Many Happy Returns For Notre Dame's 2018 Defense
In 2018, Notre Dame’s defense will return 10 of its 11 starters from a 2017 unit that improved its scoring defense from No. 62 nationally in 2016 to No. 31 last season.
As noted earlier this week, one has to go back to the 1977 national champions to find a Fighting Irish defense that returns more starting experience from the previous year. That outfit saw all 11 starters from the year prior come back, headlined by end Ross Browner, linebacker Bob Golic and cornerback Luther Bradley.
Whereas the 2018 Notre Dame offense lost both of its early applicants to the NFL Draft — juniors Josh Adams and Equanimeous St. Brown at running back and receiver, respectively — the defense returned its two stalwarts along the line (Jerry Tillery) and linebacker (Te’von Coney) that also had submitted their paperwork.
Overshadowed was the decision by starting tackle Jonathan Bonner to return for his fifth season. Back in November, Bonner had indicated to the campus student newspaper The Observer that he did not plan to return in 2017 for a fifth season while moving on to the next stage of his life.
At one point it appeared defensive line coach Mike Elston would be without both Tillery and Bonner because early speculation in December had Tillery leaning toward turning pro.
Instead, the only transition Elston will have to make with Tillery and Bonner in 2018 is in their positions.
Per Elston, who will be entering his ninth season as an assistant — tying the longest stint at Notre Dame since 1985, with 1988-96 offensive line coach Joe Moore — Bonner will shift to Tillery’s nose tackle slot while Tillery will flip to Bonner’s three-technique to better utilize his skills as a disruptive playmaker.
This past season, Tillery easily paced the Notre Dame linemen in tackles with 56 — Bonner and sophomore Daelin Hayes were tied at second with 30 — and also in tackles for loss (9). Most unusual is he led the team in quarterback hurries (11) and sacks (4.5), which is seldom achieved by a nose tackle, who in some systems is either taken out in pass-rush situations or whose role is to occupy blockers to free up others.
The stamina aspect was especially impressive as Blueandgold.com’s Bryan Driskell had Tillery with 702 snaps, or 54 per game. The defensive line threshold, according to Elston, is generally around 50.
The past season also eliminated questions about whether football was truly important to the globetrotting Tillery’s multi-faceted Renaissance Man persona, or was just another hobby on his dossier.
Elston noted how Tillery’s practice habits changed dramatically in 2017 and how he took a more earnest approach to the game.
“He’s more aggressive,” Elston said. “He plays harder. He’s in my office every day, wanting to watch film. He’s becoming more of a pro at the game of football.”
That didn’t mean the nearly 6-7 and 310-pound Tillery was ready for the pros, and the NFL feedback let him know it, as did Elston and head coach Brian Kelly. Elston in particularly has emphasized the need for Tillery to get wider in his base and enhance his technique so as not to get overpowered or leveraged.
“He knew what I was telling him and what Coach Kelly was telling him was in his best interest,” Elston said. “If he was a first-round draft pick and everybody felt that way, we’d help him pack his bags.”
Elston assembled video to watch and shared with Tillery the specific areas he needed to upgrade. Plus, the long-time assistant had allies in his corner with Tillery’s parents, with whom he’s likewise developed a strong and trusting relationship.
“They wanted what was best for him — and they knew that coming back was what was best for him,” Elston said.
Meanwhile, Bonner took more of a Steve Elmer-like approach to the game. Elmer, who could have been a bona fide NFL prospect, graduated in three years and opted to not return as a senior in 2016 so he could begin his life after football in Washington D.C. with a dream job. Plus, the illness of Bonner’s mother might have prompted some belief that it was time to move on to the working world.
Upon further review … Bonner still had not been rid of football in his system. He had started all 13 games and taken 512 snaps (third to Tillery and Daelin Hayes up front) in 2017. Although he didn’t post glittering numbers, Bonner’s strength and improvement helped anchor the defensive upgrade in the trenches.
Elston emphasized there was no arm-twisting on his part to get Bonner to return. Rather, he served more as a confidant to help him reach his own conclusion on what was best for his, and his family’s, future. The physical grind of an arduous season, combined with the emotional toll of his mother’s illness, perhaps skewed Bonner’s thinking near the end of last season, according to Elston.
“You’re in the middle of the season, you’ve got a broken hand, it’s wrapped up every day, you’re beating your head against Quenton Nelson in practice … it doesn’t sound all that good to come back for another year and do the same thing,” explained Elston of Bonner’s situation.
Another quality campaign from Bonner in 2018 would give him a decent opportunity to potentially cash an NFL paycheck someday. Even if it doesn’t, advancing his education isn’t a negative option.
“His family was on board,” Elston said. “His mom is battling an illness, so he wanted to do the right thing and get a job to help her out. And she said, ‘No, Jonathan … I’ll be fine. I’m not that far away.’
“There’s more football in him. There’s the NFL aspiration and I’m not quite sure it was something he wanted to fully attack. When the physical part started to feel better at the end of the season, he knew he wasn’t done with football. He wanted to come back and make a run at it with the rest of the guys.”
So far, the 2018 defensive theme at Notre Dame has been “many happy returns.”
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