State of the Program: Breaking Down The Present And Future Of The Notre Dame Defense

Irish Breakdown takes a present and future look at the Notre Dame defense heading into the 2023 offseason

Notre Dame's defense was the best unit on the team for much of the 2022 season, but in many ways the group took a step back from recent seasons. The question must be asked, was it just an adjustment period under the tutelage of a first year coordinator and a new-look staff, or was it the beginning of a backward slide.

We broke down the present and future of the Notre Dame defense in this Irish Breakdown video.

We begin with a look at the philosophy of the defense, and discuss adjustments that defensive coordinator Al Golden and his staff must make. Golden is a very smart coach, but for much of the season it appeared that the defense wasn't always in position to execute his scheme at high speed and high levels of execution.

During the show we discuss the need for Golden and the staff to get back to basics this spring, focusing more on fundamentals and less on high level scheme installation.

The linebacker position, which Golden coaches, also took a step back in 2023. We break down why that is, what needs to change this offseason and look at the future of the position. For all the issues, the talent and potential of the group is quite impressive. We also break down the performance of defensive line coach Al Washington. While his recruiting has been sub-standard, and his first season as a coach didn't see the line play to its potential, we discussed why some of that might not be on Washington.

Year two will be big for Washington, and we discuss what we need to see from him as he starts working with a group that will look much different than the 2022 line.

Safeties coach Chris O'Leary has coached quite well, and we discuss the potential for the 2023 safety group to be a solid unit. During the video we discuss what we like from O'Leary as a coach, but also have some stern words for the job he's done as a recruiter, and the need for him to do a better job on the trail.

One incredibly bright spot is the cornerback position. Fifth-year senior Cam Hart and sophomore Benjamin Morrison could form one of the nation's best cornerback tandems in 2023, and the future of the position looks very bright after strong recruiting hauls in 2021, 2022 and again in 2023.

Of course, a big reason for the success is the presence of corners coach Mike Mickens, which we discuss during the show.

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Irish Breakdown Content

2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense

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