Quick-hitters: Notre Dame DL coach Al Washington on Junior Tuihalamaka, Jason Onye, rotation
Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington met with reporters Wednesday morning for his lone press conference of spring practice. Here are some topics he addressed.
On sophomore vyper Junior Tuihalamaka
“He’s so damn smart. He’s really sharp. When he was playing linebacker, he was damn good. He can see it, he can feel it, he’s instinctual beyond his years. That element has been awesome. He’s a guy on the grass that can solve problems. He’s tough, and obviously talented. He has taken off and is progressing really nice. I have a high level of faith and trust in him in terms of what’s going on and him willing to fight in tough moments. I’m excited about him.
“A year ago, he was another guy in the linebacker room. He didn’t come to us until late summer, and he really was doing double-duty during the year. Now it’s all vyper, and I think that has helped him.”
On if Notre Dame has a defensive line rotation he could trust right now
“We definitely do. We can be pretty good. The play is going to do the talking, but I feel we’re trending in the right direction. We have just enough of the right pieces to not only be talented, but tough. We have a bunch of guys who, I don’t want to say chip on their shoulder, but nobody has really been established. I shouldn’t say nobody – Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills, [Jordan Botelho], those guys have played, but I’m talking about the younger guys. That’s a healthy combination we have. I feel good about it.”
On Ohio State grad transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste’s acclimation to Notre Dame
“He has done a great job. He has embraced everything. I was around him for three years (at Ohio State) and I know where he’s coming from. He has played a lot of ball. This isn’t his first rodeo. But he has taken it upon himself to take those next steps. He has been great.”
On fifth-year defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah
“He’s progressing fundamentally, but overall as a leader, he’s emerging as one of the top leaders on defense. He has a talent in terms of communicating, and the kids respond to him. To his credit, he has embraced that. He’s progressing nicely. I feel like he’s going to help us this year.”
On why Jordan Botelho fits at vyper
“The vyper position, historically, when you look at defenses, that’s a guy who has linebacker traits. JB is a great example. He was a rover at one point. He was a linebacker at one point. Now he’s in that role. Junior, same deal. Josh Burnham, same deal. Ability to play off the ball and be comfortable is really important. It speaks to what you want to be able to do. We have packages where we have four down linemen. But that position has been a guy who has traits off the ball and on the ball. The more comfortable that guy is off the ball, the more he can do.”
More Notre Dame spring practice coverage:
• Notre Dame spring practice No. 9: Irish offense observations
• Notre Dame football spring practice No. 9 observations: Defense, special teams
On sophomore defensive tackle Tyson Ford
“Tyson’s thing is he’s very athletic. For him, it has been a shift moving inside. He’s filling out. He’s like 285, 290. The thing Tyson has going for him is athleticism. He just has to put it all together. He’s a young kid. I feel like sometimes the rush to have it now – he’s trending fine. He’s putting it together. He will be a really good player. He will be that athletic big boy you want to recruit and try and find. He has to stay the process and continue to develop.”
On junior defensive tackle Jason Onye getting in better shape
“He’s very coachable. He cares. He’s impressive. He just has to keep working on the little things.”
“His overall athleticism, he can bend better. His output is higher, longer, especially inside the trenches. When you’re in better shape, everything is calmer. He’s maturing that way and that investment has helped him.”
