Notre Dame Football: Linebacker Position Will be Focal Point of Spring Game

Notre Dame football hosts its annual Blue-Gold Spring Game on Saturday and the linebacker position will be under great scrutiny in the game.

For the Notre Dame football team, figuring out the linebacker position will be crucial to Clark Lea’s defense having similar success to last season. And if you’re like me, you’re probably having a difficult time trying to sort through all the potential combinations of the Irish linebackers.

Here’s what we know so far:

First of all, Notre Dame has three “linebacker” positions: The Mike, the Buck, and the Rover (a linebacker-safety hybrid position). The only constant among Notre Dame linebackers is Asmar Bilal, who played the Rover position last year. Bilal, however, will have a different position in the Irish defense in 2019.

Initially slated to play the Buck linebacker position, Bilal seems to be holding down the fort at the other linebacker position, the Mike.

Which leaves Notre Dame’s other linebacker position, the Buck, open for competition.  Right now, the position could be played by a host of Irish linebackers. Jordan Genmark Heath was second on the depth chart at the position last season after making the switch from safety. However, given that no second-string linebacker got any real game experience last season, it is safe to say that the competition is still open. Is fellow sophomore Jack Lamb in the mix? Could sophomore Shayne Simon step inside?

Jack Lamb has impressed the Irish coaching staff this spring, but it’s hard to parse through what that means for his playing future in 2019. The idea has been floated that Lamb could find himself on the field in passing situations, while the more experienced Genmark Heath could play on running downs. Simon could find himself in the mix on running downs as well, but others have speculated that he could play on the outside at Rover.

Confused yet?

And then, finally, there is the aforementioned Rover position that was occupied by Bilal last season. Right now, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been the guy getting the most time, followed by Paul Moala, but both of those two guys are undersized, at least compared to the past two to play the rover position: Bilal and Drue Tranquill. If Genmark Heath or Simon are bounced from serious linebacker consideration, could one of them find themselves at Rover? Maybe. But much like the rest of the linebacking corps, there is plenty that remains up in the air as spring ball draws to a close.

The linebacking situation will be one that will continue to be assessed and monitored well into fall camp and leading up to the opening game at Louisville. The best situation for the Irish would be for one or two guys to really step up and leave the others behind, but admittedly, I have no idea who that might be. Let’s hope someone figures it out soon.