Khalid Kareem Leads Notre Dame's 'Ends' To A Means
Why can’t Notre Dame sign top, highly recruited edge rushers like an Alabama or USC?
Such a lamentation by a Fighting Irish football faithful was not uncommon a few years ago.
And then it happened: In February 2016, the Notre Dame recruiting haul inked a five-star player who originally verbally committed to USC in Daelin Hayes, and a four-star prospect who gave his initial pledge to Alabama in Khalid Kareem.
For good measure, then Irish recruiting coordinator Mike Elston added three more current edge rushers in Julian Okwara, Ade Ogundeji and Jamir Jones.
Okwara and Jones followed in their brothers’ footsteps as Irish defenders, with Detroit’s Romeo Okwara last weekend recording two sacks against Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers during a 31-23 Lions win, with one of the sacks resulting in a fumble. Jones’ older brother, Jamir Jones, started three years in the Irish interior.
Finally, Ogundeji was the ultimate sleeper prospect who has come to the forefront as one of the 2018 team’s top surprises.
In their nine seasons together at Notre Dame, both head coach Brian Kelly and associate head coach/defensive line coach Elston agreed this spring and summer that the 2018 Fighting Irish defensive line would be the deepest in their time here.
The postulate was especially put to the test at drop end during Notre Dame’s 45-23 victory at Virginia Tech Oct. 6.
The co-starting drop end tandem of Hayes (229 snaps in the first five games) and Okwara (224 snaps through five games) both were sidelined. Hayes was hampered by a brachial plexus — “stinger” — that precluded him from making the trip to Blacksburg. (Note: Hayes was cleared to practice and play this week.) Then late in the second quarter, Okwara was ejected for a targeting hit on quarterback Ryan Willis, just before the Hokies pulled within 17-16 at halftime.
Consequently, fellow juniors Jones (48 snaps) and Ogundeji (40) played the bulk of the second half, along with Kareem, in a challenging atmosphere that put College Football Playoff aspirations on the line.
“We’ve been prepared for this a long time,” Kareem said with a nonchalant shrug of the sudden setbacks the end position faced at Blacksburg. “Since the spring, guys have been coming in and out, rotating. … We do chaos periods where different people come in, different people come out.
“We’re built for this. … We don’t have a ‘second- or third-string,’ just a next man coming in. There’s no drop-off, and there’s a confidence in the depth chart. We have each other’s backs.”
The Irish outscored Virginia Tech 28-7 in the decisive second half even minus Hayes and Okwara. The most important aspect is never allowing the standard to be altered.
“It’s business as usual, but [the absences of Hayes and Okwara] gave us a little more juice, play our heart out for them and everyone back home,” Kareem said.
“We’re better with Julian and Daelin, no question, but those guys played to a standard,” Kelly summarized of the reserve unit. “… It’s not just the next guy coming [in] and playing — he’s got to play well. I think that’s what stood out for me. We’d like to see a little bit more from them in certain situations, but I think in their first time out there in significant roles, we’re really pleased with their discipline and the way they played.”
Prior to the Virginia Tech game, the rapidly ascending and disruptive Ogundeji was already averaging 21 snaps per game, while Jones was around nine per contest.
Two years ago when Notre Dame was at rock bottom among Power Five teams in total sacks (14) and sacks recorded by defensive linemen (three), Kareem, Hayes, Okwara, Ogundeji and Jones were freshmen with vast skills but limited polish and were still developing in the weight room.
Halfway through this season, the Irish defensive front ranked at the top in statistical analysis/production according to Pro Football Focus, along with the likes of Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson. It is the confluence of second-year strength and conditioning coach Matt Balis’ influence that is taking hold, the cultivation under Elston, and senior tackles such as Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner meshing with the junior ends, the year when college athletes begin to blossom the most as upperclassmen.
“This is the time where everything is kind of working itself out,” Kareem said. "This is the best condition we’ve ever been in. … Everyone in this class, on this team, has come together well.”
However, it’s not merely about sacks but more about the ATQ — Affecting The Quarterback — numbers via pressures, passes broken up, four-man rushes with limited blitzes to enhance coverage, etc.
“We’re much more interested in quarterback hurries and getting them out of the pocket and getting them out of rhythm, much more than anything else,” Kelly said. “Today, the passing game is a three-step [get the ball out fast]. Pass deflections are also part of that, getting your hands up. The ‘escapability’ of quarterbacks make it much more difficult [to record sacks], the ability to run.
“… If we can get him to escape to one third of the field, get him out of the pocket, we’re affecting the pass.”
At Virginia Tech, Kareem, who originally committed to Alabama, recorded his strip sack of Willis, after getting up from the ground. It resulted in a fumble and touchdown return by junior cornerback Julian Love.
“That’s something I feel like my little league coaches and my dad have instilled in me — don’t stop until the whistle blows,” Kareem said. “It feels like the first time I’ve actually done that, and it worked out.
“We love getting sacks and it’s one of the greatest feelings, but as long as you help the team win and do your job, that’s all that matters. If I tip the ball instead of getting the sack, but we get an interception … you have to be selfless, but you also have to be on your job, don’t try to do someone else’s job on a play.
“Focus on doing your assignment and the production will come.”
Elston instructed the defensive line in 2010-14 before getting switched to linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. He spearheaded the signing of the plethora of current junior edge rushers, but more importantly, his move back to the line last year, after teaching the linebackers in 2015-16, has been instrumental in the developmental model.
“The first word would be patience,” Kelly said of Elston’s role in honing the line’s skills “Very rarely is it plug-and-play. We’re fortunate that we’ve had some players over the years, but there has to be a level of patience in developing our players from a fit standpoint, and then having the ability to go out and impact the game.”
Through the first half of 2018, few defensive lines have matched Notre Dame’s level of production.
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