Notre Dame Football: Potential Breakout Stars at Linebacker

Notre Dame football is returning a depleted linebacker corps this fall. What candidates are poised to break out at the position for the Irish?

With the losses of Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill to the NFL Draft, Notre Dame football will need at least one young linebacker break out and prove himself this fall.

Notre Dame has recruited very well at the linebacker position as of late, but recruiting only means so much. These guys need to come out and prove they belong,  as there are nearly no truly experienced linebackers on the roster at the moment. Asmar Bilal returns as the only “starter,” but even he is inexperienced at the inside linebacker position after playing the Rover position last year.

That leaves a young core of Bo Bauer, Jordan Genmark Heath, Shayne Simon, Jack Lamb and Jeramiah Owusu-Koramoah.

Who among them is going to breakout this fall? Let’s find out.

Bo Bauer: Bauer is one of the lesser talked about linebackers due to the hype surrounding Shayne Simon and Jack Lamb in recent weeks, but he is not one to forget about. The sophomore will battle with the aforementioned Lamb to start at the Mike linebacker position. Bauer offers a different skill set than Lamb, so it will be interesting to see who gets the nod Week 1 against Louisville. The Blue & Gold game should be a very telling sign of who will be getting more playing time this fall. Bauer is a much more physical linebacker and is a very hard hitter — something Notre Dame may need with its previous “thumper” Te’von Coney now gone.

Jordan Genmark Heath: ‘JGH’ had a disappointing season in his move from safety to linebacker last season, but great things should be expected of him this season. It’s tough to tell exactly where he will play this season, as there has been a ton of movement at the Mike, Buck, and Rover linebacker positions. Wherever he ends up, Genmark Heath’s impact will be felt on the field. A former safety, JGH is very speedy for the linebacker position and he uses that to his advantage. Depending on what the Irish coaches decide to do with Shayne Simon, it looks like Genmark Heath will begin this season at the Buck linebacker position. He has the versatility to play any linebacker position, thus why we believe he has a great chance to be a breakout player this fall.

Shayne Simon: Now, possibly the most talked about linebacker this offseason — Shayne Simon. Expectations are through the roof for Simon at Notre Dame. There is so much hype surrounding his name that it was obvious to make him a candidate for breakout linebacker. Another former safety, Simon’s speed, athleticism and agility provides the Notre Dame defense with a lot of options this fall. Simon moved from safety to the rover position initially, but it hasn’t exactly been the fit that both the Irish coaching staff and Simon saw. The Rover position is not an easy one to pick up and learn — hence why Notre Dame has recruited specific types of players for it in the past. Realistically, Simon is athletic enough to play wherever the ND coaching staff wants him. He is the No.1 candidate to breakout at the linebacker position and it really isn’t close. Wherever he ends up, Simon will make a major impact.

Jack Lamb: A name that has received a ton of hype recently is the redshirt sophomore Jack Lamb. Lamb is currently fighting for the starting spot at the Mike linebacker position alongside fellow sophomore Bo Bauer. While Bauer is more physical than Lamb, there is no doubt that Lamb has much more potential. The Notre Dame coaching staff simply cannot say enough positive things about Lamb and his development this offseason. Standing at 6’4″, 227 lbs, Lamb is a great size to play the Mike position and combined with his immense athleticism — that is the recipe for a breakout linebacker. With the Blue & Gold Game coming up next Saturday, Lamb should be on top of your list of players to watch. He has the ability to burst onto the scene QUICKLY. He, behind Simon, has the next best chance to breakout and become a star at Notre Dame.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah: Last, but definitely not least is Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. ‘JOK’ is another guy who has received a ton of praise from Notre Dame coaches this spring. He looks to be the frontrunner to start at the Rover position, given how it appears the Rover did not workout for Shayne Simon. As a junior, Owusu-Koramoah needs to make his mark now or he may move on from the Notre Dame program. He has all the potential to breakout, it just has not happened for him at ND just yet. Expect to see him working quite a bit at the rover with the first-string starting defense at the Blue & Gold Game. As stated above, the Rover position is a difficult one to learn so it will be interesting to see if Ian Book and the revamped ND offense can test JOK and the new guys on defense.