Notre Dame Football: Film Breakdown – Safety/Rover Israel Mukuamu

Notre Dame defensive football staff like Israel Mukuamu at the rover position.

Notre Dame hired new offensive coordinator Mike Elko from Wake Forest after a brutal 2016 season. Elko brought LB coach Clark Lea with him. The two had built many relationships with recruits they had offered for their 4-2-5 defense while in Winston-Salem. Israel Mukuamu is one of them.

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Since then, he moved to SHreveport, Louisiana, home of DT Jerry Tillery, after growing up and playing football in South Carolina. This summer, he will suit up and play for powerhouse Parkway City in Bossier City, a top 20 5A program who return a lot of talent.

Due to Mukuamu’s physical traits, being so tall and long, he told me that his coach plays him at corner when the opposing offense lines up with a tall receiver or flexed tight end.

At cornerback, Mukuamu may lack elite foot speed, but he is fast and his long strides eat up a lot of field, quickly. This makes him able to keep up with receivers with high-end speed. He shows good forward lean which you want to see from defensive backs and looks comfortable, aware and confident.

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Mukuamu, at 6’4, 195-pounds, has an obvious size advantage which creates a noticeable advantage in coverage. His long arms make it easy for him to keep a hand on his receiver and give him a huge reach which is advantageous in terms of reaching the football.

He also looks comfortable and aware in zone schemes. His back pedal and fundamentals that relate to zone coverage look smooth. He makes smart and timely reads and reacts to plays quicker than most.

His quick reactions, combined with his speed and size result in significant collisions when he arrives at the ball. This provides his defense with a defensive back who can come downhill and give solid run support.

Mukuamu needs to continue working on his lean and pad level as plays develop in order to remain poised to change direction and react to the play.

As he matures and takes in good coaching at his new 5A football program in Louisiana, he should improve in these areas and become an even more well-rounded player which is a very important trait at the rover position.

Mukuamu’s run-support is impressive. As he increases his football-IQ with more time spent working on his craft, taking more efficient angles to the football will become more automatic and allow him to be more effective at the rover position.

Mukuamu has a combination of speed, size, and length that allow him to do certain things that other defensive backs can’t. His reach is significant and he also shows a good vertical which allows him to get a hand on the ball or bat down passes even if his positioning isn’t ideal.

At safety, Mukuamu plays the deep half very well. He shows a smooth back peddle and opens his hips quite well for such a tall, rangy athlete.

When playing the run, he breaks down and shortens his steps when he closes on the ball carrier which allows him to react quickly and change direction. He doesn’t seem to get fooled by cuts or agility moves.

He shows flashes of good strength in how he sheds blocks from receivers, tight ends and backs, regardless of their size. This is another reason why I feel Mukuamu is a strong candidate to play the rover at the college level.

Mukuamu’s Parkway teammates also include 5-star receiver, Terrace Marshall, 4-star quarterback, Justin Rogers and other Division 1 bound football players.

As a result, he will be going to work with top talent which will only help him prepare and hone his game more efficiently which will give him a more clear idea of what he’s up against at the next level.

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Because of the talent pool at Parkway, he also told me that he’s receiving more attention than ever as college coaches come through his school regularly to check in on his new teammates. Keep an eye on Israel Mukuamu. He has potential at the rover position at the college level and it sounds like Mike Elko and Clark Lea are well aware his talent.