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Notre Dame Football: Drew White will benefit from Marcus Freeman

By Brad Weiss

ATHENS, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Drew White #40 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts in the second half while playing the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 21: Drew White #40 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts in the second half while playing the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Marcus Freeman has arrived in South Bend with a ton of hype, and rightfully so, as he was one of the more sought-after defensive coordinator candidates the last two years. Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly got his man, as he was the team’s No. 1 target to take over for Clark Lea, and he now inherits a defense that has lost some star power.

One area where they lost elite talent is at linebacker, where rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah played his way to a first-round billing in the 2021 NFL Draft. Though JOK is gone, the Irish do return their middle linebacker, who should benefit greatly from the arrival of Freeman as defensive coordinator.

Not only is Freeman an elite coordinator, but his specialty is the linebackers, and he was even offered the linebacker coach position for the Tennessee Titans after the 2019 college football season. He is going to get the very best out of this Irish defense this season, and he will have a monster at middle linebacker.

Notre Dame football returns Drew White at linebacker

Linebacker Drew White will return to anchor the Notre Dame defense in 2021. Last season, White racked up nearly 60 tackles, including nine for a loss, and was able to be solid against the run and the pass.

He also notched two passes defended and quarterback hurries, and in 2021, he is going to be expected to lead what could be a very young linebacker group with multiple incoming freshmen, including Prince Kollie, who has the skill to start as a true freshman.

Guys like Shayne Simon, Marist Liufau, Jack Kiser, and Isaiah Pryor also return in 2021, so there is a lot of experience in the group at linebacker as well. With Freeman at the helm, this group could be special.

Next. Notre Dame Football: 5 observations of the 2021 recruiting class. dark

Notre Dame football brought in a top-10 recruiting class, has been to the College Football Playoff twice in the last three years, and has veteran talent on both sides of the ball. Sure, they are losing a bunch of quality players, but White is going to make sure the defense comes ready to play every time they hit the field

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