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Notre Dame Football: Marcus Freeman has veteran group of LBs in 2021

By Brad Weiss

Nov 27, 2020; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell (7) is sacked by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (35) and linebacker Drew White (40) in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2020; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Sam Howell (7) is sacked by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (35) and linebacker Drew White (40) in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame Football LB Bo Bauer. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Notre Dame Football LB Bo Bauer. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /

Notre Dame Football: Marcus Freeman has a veteran group of LBs in 2021

Depth and True Freshmen

Behind Kiser, White, and Liufau are not only solid players, but veteran guys, and defensive talent that could be in the mix for starting jobs before all is said and done. White is going to be the middle linebacker for the Irish, but Bo Bauer and JD Bertrand both got experience last season, and are expected to play a bigger role in 2021.

Behind Kiser at the Rover spot is currently Isaiah Pryor and Paul Moala, with Shayne Simon backing up Liufau on the outside. All three of these guys are veteran guys, and it would not be surprising to see any one of them make a big play on either defense, or on special teams this season, leading to a turnover, or big play for this defense.

Looking at some fresh faces, two linebackers join the fold in 2021 in Prince Kollie and Kahanu Kia. Kollie has the skill set to be a very special player when all is said and done, joining this Irish team as one of the top players in the country, a four-star guy who ranked by rivals247 as the No. 145 player in all of America during the 2021 recruiting cycle.

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We have already seen this Spring that there is going to be a heavy rotation for the Irish at the linebacker spot, and Freeman has a nice blend of versatility to work with in Year 1. If the Irish are to do anything of substance this season, the defense has to play at the same level they did in 2020, where they were one of the best units in all of college football.

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