One-On-One With Notre Dame DC Clark Lea - Part IV - Defensive Backs
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Clark Lea is looking to build on his team’s 2018 success, which was his first in charge of the Irish defense.
Last season the Notre Dame secondary was one of the best in the nation, finishing in the top 10 nationally in pass efficiency defense, yards allowed per pass attempt and yards allowed per pass completion.
Despite the loss of All-American cornerback Julian Love, the Irish are expected to have a talented starting lineup, but there is a major question at the second cornerback spot. There are also questions about the depth at safety.
In Part IV of our exclusive one-on-one interview with Lea, the Irish coordinator talks about the young members of the Irish secondary.
(Note: Here is Part I, Part II and Part III of this interview)
BGI: Sophomore corners Houston Griffith and TaRiq Bracy are very different players but both are listed at the same field boundary position. How can that pair both fit in at that position?
Clark Lea: “We spent the duration of spring kind of playing left and right corner, which allowed guys to get reps doing both things. Certainly they can complement each other, they can be on the field at the same time. We have flexibility with them.
“The hash marks matter in college. What we do in the boundary is a little bit different from what we do in the field. The space is different, how fast things get on you, your ability to play in the run game is different. There are unique skills sets, but when you’re in a coverage situation or if a game plan leans a certain way, we can utilize those guys. And then what we did last year with [Julian] Love is we started to play three corners on third down and bring him in to cover the slot receivers. There’s going to be flexibility to do that stuff, too.
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