Notre Dame Football Exit Interviews: Jaylon Smith

Notre Dame football is losing arguably the most talented linebacker in the program’s history. Will a cupboard stocked with young linebacker talent be able to produce an adequate replacement?

Considering the 2015-2016 college football season has finally come to a close and underclassmen have officially declared for the 2016 NFL Draft, Slap the Sign presents its “Exit Interviews,” where we review the players leaving the program, what they’re leaving behind and taking with them, and how Notre Dame plans on replacing their production and experience.

Jaylon Smith, OLB

Production at ND

When recruiting experts talk about instant-impact, elite prospects, they’re talking about players like Jaylon Smith. Possibly the best recruit in his 2013 high school class, Smith came to Notre Dame as the perfect specimen at linebacker, combining size, strength, and sideline-to-sideline speed with intelligence and undeniable leadership. As a freshman in 2013, Smith worked his way into the starting lineup and finished the season with 67 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, 4 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

Over the next two seasons, Smith developed physically and mentally and continued to improve as a player that opposing offenses had to strategize around. His sophomore season in 2014 saw him accumulate 112 tackles (led the team), 9 of them for a loss, to go with 3.5 sacks and 7 QB hurries. His 2015 season was even better, as Smith finished with the team lead in tackles again (114), adding 1 sack, 9 tackles for loss, 5 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries.

Aside from statistics, Smith also played a huge role in simply compensating for weaknesses elsewhere in the defense, as his range and ability to shed blocks and run down running backs and receivers saved the defense on several occasions from giving up even bigger plays. Also apart from statistics, intangibles need to be brought up with regards to Jaylon Smith. He was named a captain as a junior, which is already impressive, and it was clear in watching him interact with teammates and coaches how much of a positive, determined, smart leader he was for the 2015 squad.

What His Departure Means

This is, far and away, the biggest loss for the Notre Dame football program this year. Jaylon Smith was not only one of the absolute best athletes in the country, but he was also a fantastic leader and teammate who was constantly making his teammates better (and cleaning up their messes when they made mistakes). His production alone, in terms of tackles, will be difficult to replace, but even more so, it will be very hard for defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder to find players who can replicate Smith’s speed, coverage ability, and instincts.

Jaylon entering the 2016 NFL Draft was really no surprise after the 3 years he had at ND, and absolutely no one could blame him for leaving, especially after the injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl. However, it doesn’t change the fact that he will be borderline impossible to replace and that the Irish defense will be much less talented and athletic and generally less effective than they have been the past few years (which is a scary thought).

Who Will Step In?

Rising sophomore Te’von Coney seems to be the heir apparent, considering he got some playing time behind Smith in 2015 and filled in for him after he went down against Ohio State. Coney brings a lot of athleticism to the position, which will certainly help, but we have not seen enough of him to see if he can be as strong in pass coverage or in making reads and running down ball carriers as Smith was. If Coney can even come somewhat close to mimicking some of the things Smith could do, it would be immensely beneficial to the Irish defense in 2016. Other young linebackers could help as well, including Asmar Bilal, Josh Barajas, and incoming freshman Daelin Hayes. Time will tell if any of them will be able to have an impact anywhere close to the one Jaylon was able to have, though.

Favorite Personal Memory from Jaylon’s Career

This is tough. Jaylon made innumerable fantastic plays in his three seasons at Notre Dame, and there are even more plays that he makes look routine when in actuality they would be phenomenal plays for anyone of lesser talent to make.

So, I’m gonna pick a few highlight videos and a couple other moments because who doesn’t love watching Jaylon highlights, and how could I pick just one of these plays?

Freshman Year Highlight Mix (picked this one obviously because it uses the best nickname that never truly caught on for Jaylon but still should, “Murder Train”):

Sophomore Year Highlight Mix:

Jaylon crushing Texas in 2015

I couldn’t find a video of it, but Jaylon making 15 tackles against Stanford this year and serving as a huge reason that the defense held Heisman runner-up Christian McCaffrey in check showed just how spectacular he was in his last full game at Notre Dame.

And finally, Jaylon doing an interview with Lou Holtz, automatically creating a video that Irish fans will cherish forever (talk about Notre Dame football star power):

I could go on and on about Jaylon Smith, the two-time All-American linebacker who was unblockably strong and blazing fast, incredibly articulate and a fantastic emotional leader. However, I will stop now and just say that, despite his leg injury in the Fiesta Bowl that may end up costing him some initial money by hurting his draft stock, I have absolutely no doubt that a healthy Jaylon Smith will be an All-Pro linebacker for years to come, anchoring a Super Bowl-caliber NFL defense for a long time.

An incredible player, person, and leader, Jaylon Smith will certainly go down as an all-time great, even if none of the ND teams he played on were elite. Good luck Jaylon, and get well soon!