'11 OH LB Jarrett Grace (Signed Notre Dame LOI)

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Jarrett said he is def coming back for his 5th year and is playing football for ND...per me from him

Sorry, I should've been more clear. I'm assuming he'll be on the roster but can we expect a starter at this point? A backup? a situation player? a sideline general?

 

[ulukinatme]

I think Joe will start, but I wouldn't be surprised if Grace really is 100% and wound up starting ahead of him or splitting some reps or coming in on different situations. Grace started in front of Schmidt before he got injured, it's not completely unlikely he would do so again. That will all depend on Grace's health though. I know he played in the Spring game, and he's healed, but I think he still mentioned he was missing a step. Hopefully he makes that up by the fall.

 

[Luckylucci]

There will be some interesting competition come fall camp. I think of it more as Grace is 4th on the LB depth chart. With Jaylon cross training at SAM and Schmidt probably getting reps at WILL, I think it really comes down to Morgan and Grace as the Mike only LB's.

 

[Old Man Mike]

I have in my databank the mention by Kelly that Jaylon was cross-training AND so was Joe. Jarrett was not. Those comments sounded like BVG was setting himself up to get all three of them on the field in the base defense with Jarrett in the middle. [Joe in Jaylon's spot and Jaylon in space].

This doesn't necessarily have to happen of course, and surely won't be true in the nickel passage [Jaylon, Matthias, and Onwualu?], but Grace could well start without dislodging Joe.


.... by the way, fellow readers, no editing of this by LL occurred. The errors in the above post are entirely mine.

 

[Luckylucci]

I have in my databank the mention by Kelly that Jaylon was cross-training AND so was Joe. Jarrett was not. Those comments sounded like BVG was setting himself up to get all three of them on the field in the base defense with Jarrett in the middle. [Joe in Jaylon's spot and Jaylon in space].

This doesn't necessarily have to happen of course, and surely won't be true in the nickel passage [Jaylon, Matthias, and Onwualu?], but Grace could well start without dislodging Joe.

My apologies I went to quote the post instead edited it.

Here's what I was intending to say.

The nickel still keeps two LB's on the field. Last year it was Jaylon and Schmidt with Farley coming in for Onwualu. I doubt both are on the field at the same time this coming year unless Farley has to play minutes at S.

 

[Old Man Mike]

My scenario was a dream deduction only presented from a coaching point of view to keep James fully involved if Jarrett takes a LB spot in the base D. I admit that when going nickel [some of the time anyway] you want both your remaining LBs to be good run-stoppers in case you guess wrong. Third-and-forever though might be different.

 

[Luckylucci]

My scenario was a dream deduction only presented from a coaching point of view to keep James fully involved if Jarrett takes a LB spot in the base D. I admit that when going nickel [some of the time anyway] you want both your remaining LBs to be good run-stoppers in case you guess wrong. Third-and-forever though might be different.

From a coaching standpoint its about getting the best 2/3 on the field as much as possible. That doesn't include JO in my dream scenario. Its important to keep players engaged but I wouldn't compromise the Nickel package just to get him on the field. With as much as we played Nickel last year, I once again want the best players available and I don't think he's it. Great kid, heck of a teammate, and glad we have him but he's odd man out for me. He'll still play but I think the less he plays, the better our D is playing. A lot of this is predicated upon the Grace/Morgan tandem being ready to go.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I thought it was decided to play a 1-6-4 next year. Onwalu-smith-martini-Schmidt-grace-Morgan


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[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Irish A-to-Z: JarrettMichiganGrace <a href="http://t.co/FHtyNyYtGZ">http://t.co/FHtyNyYtGZ</a></p>— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDonNBC/status/621741220247638016">July 16, 2015</a></blockquote>
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CRYSTAL BALL

Are you going to doubt Grace? Because I sure don’t want to. That being said, how he fits into the puzzle remains to be seen.

You have to assume Joe Schmidt returns to the middle of the Irish defense. He was the mental hub of the unit in 2014, and his departure all but coincided with the demise of the unit. Throw in a promising young linebacker in Nyles Morgan, and Grace is competing for playing time with two very good linebackers.

Setting aside Grace’s recovery—which is the ultimate barometer—where Notre Dame uses Jaylon Smith will likely dictate how much time Grace gets in packages. If Smith is shifting in and out and being utilized in the pass rush, Grace can play in the middle. And if Schmidt can cross-train at will, Grace and his size/reach advantage can hold ground at the mike spot.

Even if Grace plays a role similar to the one Cam McDaniel did as a senior captain, he’ll help the defense improve by just being in uniform and filling a leadership role. But if he’s healthy, Grace’s ceiling is so much higher than just spot duty, so here’s hoping that he gets some of the spoils that he richly deserves.

 

[Old Man Mike]

Jaylon to the field; Joe to the boundary; Werewolf in the middle.

Linebacker Heaven.

 

[GoldenToTheGrave]

Jaylon to the field; Joe to the boundary; Werewolf in the middle.

Linebacker Heaven.

Compared to what we were working with last year it's an embarrassment of riches. At minimum we should have 6 guys that are quality starters at worst. Between that, a stocked secondary, and and underrated line, this defense has the potential to be scary if we can avoid the injury plague we had last year.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Compared to what we were working with last year it's an embarrassment of riches. At minimum we should have 6 guys that are quality starters at worst. Between that, a stocked secondary, and and underrated line, this defense has the potential to be scary if we can avoid the injury plague we had last year.

I'd say stocked Corners, but I'm not quite as optimistic about safeties. I'm sure Redfield and to a lesser extent Shumate have turned the corner and our on page. They definitely looked the part in spring. But I'm nervous about what's behind them. Tranquill to me should be at LB, where his strengths can be best utilized. Sebastian should provide solid relief for either of them, but we may have to rely on Mykelti Williams early, and I'm never happy about that.

I do agree that our line is severely underrated. Trumbetti is going to come out of nowhere this season. I just hope they can stay healthy, of course that's the case for EVERYBODY.

 

[Luckylucci]

Jaylon to the field; Joe to the boundary; Werewolf in the middle.

Linebacker Heaven.

At this point it's hard to know how much of the mental aspect Morgan has picked up but if he's at an adequate level, he needs to be on the field. Second most talented LB on the roster at this time.

 

[Luckylucci]

I'd say stocked Corners, but I'm not quite as optimistic about safeties. I'm sure Redfield and to a lesser extent Shumate have turned the corner and our on page. They definitely looked the part in spring. But I'm nervous about what's behind them. Tranquill to me should be at LB, where his strengths can be best utilized. Sebastian should provide solid relief for either of them, but we may have to rely on Mykelti Williams early, and I'm never happy about that.

I do agree that our line is severely underrated. Trumbetti is going to come out of nowhere this season. I just hope they can stay healthy, of course that's the case for EVERYBODY.

Yea. I feel fairly confident is starting S's, extremely confident in starting CB's, and it gets much cloudier after that.

 

[Crazy Balki]

Yea. I feel fairly confident is starting S's, extremely confident in starting CB's, and it gets much cloudier after that.

I'm confident in our backup corners. Butler, Watkins and Crawford are a lot better than what most teams have behind their starting corners, hell, they may be better than what a lot teams are starting there. I think Sebastian will do fine, but given our history with injuries, I'm not comfortable with the position's depth.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Let me add another point : I think the bottom of the linebacker depth chart will really push the top this year.

Martini, Coney, Bilal, and Barajas guys like that are major talents. Isn't Martini one of the biggest linebackers we have? He ain't the slowest!

 

[IrishLion]

Let me add another point : I think the bottom of the linebacker depth chart will really push the top this year.

Martini, Coney, Bilal, and Barajas guys like that are major talents. Isn't Martini one of the biggest linebackers we have? He ain't the slowest!

Maybe one of the quickest mentally, as well. That will be huge after this season, when Joe is gone and Jaylon could very well be hearing his name called in the top 10 of the draft. Martini could be the heir apparent to being the brains of the defense after another year of seasoning.

He was impressive flying around this past year as a freshman when he got his chances, and you could see that it was due to play-recognition skills that were already tuned in.

Very exciting future in general for the linebackers.

 

[woolybug25]

Let me add another point : I think the bottom of the linebacker depth chart will really push the top this year.

Martini, Coney, Bilal, and Barajas guys like that are major talents. Isn't Martini one of the biggest linebackers we have? He ain't the slowest!

I wonder if it will ever come together for Deeb. Kid is a brick shithouse and seems like a really hard worker. Plus, he looks like Urlacher. So thats something.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I wonder if it will ever come together for Deeb. Kid is a brick shithouse and seems like a really hard worker. Plus, he looks like Urlacher. So thats something.

Sounds like he continues to grow. I wonder if he could be a down lineman is special packages?

 

[woolybug25]

Sounds like he continues to grow. I wonder if he could be a down lineman is special packages?

Do you know how big he is? That's interesting. He seemed too short for DE, but maybe he could create some depth there.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Do you know how big he is? That's interesting. He seemed too short for DE, but maybe he could create some depth there.

At 6'2" he there was a rousing debate once about whether he could play or not. Someone mentioned when speaking of successful pass rushers at ND he had the same height and strength as Prince Shembo.

But I thought I heard where he was in the 255 to 260 range. (But that may be the shrooms talking.)

 

[Luckylucci]

I'm confident in our backup corners. Butler, Watkins and Crawford are a lot better than what most teams have behind their starting corners, hell, they may be better than what a lot teams are starting there. I think Sebastian will do fine, but given our history with injuries, I'm not comfortable with the position's depth.

Pretty hard for me to make that distinction when one of the two has only played special teams at the collegiate level and another hasn't ever played a snap. I've always been a Watkins and Crawford fan but making comparisons to other teams starting CB's is a stretch. Lastly I assume our players get better from ear to year but Butler needs to get a lot better for this defense.

 

[irishfan]

Pretty hard for me to make that distinction when one of the two has only played special teams at the collegiate level and another hasn't ever played a snap. I've always been a Watkins and Crawford fan but making comparisons to other teams starting CB's is a stretch. Lastly I assume our players get better from ear to year but Butler needs to get a lot better for this defense.

His issue obviously is speed and he needs a Safety babysitting him over the top at all times. I really hope Watkins can make a big push this Summer and we can move Butler to Safety. I think he could play either Safety position fine. He seems to have good football IQ, he tackles well, and I think size is overrated back there.

 

[woolybug25]

His issue obviously is speed and he needs a Safety babysitting him over the top at all times. I really hope Watkins can make a big push this Summer and we can move Butler to Safety. I think he could play either Safety position fine. He seems to have good football IQ, he tackles well, and I think size is overrated back there.

I just don't believe that Butler is a good football player. Nothing against him, he seems like an awesome person. Just not nearly talented enough to continue getting game reps with the talent we are bringing in at his position. He really needs to have a gut check and decide who he wants to be. Either put an insane focus into his football development, or continue down his current path as a "depth" guy and get his degree.

Again... nothing against Butler. He is a Notre Dame guy and I appreciate him. I just don't see a guy that is developing into a good football player.

 

[Nothingman]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UC_G_BwBNgc?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[NDFANnSouthWest]

God Bless Jarrett, were pulling for you.

 

[Redbar]

I'll say it...Notre Dame Man!

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In other 2016 return news, <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NotreDame?src=hash">#NotreDame</a> LB Jarrett Grace said he's open to returning for a sixth year in 2016. This might not be the end.</p>— Mike Vorel (@mikevorel) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/664596466531479552">November 12, 2015</a></blockquote>
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[Old Man Mike]

Wow... welcome surprise if that happens.

 

[koonja]

How's he eligible for a 6th? I didn't know that. If he is, it's a no brainer for him to want to return if there's room.