For the Irish: #5 Nyles Morgan (Jr.)

Credit: Irish Sports Daily

Nyles Morgan takes over the linebacker corps and is tasked with comprehending Brian VanGorder’s defensive scheme. Joe Schmidt’s graduation clears the way for Morgan’s elite talent, and the defense will look to rebound from large portions of 2015 where their red zone performance suffered.

While Morgan appeared in all 13 games last year, it was mostly in spot duty and accompanied by all-everything Jaylon Smith, who’s now departed for the Dallas Cowboys. Opposing offenses hope to capitalize on Morgan’s relative inexperience and the youth in Notre Dame’s defensive secondary, so the linebacker’s dual role in stopping run & pass efforts will be crucial to the team’s overall success.

Across the front seven, the Irish have enough experience to stack up well against most offensive rosters they’ll face. Morgan is the key cog in Notre Dame’s defensive system. If his potential turns to dependable play, the linebacker unit will perform well. Should Morgan’s inexperience lead to mental lapses, miscommunication on the field, or subpar positioning and fundamentals, the 2016 offense will be playing from behind more often than is prudent.

Preseason news implies that Morgan has grasped the linebacker role, and that mental understanding has caught up with his elite physical gifts. Let’s hope he can continue his improvement as fall camp concludes and the season commences.

For the Enemy: #46 Malik Jefferson (Soph. / Texas)

SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 – Texas’ Malik Jefferson, left, and head coach, Charlie Strong come out onto the field for the second half against Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday, September 5, 2015. Notre Dame defeated Texas 38-3. (RODOLFO GONZALEZ / AMERICAN-STATESMAN)

As soon as the euphoria of last year’s 38-3 Texas victory wore off, I’ve been dreading this defensive rematch with Malik Jefferson. Playing in his first collegiate game at Notre Dame and with the game out of reach for most of the second half, Jefferson still notched 9 tackles (5 solo) and 2.5 tackles for loss (a season high for him). The preseason watch lists already have tabbed him for a host of various defensive awards, and he will look to make his presence known opening weekend against Notre Dame with a large TV audience watching.

His 2015 freshman campaign was good enough to earn him a consensus spot on the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America squad as well as Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and an All-Big 12 honorable mention. His size and impact on the defensive side of the ball will remind Irish fans of Jaylon Smith, and Longhorn fans certainly hope Jefferson makes a sophomore leap as the defense’s leader. Much of the critique of Charlie Strong’s Texas tenure has been directed at his scoring offense, because the defense has been stout — the 2015 defense ranked 7th-best in yards allowed per play (4.68).

For a top-25 defense that returns seven starters, Texas will pose an immediate thread to the Irish offense. Win or lose, ND fans should expect to see Malik Jefferson quite a bit on the evening of Sept. 4.

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As a freshman, Smith won a starting spot over Ben Councell after Danny Spond fell to migraines. Going on to start all thirteen games, Smith finished as the team’s fourth-highest tackler, with 67 overall and 41 solo. Perhaps his virtuoso moment came against USC when he effortlessly covered hectares of field to nab his first, and only, interception of the season. Thanks to the good folks at FIDM, you can watch it, and the almost hyperbolic reaction, here:

Or, perhaps, his virtuoso moment came on the play that caused Bret Musberger to admonish us all to “remember that name” after Jaylon almost picked off Michigan. You may have missed that because you were still trying to wrap your mind around this virtuoso moment:

http://youtu.be/oFZeVDyhzOQ

Looking ahead to the coming season, simple math tells you that the Irish need all the help they can get on the defensive front and that moving Smith inside makes sense. Missing five of its seven starters from last year, the linebacking corps is particularly thin, with Jarrett Grace out and a walk-on, Joe Schmidt, surprising as a likely starter. While depth should improve with Jarrett’s return and the arrival of incoming freshman Nyles Morgan, the defense that squares off against Rice will come with a heaping portion of Jaylon Smith.

As to how he feels about the move, Smith gives every indication that he’s looking beyond his individual performance and focusing on W’s. “When I committed here, I committed to doing anything that will help the team win,” Smith said. “I’ll stick to that. I’m a team-first player. I’m not worried about myself and what I can do to contribute to the team. I really just want to do whatever it takes to help our team win.” (quote taken from here.)

Smith is a leader, too, having been the hard nucleus about which his recruiting class formed. With his proven ability to lead his peers and his demonstrated elite-level athletic ability, the 2014 season could very well be one in which Jaylon Smith finds himself moving over, and moving up.

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