Notre Dame Football: 3 Players to Watch on the South Florida Defense

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TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 12: Head coach Jeff Scott of the South Florida Bulls looks on from the sideline during the first quarter against the Citadel Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on September 12, 2020 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Antonio Grier – Linebacker (Junior)

Grier increased his role in 2019 – making 6 total starts. He finished with 58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Now entrenched at Middle Linebacker, Grier tallied 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, and a fumble forced in South Florida’s opener against the Citadel.

At 6’1″ 222lbs., he is a fairly small Linebacker but this allows him to use his speed to rush the Quarterback. Grier was first on the team in sacks in 2019 and continued his pass rushing prowess in their opener against the Citadel. Notre Dame needs to account for him on third downs. With Notre Dame Running Backs Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree struggling with pass protection against Duke, they may need to pay special attention to Grier.

Due to his size, Notre Dame may be able to take advantage with its Offensive Line and Tight Ends in the running game. The Irish need to establish their physicality from the beginning. Notre Dame needs to rush for over 250 yards if they want to demonstrate that the offense has the ability to dominate. In retrospect, the 2017 team ran for 422 yards against Temple, another American Athletic Conference team.

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