Although 2016 Notre Dame football was just 4-8, the Irish lost seven of those eight by eight points or fewer. That tells you how they’re really not all that far away. If they tighten up on defense, the side of the ball that definitely has more room for improvement, the Irish could end up flipping that record to 8-4 in 2017; provided they shore up a few other things and nothing else goes wrong.
Notre Dame football fans do have some cause for optimism though, especially when you look at these five defensive players.
Sophomore Cornerback #27 Julian Love
Coach Brian Kelly expects big things from Love, one of 15 returning players with starting experience. He’s a physical run defender and very talented agains the pass of course.
Sophomore Cornerback #20 Shaun Crawford
Crawford is a guy who came to ND with astronomical expectations, but injury has kept him from having the opportunity to realize it. Kelly said he’s “fully cleared, doing everything. Coming off an achilles, we’ll be smart. We’ll rely on Shaun, who is extremely locked in on how he feels, and a little bit of science and GPS and probably put some restraints on him, but he’s doing great in everything.”
Senior Linebacker #5 Nyles Morgan
It was hoped that last year would be the season that Morgan established himself, and we even predicted as such. Although he was certainly a bright spot in a down season, the whole defensive unit struggled. With a new and better coordinator guiding him, and Morgan himself now lighter, faster and happier, it is indeed his time to take over.
He’s assumed a leadership role on defense, and perhaps 2017 will be the year that he truly kicks it up a notch. You know that he’ll be motivated by this being his last go around.
Junior Linebacker #23 Drue Tranquill
Moves over from safety and that switch could influence the fortunes of two position groups. New coordinator Mike Elko has a reputation as a true guru, and it will be interesting to see what he does with Tranquill, and how the player develops.
Junior Defensive Tackle #99 Jerry Tillery
The DL is unproven as all the major difference makers from the last couple years are now gone, and the unit needs an anchor. Tillery, a big nose guard hasn’t put up big numbers, but he’s going to have to be the anchor that they need, because he has so much experience.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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