For those asking big questions about Notre Dame’s struggle in the secondary, the Irish coaching staff provided their answer on Signing Day. That’s when Notre Dame added seven new DBs, bringing in a large group to continue the overhaul of a unit that underperformed in 2015.
There are reasons for those struggles. The Irish staff was candid about them, talking about the lack of personnel—some due to injury circumstances, other due to scheme changes. And while cross-training a receiver like Torii Hunter Jr. was a short-term option, investing in the position group was the more prudent choice.
We’ll see that investment first hand, when almost 15 percent of the scholarship roster is dedicated to first- and second-year defensive backs. They come in all shapes and sizes, from pint-sized corner Shaun Crawford to jumbo safeties D.J. Morgan and Spencer Perry.
The defense welcomes back key building blocks Cole Luke and Max Redfield, with Luke capable of being a front-line college cornerback and Redfield possessing a similar skill set. As Drue Tranquill and Devin Butler return from injuries and Nick Watkins builds on a strong bowl season, there’s reason to believe this doesn’t need to be a complete gut-job renovation.
So let’s take a look at the additions and subtractions as we lead into spring practice.
DEPARTURES
KeiVarae Russell, CB
Elijah Shumate, SS
Matthias Farley, DB
John Turner, S*
Nicky Baratti, S*
*Unclear on return for fifth year.
2015-16 ADDITIONS
Nick Coleman, CB
Shaun Crawford*, CB
Nicco Ferita, S
Ashton White*, DB
Mykelti Williams*, S
Jalen Elliott, S
Julian Love, DB
D.J. Morgan, S
Spencer Perry, S
Troy Pride, CB
Devin Studstill, S
Donte Vaughn, CB
*Have fifth-year of eligibility
PRE-SPRING DEPTH CHART
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Watkins, CB
Max Redfield, S
Avery Sebastian, S
Nick Coleman, CB
Shaun Crawford, CB
Drue Tranquill, S
Mykelti Williams, S
Ashton White, DB
Spencer Perry, S
Devin Studstill, S
John Turner, S
Nicky Baratti, S
*Turner & Baratti’s fifth-year status is unclear.
ANALYSIS
Gone is the zone scheme that Bob Diaco deployed. Here is Brian VanGorder’s cover and pressure-based system that requires the ability to play man-to-man and hold your own in space.
The early returns on the 2015 group are mostly incomplete. Shaun Crawford, who was penciled into the lineup from Day One, tore his ACL in August and missed the season. While Nicco Fertitta took some special teams reps, the only other DB from the group to see the field was Nick Coleman, who the staff believes will contribute, but just needs some seasoning (he mostly played running back in high school).
This year’s group brought some length and physicality to the roster. Jumbo-sized DBs like D.J. Morgan, Spencer Perry and Donte Vaughn all look and play differently than the guys on the current roster. Jalen Elliott could be a contributor from the day he steps onto campus. Somebody needs to be ready to lineup next to Max Redfield, perhaps redshirt Mykelti Williams is ready after a season watching and learning. Or Drue Tranquill’s knees finally allow him to become a key contributor.
Talent isn’t necessarily the issue. Comprehension might be—thousands of words have been spent evaluating whether or not VanGorder’s scheme is too complex for athletes to read and react instinctively. That same analysis is going on in The Gug as well.
Ultimately, Notre Dame’s biggest handicap last season wasn’t the talent on the field, it was the inability to put more of it out there. You can’t win in college football without a large pool of defenders, and the Irish just lacked the ability to mix and match in the back end, a flaw that proved fatal in the regular season’s final 30 seconds.
Spring will be a big first step for Todd Lyght and his secondary, before reinforcements arrive this summer.