Notre Dame’s (Defensive) Ends To A Means

Whatever future alignment Notre Dame’s defense takes, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly wants at least one cardinal rule: “It’s really about the players, not the particular scheme. So we’re fitting the players to the scheme, not the scheme to the players.”

He didn’t want to, nor need to, expand upon that. It’s a major reason why an unprecedented change for Notre Dame at defensive coordinator was made at the one-third mark of the 2016 season. As the campaign progresses, Kelly said the bulk of his days will be spent with the defense.

“I’m going to be there quite a bit and I would think that’s going to be the case most of the year,” Kelly said during his weekly Tuesday afternoon conference. “There’s just a lot of decisions that still need to be made and quite frankly I need to continue to just see the overall workings of the defense and the personalities and the players. We’re playing a lot of players that I want to continue to evaluate.”

In his seven seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly already has played a record 13 freshmen this season, 10 of who are on defense. While the bulk of them are in the secondary, two of the more intriguing fits for now and especially the future are listed defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Julian Okwara. They fit the profile of what has been a rarity for the Fighting Irish over the past decade: speed rusher.

Listed at 6-3½, 250 pounds, Hayes arrived with the most fanfare as a five-star prospect, but a history of shoulder problems and other matters limited him to playing about seven high school games the past three seasons. He displayed his first “flash” against Michigan State when he ran comfortably in drop-back coverage against tight end Josiah Price and tipped a pass intended for him, resulting in an interception by safety classmate Devin Studstill.

Hayes unofficially took 32 snaps in the loss to the Spartans and 49 the next week in another setback (Duke). Last weekend against Syracuse, Kelly employed more of a three-man front that allowed junior Jay Hayes (no relation) to play more, while the younger Hayes and junior Andrew Trumbetti tag-teamed. All three were credited with 23 snaps, per BlueandGold.com football reporter Matt Jones.

“I’ve always liked the balance of the three-man front,” Kelly said. “It will be part of what we do — it won’t be all of what we do.”

And therein is where the versatility of the freshmen Hayes and Okwara — also listed at end despite his relatively light 6-3½, 228-pound frame — will be needed. They can be outside linebackers in a three-man front or ends in a more even front while not getting pigeonholed into one defined role.

“They’re going to be hybrid players,” Kelly said. “They’re guys that are going to eventually be big enough to do both. They’ll be that speed end and that rush player that will be able to do both for us.

“They’re athletic enough to get in space, they can put their hand down and come off the edge, they can take a tackle on and not get reached. So they’ve got some unique skills that we like and the ability to play three down and four down.”

Hayes is a rangier version of 2010-13 end/linebacker Prince Shembo, who was 6-1½, 258. Okwara is a little lighter than older brother Romeo was at Notre Dame from 2012-15 — and now with the New York Giants — when he enrolled at 6-4, 240 as an outside linebacker before growing to 270. Hayes might fit the latter growth better than Okwara down the road, at least from how it appears in the present.

“He’s a solid 245 right now, 246, and he didn’t lift at all because of his shoulder,” Kelly said of Hayes. “He’s going to be a 260-pound guy playing next year, easily. So I could see him being in the 270 range. He’s going to be a big hybrid.”

Meanwhile, a third freshman, Jamir Jones, is grooming to be captain James Onwualu’s replacement at Sam linebacker next season. At 6-2½, 225 pounds, Jones’ frame won’t reach the girth of older brother and fifth-year senior nose guard Jarron Jones, but he could also morph into a hybrid figure.

“He’s skilled enough to play Sam, but you should see them run down the field on the kickoff team,” Kelly said of Jones and Okwara. “They’re down there. Pretty fun to watch those guys.”

With Kelly’s attention shifted more toward defense now, there will be plenty of time to keep watching.

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