Too Complex? Brian VanGorder's Defense Tests Young Players
Want an idea of the complexity of Brian VanGorder’s Notre Dame defense?
For junior linebacker Greer Martini, learning it as a freshman was like taking one of his Investment Theory exams and not studying the night before.
“You go in there and practice and maybe know 50 percent of what’s going to happen that day,” Martini said of his freshmen experiences. “You just have to roll with the punches.”
It took two years, Martini said, for him to get a handle on the scheme, which is widely regarded as intricate and complex. He's now expected to start at will linebacker.
The Cary, North Carolina, native, is an upperclassman on a unit that is replacing veteran leaders Joe Schmidt, Jaylon Smith, Matthias Farley and recently-dismissed Max Redfield. The Irish will be breaking in a new wave of impact freshmen, including safety Devin Studstill and defensive end Daelin Hayes.
VanGorder, entering his third season at Notre Dame, was asked at media day whether he’s had any urges to dial back the complexity of his defense or if he’s already seen the payoff.
“We’ve had the payoff of our system in games already,” VanGorder said. “My first year here it was obvious how the system can work. We’ve been a little bit dented at times since then, and we’ve lost some personnel and such at times. The rhythm of it hasn’t been maybe what I was hoping for.”
The defensive coordinator called this defense his “most athletic group overall.”
“I wouldn’t comprise them relative to (the defense) being too big for them,” VanGorder said. “As a matter of fact I asked them the other day, ‘You want to stop install now, is this too much?’ and they all said, ‘No way, let’s keep going.’ They take pride in that.”
VanGorder bragged about a player like senior linebacker James Onwualu, whose knowledge of the game VanGorder called “amazing.”
But there is a fine line, VanGorder said, in not overloading some “high-trait” players.
“There’s guys in the room that you’ve got to be careful with that. If it doesn’t work for a high-trait player that can’t learn, then yeah, we either find his job simple or we cut down schematically with things. We get better and better then we don’t need as much scheme maybe.”
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