Midweek Musings: Notre Dame Must Put It All Together, 2022 Defensive Class Adds Unique Skills

Thoughts on Notre Dame football, Irish recruiting and college football

Thoughts on Notre Dame football, Irish recruiting and college football.

NOTRE DAME HAS TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

Notre Dame was ranked 10th in the first College Football Playoff ranking, so the Irish now know where they stand in their hunt for a championship. Notre Dame has a lot of work to do and they aren't in control of their own destiny, at least not in regards to the playoff.

What we do know is that Notre Dame can't win in November the way it did in September in October. That means just getting by in hard-fought four quarter games isn't going to get it done for the Irish. Notre Dame must start pounding teams, which means finally playing to its full potential.

We've seen Notre Dame play like a playoff team in every facet of the game, but the problem has been we haven't see those areas play like a playoff team at the same time.

The Irish offense put up a lot of points in the opener against Florida State and shredded North Carolina, but its defense struggled in both games. Notre Dame's offense sputtered beginning in game two and the light didn't start to come on until late in the Virginia Tech game and at times against USC.

During that time where the offense played average to bad football the defense was forced to carry the team. Without the defense playing at a high level in the second half of September (Purdue, Wisconsin) the Irish might have dropped another game.

I could break down each side of the ball in even greater detail, or break it down position-by-position and the story would be the same ... really good at times, inconsistent to bad at others.

If Notre Dame is going to play to its potential and dominate its final four opponents, with the goal of making it to the playoff and then doing damage once they get there, Brian Kelly and his staff have to figure out a way to put it all together over the next month.

That means offensive coordinator Tommy Rees needs to lean fully into the tempo, spread-the-field, aggressive game plan, it means Jack Coan must continue playing well, it means the offensive line needs to continue progressing and it means the wide receivers must start playing far more consistent football.

It means defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman must fully commit to building around his disruptive defensive line, the unit must tackle better and the secondary has to show its best self, which we've seen at times this season. 

If we see the offense play all the time like it did at times vs. USC and definitely like it did against Florida State and North Carolina, if the defense can play all the time like it did against Purdue, Wisconsin, USC and even much of the Cincinnati game the Fighting Irish are going to finish the 2021 season in very impressive fashion.

2022 CLASS ADDING LENGTH, PHYSICALITY TO DEFENSE

Two of the problems that have persisted on defense for Notre Dame this season has been a lack of length and power, especially at the linebacker position. Players like Isaiah Foskey at end, safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerback Cam Hart are exceptions, but first-year defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman wants and needs more of those traits on the defense.

That is what Freeman and his staff immediately went to work to land when he was hired back in January. Notre Dame is still looking to add a couple more pieces to the class, but the defensive haul is outstanding, and it will add significant length and physicality.

DEFENSIVE LINE - Commits Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira are both ranked as Top 200 caliber recruits, with Ford coming in as a Top 100 recruit according to SI All-American and Rivals. Both are physical edge players, but their combination of length (both are 6-6) and athleticism are welcome addition to the roster.

Adding Ford and Gobaira a year after Gabriel Rubio (6-5), Jason Onye (6-5) and Will Schweitzer (6-4) adds a great deal of length to the front.

LINEBACKER - Arguably no position on defense is in greater need of length, speed and power than linebacker. Notre Dame's current starting linebackers are listed at 6-1 1/2, 6-1 and 6-0. The only linebackers with the ideal length and athleticism that Freeman wants/needs are injured junior Marist Liufau (6-3) and freshman Prince Kollie (6-2).

Notre Dame's first two linebacker commits in the 2022 class were Michigan natives Nolan Ziegler and Josh Burnham, a pair of extremely long and athletic defenders. Ziegler is listed at 6-4 and Burnham is just shy of being 6-4, and both have very long arms.

Jaylen Sneed is listed at 6-2 but his length is impressive for his height. Sneed, Burnham and Ziegler are all tremendous athletes and they add much-needed power. Of course, none of the linebackers bring as much thump as Niuafe Tuihalamaka, a physical run-stuffer that adds pop to the line.

SECONDARY - The secondary is also getting a boost in length, but even more important it is getting a boost in speed and physicality. One of my issues with the 2021 defense is that while it is an athletic unit it lacks length, but it also lacks much power. Effort isn't an issue but there aren't many thumpers, and the tackling in the secondary has been especially problematic.

Devin Moore is an almost 6-3 cornerback that can run, cover and he's a solid tackler. Moore certainly adds a boost in athleticism and length. His coverage and playmaking ability, combined with current freshman Ryan Barnes (6-2), gives the Irish a pair of extremely long young corners with a lot of raw talent.

Benjamin Morrison is listed at 6-0 but my sources tell me he's closer to 6-1, and he's quite long. What I love about Morrison beyond his length and speed is that he is very, very physical for a cornerback. He will smack ball carriers and receivers and thrives with the physical part of the game. Morrison ranks so high on my board because he's long and fast, but his physicality and power is a nice bonus.

Jaden Mickey lacks the length of Moore or Morrison but he is extremely smart and he's athletic. My favorite attribute for Mickey, even beyond his intelligence and playmaking ability, is his physicality. He is a ferocious hitter despite not being the bigger corner and he projects to be just as good against the run as he is in coverage.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

This run by Kyren Williams still fires me up.

The @NDFootball victory over North Carolina did not disappoint! Listen to @PaulWBurmeister and @salaams_from_68 call the epic, 91-yard touchdown run by Kyren Williams at the start of the fourth quarter.#goirish pic.twitter.com/vLcc0frMoS

— The Notre Dame Radio Network (@NotreDameRadio) November 2, 2021

VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Our breakdown of the Notre Dame vs. North Carolina game was a fun show to do, but we also dove into the weeds a bit to break down the matchups. What went right, what went wrong, and some opinions that we had changed after diving into the film.

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2021 Roster
Notre Dame 2021 Schedule

Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Offense
Notre Dame 2022 Commits Big Board: Defense

Notre Dame 2022 Scholarship Offers

Notre Dame 2022 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board

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