Notre Dame Notebook: Improving In The Red Zone, Jordan Botelho Must Emerge

News and notes about the Notre Dame defense after this week's press conferences

As Notre Dame football’s spring practice continues, Fighting Irish defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Al Golden and linebackers Marist Liufau, Prince Kollie and Nolan Ziegler shared their thoughts on a variety of subjects after practice this week.

Reworking The Red Zone

Red zone defense is, without question, the biggest area where Al Golden's defense needs to make the biggest improvement in season two. The Fighting Irish ranked 130th out of 131 FBS teams in red zone defense last season. Opponents scored 94 percent of the time they reached the red zone in 2022, finding the end zone a staggering 27 times in 34 opportunities and kicking five field goals as well. Golden knows his unit must be much better there next fall.

"There's definitely a renewed emphasis starting with me,” Golden admitted. "I have to do a better job calling it down there. We took some things out and put some things in. From that standpoint, we just we just needed you know ... if we had three stops to go with what we were doing up the field, like three or four more stops. I think we're very good at not letting guys in the red. Yeah, so we could stay there and then and then improve this it's really going to help us a lot.”

Liufau was the third-leading tackler on a team that allowed a solid 23.0 points per game last season (No. 39 in FBS).

"He always makes an emphasis in there to be very sticky,” Liufau said of Golden’s red zone emphasis. "Physical. Because you have to be physical down there and even more so because a catch is a touchdown. We have to be on our guys.”

"Details in the red zone will help us be more successful there,” Liufau continued. "A catch is a touchdown in the red zone. Be very detailed and know your assignment. Teams love motioning, sending guys across the formation to throw off coverage or get guys a step behind. Like I said, a catch is a touchdown, so anything that can slow down the defense or make them a step late is beneficial to the offense.”

Boosting Botelho’s Production

Senior end Jordan Botelho is a talented player waiting to put it all together in his first three seasons at Notre Dame. The rising senior has predominantly been a special teams contributor in his first three seasons, finishing with 11 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks as a reserve defensive end behind Isaiah Foskey and Justin Ademilola. Those two are gone and the time is now for Botelho to step up.

"It's time for him to knock on the door,” Golden said of Botelho. "The way you knock on the door is play the system, play with poise and execute. That is it. That's it, because he'll always bring the energy, he'll always bring the fight, he'll always bring the finish. So that's not the issue. The issue is prepare, eliminate MEs, play with poise and execute within the realm of the defense. If you do that, he's going do really great things for us.

But does he understand that?

"That's a question for him,” Golden responded when asked that question. "But every one of our players is different. So, you asked me about him. That's his challenge. So, it's going to play out the spring, whether or not he understands that and if we had like, another hour in lunch, I could go to the next guy. You know what I mean? Then if you wanted to get a beer, I can go to the next guy. But I just gave you his, but every kid's got certain roles that they have to fill this this spring and if you want a promotion, you have to execute your current role. It's pretty simple.”

Benjamin Morrison’s Breakout Season

While Nolan Ziegler was busy trying to learn Golden’s defense as a freshman linebacker last season, classmate Benjamin Morrison was busy with his big play on the field. Led the Irish with six interceptions and tied for seventh in the nation with that mark. The six interceptions are the most for a Notre Dame defender since 2012 when Manti Te’o had seven.

Morrison earned multiple Freshman All-American accolades as well as the praise of his teammates.

“When I started watching him in practice, I could see the improvement he was making,” Ziegler said of watching Morrison last fall. “But I don't think anyone was expecting that type of season out of him. I mean I never really tried to follow the high school recruiting rankings, but especially if you are a big believer in that then you wouldn't have thought so. He's very committed though. I knew he was going to be a great player. I just didn't know it would be that early, which is great.”

Linebacker On Linebacker

Prince Kollie is trying to make his own move up the linebacker depth chart this spring, but there is an early enrollee freshman as his position who has already caught his eye.

“Drayk (Bowen),” Kollie said when asked which young player has stood out in practice. “I was watching him in film the other day. He's really good at finding the ball. That's a lot of the things I do too, like just being patient, especially when there's so much trash, and it's kind of unique. So, there'll be a lane over here and you'll think the backs over there going that way, but he comes back. You can't see him, just got to have a feel for it. He's got a feel for it.”

Remembering A Mentor

Longtime football coach Rick Lantz passed away at the age of 85 Sunday morning. Lantz spent 43 years coaching football, including 1984-85 on Gerry Faust’s Notre Dame staff as defensive line coach. Lantz was also an early mentor of Golden’s at the University of Virginia.

“Every Christmas, Kelly and I tried to send him something,” Golden said of Lantz Get emotional just thinking about it right now. What a great mentor, a great man. He didn’t know me. He inherited me. George Welch hired me. He took me in and taught me everything about football. I did all the grunt stuff year one. I put my head down and worked like a dog. He noticed it. The next year, ‘I want you to run this meeting, run this drill, look at this on game day. I need you to be my signaler.’ By year three at UVA, I was coaching the linebackers and he walked around. I try to do that with the young coaches, empower them, give them an opportunity to coach, maybe before some of them are ready, Give them an opportunity to coach and empower them to be the best version of them they can be. That’s what Rick did for me.

“Really saddened to hear that,” Golden continued. “Terry, the family, everybody is in our thoughts and prayers. It’s sad when that happens. He used to tell me all the stories about he and Howard Schnellenberger were together for a long time. Rick was an unbelievable storyteller. He was so good and so poised with the players. A lot of guys ask me now why am I stoic on the sideline. That’s the way Rick was. He didn’t move much. He wanted to see the game. He taught me where to stand and what to look at. I’ve never forgotten it. Even to this day, if you guys watch me during a game, I end up going to a spot and backing away where I can see the game. I attribute that all to him.”

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