Notre Dame Football 2019 Look Ahead: Linebacker
A position of real strength over the past few seasons for Notre Dame has a few question marks heading into the 2019 season. Does Notre Dame have another Jaylon Smith or Manti Te’o within its current squad?
Traditionally Notre Dame has not been a school that consistently recruits top-notch linebacker talent. However, the past few seasons have seen the Irish get some great recruits that have turned into NFL-caliber talent. Guys like Jaylon Smith, Manti Te’o and the now NFL-bound Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill are — or will be — stars in the NFL.
Losing Coney and Tranquill will hurt the Irish, but there are a couple guys that Notre Dame fans should be very eager to see more of come 2019. Overall, there is a great amount of depth at the linebacker position in 2019.
Mason’s Take:
Mike Linebackers: The depth chart, which isn’t exactly crystal clear just yet, appears to look something like this: Bo Bauer/Jonathan Jones, Jack Lamb, JD Bertrand and Osita Ekwonu. It looks to be between the exciting sophomore Bo Bauer and senior Jonathan Jones for the starting spot.
Jonathan Jones, as a senior, will most likely start Week 1 against Louisville. Jones came in as a highly-touted recruit out of Orlando, Florida with a lot of potential. He has had an underwhelming career at Notre Dame thus far, mainly due to the studs that were in front of him (Coney, Tranquill). It shouldn’t shock anyone if Jones has a breakout season, as he has the tools to do so. It may be his position to lose come spring practice and he will have to work hard to keep it that way. Bo Bauer and Jack Lamb are very talented underclassmen that will be chomping at the bit to get playing time.
Bauer is a guy Irish fans should be excited about. He comes into this team as a hungry youngster with a lot to prove. A 4-star recruit according to 247sports.com, Bauer did not see a ton of action as a freshman last season as he appeared in just 5 games and totalled 10 tackles (7 solo). However, by sitting back and watching guys like Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill last season, Bauer earned plenty of valuable knowledge from two of the best defensive players in recent Notre Dame history. Expect Bauer to be a solid contributor to this Notre Dame defense, with plenty of upside.
Jack Lamb is another sophomore with ridiculous potential. After redshirting last season, Lamb is ready to make an impact on this Notre Dame squad. He may be the most talented in this very skilled group of Mike linebackers. Lamb is a 4-star recruit out of Temecula, California and is ranked as the No.99 overall prospect according to 247sports.com. Lamb has the size, build and speed to be elite for Notre Dame. He is the player with the most potential in this position group, no doubt about it.
Lastly, JD Bertrand and Osita Ekwonu. Both of these guys figure to play valuable special teams roles as well as key backups if anything were to happen to the guys above them. Both are supremely talented and are guys to keep an eye on as we look forward to the 2020 and 2021 seasons.