'14 MO DE Jonathan Bonner (Notre Dame Signee)

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere during preseason practice (sorry, I can't recall the source), wherein Kelly praised Mr Bonner as being on the verge of cracking the 2-deep.

Does anyone have recent information on his status?

Barring injury, he'll have 5 years to play his 4.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Barring injury, he'll have 5 years to play his 4.

And I'm fine with that.

 

[PANDFAN]

I have a vague recollection of reading somewhere during preseason practice (sorry, I can't recall the source), wherein Kelly praised Mr Bonner as being on the verge of cracking the 2-deep.

Does anyone have recent information on his status?

he stated that both him and jay hayes were almost there but they BOTH took a little step back and most likely barring injury play either...it was during his presser

 

[Emcee77]

Kelly does the same thing every year it seems with some of the unheralded freshman in that he pumps them up to possibly motivate upperclassmen.

Yeah, Kelly definitely has ulterior motives for some of the comments he makes to the media. He admitted, for example, that he told the press that Jarrett Grace might play this year because Grace needed that goal to work toward. I've learned to take Kelly's comments with a grain of salt.

 

[connor_in]

Don't know how to embed tweets...

https://mobile.twitter.com/JBonezzz/status/517107039081082881

 

[ResLife Hero]

Reviewing the Redshirts: DT Jonathan Bonner - One Foot Down

Now, let's assume that Bonner conservatively puts on another 6 pounds from August 2014 until the start of spring practice in a couple weeks. That would put him at 275 pounds and almost ideal weight to play 3-tech defensive tackle. It's certainly not outlandish to think that by fall practice Bonner will be checking in at 280 pounds or more.

So who else on the roster plays 3-tech? Of course, Sheldon Day is the starter but after that it looks like Jay Hayes is the heir apparent. And it just so happens that Hayes and Bonner are nearly the same size! This is why I think Bonner's future is on the interior.

It should be noted that during Brian Kelly's press conference last February to introduce the 2014 recruiting class he mentioned Bonner as being an "outside player for us, an edge player, rush player, a guy that gets after the quarterback." Yet, in the middle of fall camp last year Bonner made it as high as the two-deep at the 3-tech spot before the staff decided to go with 5th-year senior Justin Utupo as the backup. Since then, we haven't heard much from Bonner.

Right now my best guess is that Notre Dame goes with a lineup of Day-Hayes-Bonner as the gap slicing, penetrating tackles. Since Hayes' redshirt was burned very late in 2014 and he wasn't able to get many snaps the battle with Bonner might be a fun one to watch before and during the upcoming season.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Good article, thanks!

It will be interesting to see how things play out with a few recruits this year, especially Bonner.

 

[woolybug25]

It's funny how when we were recruiting him, we were thinking CAT linebacker, but really he could play any LB spot.

Now... DT... lol

 

[Sherm Sticky]

It's funny how when we were recruiting him, we were thinking CAT linebacker, but really he could play any LB spot.

Now... DT... lol

True.

But scouting on him per all the recruiting sites were that he would develop into a DE and most likely a DT.

Bottom Line: Bonner needs to keep developing and polishing his game, but he has the tools to be a solid, well-rounded defender at the next level. Could fit well as a 3-4 DE or possibly develop into a DT in a four-man front.

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Irish A-to-Z: JonathanMichiganBonner <a href="http://t.co/4lfW6nIeGj">http://t.co/4lfW6nIeGj</a></p>— Keith Arnold (@KeithArnold) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeithArnold/status/611504701184434176">June 18, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Cackalacky]

Apologize for the bump but I saw where Bonner was in the DT rotation at 3Tech. Driskell mentioned it. I did not notice it during the game.

Anyone have some more insight?

 

[Ricochet]

Apologize for the bump but I saw where Bonner was in the DT rotation at 3Tech. Driskell mentioned it. I did not notice it during the game.

Anyone have some more insight?

Since spring ball I've heard quite a few mention that his speed & strength like Rochell actually plays better as a 3Tech than as a SDE.

I think come next season he's going a poor man's Sheldon Day and sharing the 3Tech duty with Tillery.

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Since spring ball I've heard quite a few mention that his speed & strength like Rochell actually plays better as a 3Tech than as a SDE.



I think come next season he's going a poor man's Sheldon Day and sharing the 3Tech duty with Tillery.

Poor Jay Hayes and MDT.


Sent via tapatalk

 

[Sherm Sticky]

Had a nice sack causing a fumble today. If Grant was awake could have been a big play for Notre Dame.

Bright future for this young man.


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[CanadalovesND]

Had a nice sack causing a fumble today. If Grant was awake could have been a big play for Notre Dame.

Bright future for this young man.


Sent via tapatalk

Sack, FF was credited to Okwara on stat sheet

 

[yankeeND]

Sack, FF was credited to Okwara on stat sheet

I noticed that too. Probably should get changed to Bonner though, that was all him.

 

[Bogtrotter07]

I love this kid!


I wonder what his eighth grade self wrote to him about breaking into the two-deep?

 

[ResLife Hero]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Irish A-to-Z: Jonathan*Bonner <a href="https://t.co/LhDk80cdy9">https://t.co/LhDk80cdy9</a></p>— Notre Dame on NBC (@NDonNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDonNBC/status/736589449602031618">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[BobbyMac]

Hopefully JB produces some post worthy moments this year.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Irish A-to-Z: Jonathan Bonner <a href="https://t.co/D7Qw4EZDUb">https://t.co/D7Qw4EZDUb</a> <a href="https://t.co/LO5lATmrEm">pic.twitter.com/LO5lATmrEm</a></p>— Notre Dame on Scout (@NDonScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/NDonScout/status/864479018766274561">May 16, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Irishman77]

I speculate Bonner could have been Mizzou's next first rd DL in next years draft. Sadly with pathetic coaching and scheme, he will barely get a chance.

 

[ab2cmiller]

Jonathan Bonner achieves goal by starting as a senior // The Observer

In the summer of 2013, defensive lineman Jonathan Bonner was heading into his senior year of high school at Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield, Missouri, still undecided about where he would spend the next four years.

Bonner was Missouri Class 5 All-State selection as a junior, but he had only received a few offers and wasn’t nationally ranked at the time. But on June 26, after talking on the phone with the former Irish defensive backs coach Bob Elliot and Brian Kelly, Bonner received an offer from Notre Dame and gave a verbal commitment to the Irish the same day.

The offer came days after Bonner traveled to South Bend and impressed Notre Dame coaches with his skills at a summer football camp. Bonner attributes his rapid commitment to Notre Dame to wanting to follow his family’s legacy.

“One of my dream schools growing up, my grandfather was a huge Notre Dame fan, and that was the school I knew growing up,“ Bonner said. “Outside of me, other members of my family went here too. My uncle Dan Knott was on the 1977 championship team with Hall-of-Famer Joe Montana, and Sergio Brown, who is like a cousin to me, also went here, and went on to the league, so I knew all about Notre Dame, and when I got offered here I knew it was the right place to go. It was like a dream come true for me.”

Peter St. John | The Observer
Irish senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bonner, left, makes a tackle in Notre Dame’s 52-17 win over Miami (OH) on Sept. 30 at Notre Dame Stadium.

Four years later, Bonner is a consistent starter on the defensive line in his senior season. Known on the field for working alongside junior Jerry Tillery and fellow senior Jay Hayes to create a pass rush and run defense that has helped bolster Notre Dame into the national spotlight. To his teammates Bonner is known affectionately as “Lean,” a nickname derived from the fact that Bonner is undersized as a defensive lineman.

Nevertheless, Bonner’s skill and technique has made him the target of numerous double teams. His career statistics for the Irish include 32 tackles, two forced fumbles and eight quarterback hurries.

Reflecting on his initial goals he had set for himself his freshman year, Bonner is proud to say that he accomplished much over his career — both academically and athletically.

“My goals when I first started here was to find a major that I liked because I was unsure at the time, and that worked out well because I found a major [IT management] I liked,“ Bonner said. ”[For football] the goal was to earn a starting spot on the team, which I finally did this year.“

In his freshman season Bonner, like many college freshman, redshirted to maintain a year of eligibility due to a talented defensive line that featured future NFL players in Sheldon Day, Isaac Rochell and Jarron Jones.

After recovering from a toe injury that sidelined him in the spring season, Bonner earned a backup role on the defensive line. In his sophomore and junior seasons, Bonner played as a consistent backup defensive lineman and alternated between linebacker and lineman. In his senior year, Bonner cemented himself as a starting interior defensive lineman in new defensive coordinator Mike Elko’s system.

As time winds down on his Notre Dame football career, Bonner says the thing he will miss the most is the camaraderie between him and his fellow teammates.

“The best part about being on the team is hanging out with the guys in the locker room, the live jokes, and it a very fun atmosphere to be in with my brothers,” he said.

Throughout his journey both on and off the field, Bonner has learned valuable lessons from his time at Notre Dame that he believes will help him live a successful life after football.

“My biggest takeaway is working hard,“ he said. “It takes a lot a work to accomplish the things you want to do, and if you take shortcuts things won’t work out. So if anything I learned the importance of work ethic.

“… I also feel like I’ve heard from a lot of people not to regret anything, so I make sure when I get out there I do the things that I know to do, and not keep my bubble too small.”

Heading into the last few games of his college football career, Bonner is uncertain what the future holds for him. The NFL may not come knocking for Bonner, and he is fine with that. He is set to graduate in May of next year with a degree in IT management from the Mendoza College Business. The only thing he is certain of for the time being is that he won’t seek a fifth year of eligibility after redshirting his freshman season.

As of now, Jonathan plans to pursue a career in IT management and although he hasn’t officially signed to work with any company, but he hopes to go into IT consulting or any line of work relating to technology.

 

[BobbyMac]

Mmm Hmmm...

I'm gonna have to call out whoever called me out for suggesting that Bonner might not be back next year... as soon as I remember who that was.

When you kids gonna learn?

 

[GowerND11]

That would sting. We could use him again next year. However, kid has a degree in hand from the best business school in the country. He's earned the right to do what he pleases.

 

[IrishLax]

Pretty shocking to me that he isn't looking at a 5th year.

 

[koonja]

Mmm Hmmm...

I'm gonna have to call out whoever called me out for suggesting that Bonner might not be back next year... as soon as I remember who that was.

When you kids gonna learn?

If it wasn't me, I definitely would have called you out for that. So I'll offer you crow on behalf of someone else.

 

[Rack Em]

That would sting. We could use him again next year. However, kid has a degree in hand from the best business school in the country. He's earned the right to do what he pleases.

Not anymore.

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-best-undergrad-business-schools/

Also, those rankings are a joke because schools like Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and Northwestern know that undergrad business degrees don't teach anyone how to think. They just teach you to be a number jockey.

 

[dublinirish]

can't understand how a kid would proclaim the value of his undergrad degree and then turn up his nose at a free masters degree in the same process..

 

[GowerND11]

Not anymore.

https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-best-undergrad-business-schools/

Also, those rankings are a joke because schools like Stanford, Harvard, Yale, and Northwestern know that undergrad business degrees don't teach anyone how to think. They just teach you to be a number jockey.

Well forget everything I said. He must come back now!

But serious, that's upsetting to know.

 

[NewBrunswickIrish]

Pretty shocking to me that he isn't looking at a 5th year.

If he wasn't invited back by ND I could understand why he wouldn't want to go to another school for a 5th year but I would be surprised if ND didn't invite him back at this point. It's very surprising for a starter to come out and say they're done after the year with eligibility left.

Good for him if he got what he wanted and wants to move forward. He's been a pleasant surprise this year. I guess it helps to reinforce that ND isn't just one of the football factories, the kids are actually there to be students.

 

[NDinL.A.]

Mmm Hmmm...

I'm gonna have to call out whoever called me out for suggesting that Bonner might not be back next year... as soon as I remember who that was.

When you kids gonna learn?

You've also been wrong a lot.

Where are your crow-eating posts?