SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Al Washington strutted into the post-practice media room on Tuesday, seemingly not a bit concerned about his broken poker face.
Less than a week removed from losing key backup nose guard Gabe Rubio to a broken bone in his left foot for at least the start of the 2024 season, the third-year Notre Dame defensive line coach came gushing with a glut of upbeat storylines.
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None more surprising, from the outside looking in perhaps, than the rise of sophomore nose guard Armel Mukam, and none that was more surprising — and heartening — from Washington’s own vantage point than how grad senior vyper end Jordan Botelho continues to significantly build on his end-of-the-2023-season flourish.
“I came in [during] the summer, and there was a workout going on,” Washington related. “And we [the coaches] were on vacation. But I came in to check the guys out a little bit. I was looking at a guy, and I didn’t know who the hell it was. I got closer, I was like, ‘Oh man!’
“He’s leaned out. He’s leaned out and he’s in phenomenal shape. He’s stronger than he’s ever been. He’s really invested in the playbook. Jordan has done a hell of a job. It starts with him,”
But it doesn’t end there with the Sun Bowl’s Defensive MVP, who had a somewhat quiet 32 tackles, with 4.5 for loss and four sacks, and three QB hurries over 13 games last season.
Even fourth-string option Loghan Thomas, who came in as an early enrollee way undersized (6-4, 205) and missed spring recovering from January shoulder surgery, had Washington spewing superlatives.
“He’s a young buck, but man he’s special,” Washington said. “He had a helluva day today. One of the things we look at, when a tough time comes — like a tough moment in a game or in a series — who makes the next play? He did that today.
“He’s put on about 30 pounds, and he’s fast-fast. Really excited about where he’s going.”
All of which is welcome news considering the vyper position finished spring football with the most unknowns on a defense with not a lot of apparent stress points. The Irish finished last season in the top five nationally in total defense for the first time since 1980, and most of the returning pieces are not only back but trending to be better in 2024.
The Irish get pass rush from throughout the front seven, but the vyper position is designed to excel at it. And they got that kind of elite production from Isaiah Foskey through the 2022 season.
Now it’s a committee, and converted linebacker Junior Tuihalamaka and sophomore Boubacar Traore continue to evolve in step with Botelho’s apparent improvement.
“He’s ready to roll,” Washington said of Traore. “Rip that Band-aid off ’cause he can go. He’s special. He’s a really good player. I’d say the same thing about Junior.
“It’s like Part 3 of a movie. But Part 3 is the best version of the movie—actually sometimes that’s not the case. How about this, it’s like Software. The most up-to-date software.”
Washington anticipates the defensive line rotation going “11 or 12 deep” across the four positions. Here’s a thumbnail of the other defensive line positions, beyond vyper:
INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINE
It starts with All-America nose guard Howard Cross III returning for a sixth year and defensive tackle Rylie Mills coming back for a fifth, with the latter making the annual freaks list put together by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.
Mills ended up at No. 27. Clemson transfer wide receiver Beaux Collins also represented the Irish on the top 100 list, at No. 36 based in part on his 41 ½-inch vertical leap.
“First off, he’s more mature and he's becoming more of a vocal leader,” Washington said of Mills, whose own vertical leap is 38 ½ inches and whose bench press max is 445 pounds. “Like after practice, he’ll get some of the guys together, share some of that wisdom. He's more eager to contribute to progress.
“Like, if he sees something going on, maybe at practice and I'm over here and he's over there, he's going to address it.”
Cross has been more bystander than participant in the first five practices, due to a tight hamstring that Washington is leaning toward being overcautious with at this juncture.
“He can play right now,” Washington said. “Blame me, because he goes hard. You watch him on the field? He’s as hard-playing of a player as you’ll ever see. To be smart about it and help him rest is (the plan).”
Rubio’s absence and Cross’ limitations have given the backups opportunities, with senior Jason Onye and junior Donavan Hinish the next wave, and sophomore Mukam and freshman Cole Mullins behind them and very much in the mix.
“He came in, he was like 250,” Washington said of the 6-3 Mukam, who missed spring practice following January shoulder surgery. “He was a hockey player. He had like two years of football. Gets hurt.
“Man, he changed his body and really embraced the teaching process of learning. He still has a ways to go, but man he’s done an unbelievable job. … I credit our strength staff and our nutrition staff. If you see him, he’s almost 300 pounds, And it’s not bad weight. That is strategic and a sign of his commitment.
“You look at Gabe’s situation, he steps in and didn’t even flinch. I’m really excited about his future.”
FIELD END
Aiden Gobaira’s medical retirement left Washington with three players to man the position — Duke grad transfer RJ Oben, former linebacker and former vyper Josh Burnham and freshman prodigy Bryce Young.
All three have impressed, with Burnham perhaps the most overlooked of the three.
“He is having a hell of a camp and offseason,” Washington said of the one-time high school starting quarterback. “His body is transformed. He’s closer to 260. He’s special.
“The best thing about that, with those three guys you have a level of confidence in them that you can do some good things. Bryce man, he’s physically gifted. He’s intelligent. It means something to him.
“He’s just a guy that has to continue to get out there and continue to learn the game. He’s done a phenomenal job and his ceiling is as high as it is.”
With Oben, the evolution is somewhat similar to what Ohio State grad transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste did last season — transform from a situational pass rusher to become a complete defensive end and a force in the run game.
“One of the selling points to him was you’re not a third-down [specialist] … you’re a football player,” Washington said. “He’s known as a pass-rusher and I think they used him in that capacity, but he’s playing every down for us. There’s a lot that goes into that, and he’s embraced that and made a lot of progress there.”
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