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How Notre Dame Will Replace Julian Okwara

During the preseason, there was consensus acknowledgement that defensive end was hands down the best all-around single position on the Notre Dame team when combining experience, production and especially quality depth.

It was so strong that the coaching staff was discussing red-shirting a fifth senior, Jamir Jones, just to return more experience for the unit in 2020.

Freshman Isaiah Foskey is one of several candidates who could still help at end to close out this season.
Freshman Isaiah Foskey is one of several candidates who could still help at end to close out this season. (Mike Miller)
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Jones had played 206 snaps as a junior for the 2018 College Football Playoff team — yet was the fifth option behind starting captains Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara, plus potential future NFL prospects in Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji.

That role quickly changed for Jones this year when Hayes tore his labrum during the Sept. 28 victory versus Virginia. Because that was only the fourth game this season, Hayes is eligible to return for a fifth season in 2020, which he already indicated he plans to do. Hayes now took on Jones’ “role” while Jones became Hayes as the “third starter” along the edge.

Now Jones is the probable drop end starter after Okwara, who has appeared in several 2020 mock drafts as a potential first-round selection, also was ruled out the remainder of this season because of a fractured fibula suffered during Saturday night’s 38-7 victory at Duke.

Having played the full allotment of games all four of his seasons, Okwara is not eligible to apply for a fifth year, and finished his senior campaign with 18 tackles, six for loss (four of them quarterback sacks), two forced fumbles and seven quarterback hurries, second only to Kareem’s eight.

What’s notable is Jones in fewer snaps has almost identical stats: 17 tackles, six for loss (four sacks) and two forced fumbles. His hurries are only two, although he did make the game-changing forced fumble on Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins.

Kareem and Ogundeji remain the top two figures on the strong side, with Kareem’s 31 tackles leading all linemen, his 4.5 sacks pacing the team, and his seven tackles for loss tied for second, behind only junior Mike linebacker Drew White’s eight.

Ogundeji’s 19 tackles are the second most among the Irish linemen this year, and he too would be capable of a swing role on either side, a la Hayes.

The first three ends remain a veteran, proven group, although perhaps not possessing the sheer speed of the edge such as an Okwara or Hayes, with the latter combining next year with Ogundeji as fifth-year mainstays along the perimeter.

Comprising the next three likely will be sophomores Ovie Oghoufo (6-3, 230) and Justin Ademilola (6-2, 250) at drop and strong side end, respectively, with freshman Isaiah Foskey (6-5, 250) the wild card in sub-packages.

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Oghoufo began asserting his presence during the spring after originally enrolling as a linebacker prospect. This and next season are ideal times for his apprenticeship behind the veterans as it is for the stockier Ademilola, the twin brother of Irish sophomore defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola.

Other than freshman safety Kyle Hamilton, there might not be underclassmen on the current Notre Dame roster who passes the eye test better than Foskey. He possesses both the prototype range and quickness — he also was a highly coveted tight end recruit — to the point where the coaching staff has debated all year about whether or not to use him more than four games and burn a redshirt year.

Because of the injury to Okwara, Foskey played his third games this season this past weekend while working in the nickel package.

“We want to be judicious with him,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “We have to decide when to use that fourth game. … He's a backup in our nickel, so we had to use them when Julian went down.

"We'll make a decision as a staff as to whether we will need him this weekend (versus Navy) and maybe decide to save that for either Boston College or Stanford.”

If Foskey becomes as good as the staff believes he can be, concerning oneself about a fifth year is as impertinent as it was for Okwara and Kareem back in 2016.

Currently on the mind of the staff is not so much who can provide a pass rush but who can consistently hold and dominate the edge against two of the nation’s premier running teams the next two weeks.

Navy (7-1) far and away leads the nation with a 357.9 average in rushing offense with its vaunted triple-option attack. Boston College (5-5) arrives the next weekend with a power-based attack that is fourth in rushing at 282.2 yards per game.

The still veteran edge still has enough proven experience, along with rising underclassmen, to provide ends to a means.

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