Is Joe Schmidt Ready To Help Lead Notre Dame To A Winning Season?
By Walt Kosin
Many story lines will form later this summer as the Fighting Irish prepare for the upcoming season. One of the more important ones will be the medical progress of Joe Schmidt. This lightly recruited, undersized linebacker has overcome many challenges to become the middle linebacker for Notre Dame. Can he play as well this year a severe leg injuries? Let’s find out about the player and the man Notre Dame fans have come to admire.
Joe Schmidt graduated form Mater Dei High School in Orange County, California. He was a three year starter at Mater Dei and recorded over 220 tackles in his career. He made all conference and all county teams his senior year and was the team’s MVP. The quarterback on his team was Max Wittek, who played at Southern Cal. Former Notre Dame quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte also attended Mater Dei.
Because of his lack of size (6’0”, 225 lbs.), he was not heavily recruited by many Division I schools. He did have scholarship offers from the Air Force Academy and Cincinnati, and preferred walk-on offers from some PAC 12 reams including Southern Cal.
Joe Schmidt chose to go to Notre Dame as a preferred walk-on. One of his sisters was a scholarship athlete at Notre Dame and Joe went to visit her. It was during those early years of his life that he fell in love with Notre Dame and wanted to play football for the Fighting Irish. He enrolled in 2011 and never saw the field his freshman season. In the 2012 season, Schmidt saw action in all 13 games, mostly on special teams. In 2013, Schmidt played more on defense even though he was not a starter.
Last season, Schmidt became the starting middle linebacker. He made an immediate impact in the opening game against Rice, leading the team with eight tackles. Schmidt had at least seven tackles in the next seven games, including 11 against North Carolina. He had eight tackles in the second quarter against Navy, then suffered a season ending ankle injury. At that time, the Fighting Irish were 7-1, suffering their only loss the week before against Florida State.
What came next is something Fighting Irish fans will never forget. The Notre Dame defense, which in the first eight games allowed about 19 points per game, gave up 44 points per game in the last four regular season games, losing all of them.
What made Joe Schmidt such a great linebacker? It’s a combination of his very high intellect along with his underestimated athleticism. Schmidt has a full understanding of the Notre Dame defense and the coaching staff trusts him enough to allow him to reposition other players before the snap.
His athleticism is shown with how well he runs the field sideline to sideline. He’s also a sure-handed tackler who locks up the ball carrier and consistently brings him down. His football prowess culminated with him winning the Most Valuable Player award for the 2014 season.
As great as Schmidt is as a football player, he is a much better person. He is a man of deep spiritual faith. His faith is complimented by the good works he does in the community. He is a high character leader on the Notre Dame team. When he suffered his injuries in the Navy game, he became a coach to the other defensive players, especially Nyles Morgan, for the rest of the season.
With summer camp only a few weeks away, let’s hope that Schmidt is fully recovered from his injuries. His character, leadership, and play at linebacker will be part of a foundation that will lead the Fighting Irish to a great football season.