 pass rushes, an elite rate. He also had four pressures on just 10 pass rushes against Syracuse, and he finished that game with two sacks. He had just four pass rushes against Boston College, but recorded a sack in the game. He had just seven pass rushes against Navy, but had two pressures.

For context on how disruptive was, if Botelho played the same number of snaps that Foskey did and he kept his same pass rush success rate that he had from Syracuse on he would have posted 73 total pressures (Foskey had 33). He would have had 18 sacks and eight more hits on the quarterback. 

Do I expect him to post those numbers? Of course not, but if he can continue being a disruptive player on a week-by-week basis the Irish could have even more disruptive Vyper player in 2023 than it did in past seasons. On the flip side, if Botelho continues being the inconsistent player he has been in the past the Irish will have a much tougher time putting consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

JEAN-BAPTISTE MUST PROVIDE FULL-TIME IMPACT

Mills moving inside opened up the field end position, and Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste will be part of the rotation that fills that void. The New Jersey native was a part of the Ohio State defensive end rotation for four seasons, playing at least 158 snaps in each of those four seasons, and earning 564 snaps the last two seasons.

Jean-Baptiste racked up 3.5 sacks last season, which was one just one fewer than the team leader for the Buckeyes. It's also 0.5 sacks more than Mills, but Jean-Baptiste did it on 111 fewer pass rush snaps. This past season he had seven total sacks/hits on the quarterback according to PFF, which is the same number he had in 2021, but he did it on 41 fewer snaps in 2022, showing his ability to get after the quarterback took a big jump forward.

Breaking down the film, the biggest jump for Jean-Baptiste in 2022 was as a run defender. He was a much more consistently effective edge defender against the run this past season, and that is key to how good he'll be in 2023. Whether he's starting or coming off the bench, if Jean-Baptiste is going to be an impact player for Notre Dame he'll need to be an effective run defender. If that doesn't happen he'll likely just be a quality pass rusher off the bench. If he becomes an effective dual-threat player he'll give Notre Dame a big jump in impact production on the edge.

LEADERSHIP VOID WILL BE FILLED

Jean-Baptiste will be part of a rotation with senior NaNa Osafo-Mensah, who was the top backup at field end last season. He was a quality run defender that didn't add much value in the pass game, but he's expected to add a bit more of that in 2023. 

What we know about Osafo-Mensah is that he'll add two things to the defense in 2023. He'll be a quality edge defender against the run and he'll be a strong leader. The latter is something we've seen a lot of from Osafo-Mensah this offseason, who has taken hold of the leadership mantle for the defensive line.

That is valuable for the defense, and if Osafo-Mensah and can also add a bit more production on the edge, especially in the pass game, he'll become a very integral part of what could be an outstanding defensive line.

SOPHOMORE SURGE

There's a big drop off in experience behind the three veterans discussed above. Notre Dame will be relying on a lot of young players to fill the depth roles this season, especially at the Vyper position.

The two players battling for playing time behind Botelho are sophomores Junior Tuihalamaka and Josh Burnham. Both were recruited as Top 100 players at linebacker coming out of high school. Burnham very quickly transitioned to Vyper, while Tuihalamaka moved there during the 2022 season despite looking good in the spring as a Mike linebacker.

Tuihalamaka would line up on the edge at times in high school, which helped him make a smooth transition to the position. In his first season, Tuihalamaka showed a lot of potential as an edge run defender from the Vyper position. He's over 250 pounds, he's very strong, he has great lower body strength and he can anchor effectively.

What surprised me this spring is that Tuihalamaka showed the ability to get after the quarterback more than I expected. His first step is really impressive, and he is quickly learning how to use his hands to win in the pass game. I anticipate him to play a lot more in 2023 than we saw Botelho in 2022 in part because of Tuihalamaka's power, but also because he has shown himself to be a more steady, consistency player despite his youth.

Burnham is the wildcard up front.

The Michigan native played middle linebacker and quarterback in high school, and the move to Vyper was slow going for him early on. He's still very much a work in progress from a technical and feel standpoint. That is why Burnham's role is still to be determined.

If Washington is smart he'll make Burnham a pet project in fall camp. The reason for that while Burnham is inexperienced and still quite raw as an edge player, he's an elite athlete with arguably the highest ceiling of any player along the defensive line. Burnham is a 6-4, 247-pound athlete that runs a sub 4.6, has excellent length and he's arguably the best pound-for-pound athlete on the defense. His athleticism and potential is too great to have him on the sidelines. 

Should Washington take Burnham under his wing, coach him up, commit to making him a factor there is no doubt in my mind that the rising sophomore will become a disruptive rotation player for the Irish, and Irish fans will start to get very excited about the player he can be. Getting Burnham to tap into his potential will allow he and Tuihalamaka to become a dynamic one-two punch on the edge, and we should start to see that this season.

Fellow sophomore Aiden Gobaira is another high-ceiling player, but after moving to field end this offseason he could still be a year away physically from being ready to make an impact. He has an impressive first step as well, but Gobaira still needs to add more girth and strength based on where we saw him in the spring. A strong offseason could put him in position to provide some pass rush production off the bench as a field end.

FRESHMAN IMPACT

Notre Dame adds three very talented newcomers to the defensive end depth chart, although it's unlikely that all three remain at end for their careers.

Notre Dame signed Boubacar Traore, Armel Mukam and Brenan Vernon in the 2023 class. They all arrived this summer and they are all going to be 260-plus pounds as rookies. They are also all quite raw, but they are powerful, athletic and talented.

If Washington can get one of these rookies ready to help out this season it would go a long way towards shoring up the field end position. 

KEY STORYLINES

1. Will Washington Win Over The Room - It can be tough walking into a position group that has a lot of experience, and when you're replacing a well-respected position coach. It was tough sledding winning over those veterans, but Washington will have a much different looking room this season. If the spring is any indication, there is much better buy in from the defensive line heading into the 2023, which should allow Washington to better develop the group.

2. Can Botelho Emerge - This is one of the biggest questions on the defense. There's no disputing Botelho's talent, and he has the potential to be a big time pass rusher, quality run defender and as a former linebacker the Irish can move him around and use him to attack from many different spots. Botelho can't, however, just be a flash player this season. Notre Dame needs him to be more consistent, but we don't yet know if he can be that player. If he does the Irish are going to be just fine at Vyper, but if he doesn't the position will likely take a step back.

3. Will Jean-Baptiste Be More Than A Rotation Player - I can put all the numbers out about how impressive Jean-Baptiste's numbers would be if he played starter minutes, but the reality is we don't know if he can be an every-down defender. If he answers this question in the affirmative I have no doubt the field end position will be far, far more productive than it was a season ago, which would have significant ramifications for the defense.

4. Will Youth Be Served - Notre Dame is going to rely on a lot of youth behind the starters, and that can be risky at defensive line. If the sophomore and freshman classes can step up and provide impact the Irish will be able to throw waves of athletes at offenses from the edge.

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