How concerned is Marcus Freeman with the size of Notre Dame’s interior defensive line?
After a fourth consecutive year holding opponents under 20 points, the Notre Dame defense returns 69 percent of its production from last season, including a few big names in the front seven like Vyper Isaiah Foskey. The EDGE position seems to be in very good shape.
There is a little less certainty for the 2022 team with the interior defensive line, as both nose tackle Kurt Hinish and tackle Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa are going pro. Head coach Marcus Freeman, defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive line coach Al Washington are tasked with replacing the captains, who recorded a total of 37 tackles for loss and 13 sacks over their careers.
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The coaches have options, but there are questions about the size of said possibilities, especially after the loss of 6-3, 310-pound interior lineman Aidan Keanaaina to an ACL tear. How concerned is Freeman?
“Not one bit at all,” the first-year head coach told reporters on Saturday. “I’m telling you, Howard Cross is really tough to block with some really good offensive linemen. Jacob Lacey is really tough to block. Gabe Rubio is continuing to improve. Jason Onye is improving. You haven’t even seen Jayson Ademilola. I am not worried one bit about our interior defensive line.”
Cross made two starts last season at nose tackle against Wisconsin and Cincinnati while Hinish was dealing with an injury and finished the year with 330 snaps per Pro Football Focus. To compare, Hinish had 388, and Lacey had 164.
Regarding size, Cross and Lacey are a bit smaller than Hinish, who is just a touch under 6-2 and weighs 300 pounds. Both Cross and Lacey weigh in at 275, and Cross is 6-1 while Lacey is 6-1 ⅝ according the Notre Dame roster.
Who else is available?
Cross or Lacey is the expected starter at nose tackle, and Ademilola, who is out for the spring, is the expected starter at the other interior position. He played 592 snaps last season, the most of any defensive lineman, and earned the fifth-best defensive grade on the team from PFF.
Outside of those three upperclassman, who might crack the two-deep and get a fair amount of playing time?
Freeman cited Rubio and Onye above as they embark on their second year with the program. Onye, who is 6-5 and 289 pounds, did not see the field as a freshman. Rubio, who has the exact same height and weight as his fellow sophomore lineman, made his first collegiate appearance in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State and recorded one tackle.
Additionally, 6-5, 283-pound lineman Rylie Mills is getting reps both inside and outside and could take a big step forward in his junior season.
“To be determined,” Freeman said of where Mills might play when Ademilola is healthy. “You’ve heard me use the term Swiss Army knife. He can play end, he can play tackle. He can do a lot of different things for us.”
Once the staff gets a better handle on who is stepping up at various positions within the front seven, they will determine where Mills fits.
The coaches will also have Kurt’s younger brother and incoming freshman Donovan Hinish at their disposal at defensive tackle beginning this summer, although he is not expected to contend for a starting position.
All in all, Freeman has been very pleased with his defensive line as they work players at different positions and with his new assistants, who Freeman says have brought a “mindset of physicality” to the program.
“There are a lot of different things we’re doing with our defensive line to put them all in different positions to be successful.”
