2019 Notre Dame Football Look Ahead: Safeties

Safety was surprisingly a position of great strength for Notre Dame in 2018, and it should only be stronger in 2019. 

Notre Dame fans anxiously awaited the arrival of Alohi Gilman in 2018 after his transfer from Navy and sitting out the 2017 season, and he didn’t disappoint. Next to him was Jalen Elliott, a much-maligned player that improved drastically last season. The duo returns to South Bend this coming year and should lead a terrific secondary that returns all but one starter.

On top of Gilman and Elliott returning, the Irish will also have second year players Houston Griffith, Derrik Allen and Paul Moala waiting in the wings. The former receiving a ton of slot time as a true freshman, and the latter making his mark on special teams. Allen preserved a year of eligibility during his rookie season, but was a highly regarded recruit out of Georgia.

Joining those five are five-star safety Kyle Hamilton — also from Georgia — and Litchfield Ajavon. Ajavon is the type of athlete that gets overlooked due to a smaller frame and athletic traits. That said, if he has a career similar to Matthias Farley, it should come as no surprise.

Leaving Notre Dame are seniors Nick Coleman and Nicco Fertitta, while the future of senior to be Devin Studstill is up in the air. He should have his degree by semester’s end, and a grad transfer has been rumored. At the moment, he provides quality depth and experience if Notre Dame needs to play someone in a pinch.

Nathan’s Take 

This is a group to be very excited about in 2019. Alohi Gilman is one of the best safeties in the country and should be a captain for the Irish this coming fall. He will be the heart and soul of the Notre Dame defense. Jalen Elliott showed a knack for being around the football in 2017, but couldn’t convert that into turnovers. In 2018, that all changed. Elliott was a raw athlete coming out of the Virginia high school ranks, but his ceiling was high. A big year is expected from this duo.

In 2018, Notre Dame solved the starting safety problem. In 2019, they will look to solve the depth issue. Last year, if Gilman or Elliott went down, it would have been an issue. However, with safety recruiting turning the corner, Notre Dame is in better position to handle injury and provide rest to its starters. Enter Houston Griffith, Paul Moala, Derrik Allen and Kyle Hamilton. Griffith and Hamilton are versatile enough to receive time in the slot and/or safety, while Moala and Allen could probably play closer to the line of scrimmage if need be. The varying level of traits should provide Notre Dame with a ton of balance in the back end of their 2019 defense. If Devin Studstill is on the roster come fall, he is another guy who will help.

Incoming freshman Litchfield Ajavon is likely a red-shirt or designated to special teams only in 2019, but his future as a thumper in the Irish secondary next to Kyle Hamilton is exciting to dream about.

Mason’s Take 

Taking a look at the free safety position, there is no doubt that Alohi Gilman is the starter. The former Navy transfer absolutely transcended the Notre Dame secondary last season. Gilman’s impact can not be understated. After being forced to sit out in 2017 due to an NCAA ruling, I am definitely “not” still bitter about it.

Gilman made the free safety position his own in 2018. Last season, in 13 games played, Gilman tallied 94 tackles (58 solo), two forced fumbles, two interceptions and defended five passes. He is the definition of a big-game player and has become a fan favorite in his short time at Notre Dame. He sealed the win and undefeated season at USC with a key forced fumble, had two key interceptions against No.12 Syracuse that turned the game on its head and led the team in tackles in the loss against Clemson.

Simply put, there isn’t much Gilman can’t do.

Looking past Gilman on the depth chart, you’ll find senior Devin Studstill. Studstill has been massively underwhelming in his Notre Dame career thus far. After only appearing in three games last season, it is been widely reported that Studstill will look to complete a grad-transfer for the 2019 football season. At this point in his career, you can’t blame him. Studstill needs to be at a place where he can make an impact and Notre Dame is probably not it.

More likely to be Gilman’s backup this season is Kyle Hamilton. A 5-star recruit out of Atlanta, no one should be surprised if Hamilton sees A LOT of the field this season. Ranked as the No.1 safety and No.15 overall player in the 2019 class, there is no doubt that Clark Lea will struggle to keep Hamilton on the sidelines. Hamilton chose the Irish over huge programs such as Clemson, Georgia, Auburn, Michigan and Ohio State. At 6’3″, 190 lbs, Kyle Hamilton is a freak athlete with the frame and potential to be the best safety Notre Dame has seen in its history. After watching his film, it makes sense why he is constantly likened to Harrison Smith.

After Gilman, Studstill (?) and Hamilton, you’ll find Paul Moala. The sophomore has yet to be featured on the Notre Dame defense in his young career and has mainly been a special teams guy thus far. Unless there are injury problems at free safety in 2019, it is likely Moala will remain a special teams guy this season.

At strong safety, Jalen Elliott will likely be the starter come Week 1. I have my reservations and opinions about Elliott and no one should be shocked if the man behind him on the depth chart currently, Derrik Allen, starts over him as the year goes on. Elliott is prone to mistakes and at times he drives Notre Dame fans (myself included) up the wall. Whiffs on tackles, missing assignments, being to slow to recognize various schemes — you name it. Elliott is a solid player with a good nose for the ball, but Allen is the guy that has potential and should be getting playing time over Elliott. Expect to see Allen take over by Week 3 at Georgia.

Allen was a 4-star recruit ranked as the No. 9 overall safety and 108th overall player in the 2018 class according to 247sports.

Third on the strong safety depth chart is freshman commit Litchfield Ajavon. The 4-star and No.19 safety in the 2019 class chose Notre Dame over offers from Clemson and Georgia. Standing at 6’0″, 190 lbs, Ajavon has the frame and speed to be elite at safety for the Irish in the future, but not now. Expect to see strength coach Matt Balis add some muscle onto Ajavon this season and expect to see him potentially earn special teams time.

Predictions and Expectations for 2019

Nathan: As mentioned above, I fully expect safety to be a major strength for Notre Dame in 2019. Gilman and Elliott comprise one of the better combos in the country, and the depth is as talented as ever under Brian Kelly. Clark Lea and Terry Joseph have this position group in a great place moving forward.

Mason: Safety will interesting to watch this season. Both spots have guys that more than capable of being very productive starters, while also having talented youth behind them. Production should be similar to last season, if not a bit greater.