From the Indy Star
SOUTH BEND — There have been many subtle position changes at Notre Dame this spring. Jerry Tillery has moved from nose tackle to the 3-technique position; Houston Griffith has moved from cornerback to safety; safety Jordan Genmark-Heath is cross-training at linebacker; and wide receiver Jafar Armstrong is splitting time at running back, to name a few.
Perhaps the most notable switch coaches made after last season involves fifth-year senior and captain Drue Tranquill, who is playing his third position in three seasons under his third defensive coordinator. Tranquill started out as a strong safety under Brian VanGorder, moved to rover for a year under Mike Elko, and is now playing “Buck” linebacker with Clark Lea.
The move to Buck, a weakside linebacker position in this system, is one of the reasons Tranquill decided to come back for a fifth year and not leave for the NFL. He has the opportunity to be an every-down player and potentially even more productive than he was in 2017. Last year Tranquill was all over the place: He was Notre Dame’s third-leading tackler (85) and second in tackles for loss (10.5); and he recovered fumbles, made sacks and recorded an interception.
“It’s a good fit for him. That’s a big, strong, explosive player that handles himself well,” Lea said. “That position also has to play in space too, so some of the things you learn and honed as a rover kind of align as a Buck.”
Senior Asmar Bilal is poised to take over the rover position, though he’s also been cross-training at linebacker. Sophomores Isaiah Robertson and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah are working behind him.
“We’ll work through the fall with that,” Lea said, implying the rover competition continues.
Change inside the DL
Jerry Tillery, perhaps the most interesting Fighting Irish player, also made a position change this spring. Notre Dame doesn’t play with two defensive tackles, but rather a nose tackle and a 3-technique. Tillery played nose last season, but will shift to 3-technique this fall.
Unlike the nose tackle, this alignment puts a player one-on-one with an offensive lineman, allowing him to attack the B-gap (between the guard and tackle). Whether Tillery is defending the run or rushing the passer, his focus will always be to cause chaos in the backfield. An example of a prototypical 3-technique is Aaron Donald, who is 6-1, 285. Tillery is 6-6, 299.
Lea explained why the move works.
“Jerry is a dynamic, athletic defensive lineman,” Lea said. “In a lot of ways, the 3-technique position is where you want to have your most disruptive and athletic pass rush — not always drawing the double-team, having a little more one-on-one situation from that position. So it’s just a little better fit that way.
“He’s done a great job, already made his presence felt there. It is different, so I imagine through the end of the spring and summer into fall camp well see more strides.”
Tillery, who wrestled with the decision to leave early for the NFL, led the team with sacks (4.5) and quarterback hurries (11), and was third in tackles for loss (nine) last season.
Lea noted that overall, the defensive line is probably the “most steady” position group from “top to bottom" right now.
“They have good depth and experience,” he said. “I’m really excited for those guys and they’re excited. You can tell by the way they practice. They’ve really taken to this Year 2 a deeper understanding. They’re more physical in the middle, more dynamic on the edges; all that stuff is coming into play.
"I’m not trying to oversell it, but I do think we feel good about where the front is and we’re excited to watch them continue to progress through the fall.”
‘Not just to throw paint at the wall’
Jordan Genmark-Heath was one of the more interesting players to probably ever come to Notre Dame. Originally from Sweden, Genmark-Heath grew up playing soccer and hockey. He taught himself how to play football by watching YouTube instructional videos after his family moved to San Diego when he was a kid.
It’s a good thing Genmark-Heath is a quick learner. He started out playing safety in his freshman season last fall, but coaches are considering a position switch to “Will” linebacker in 2018.
“Jordan is a dynamic player,” Lea said. “We don’t move a guy unless we identify things that we think he brings to the table that will allow him to be successful. It’s not something we’re doing just to throw paint at the wall.
“I would argue he’s looked very natural over there. It’s not a shut door; we know what he can do at safety.”
Genmark-Heath, who mostly played special teams last year, recorded 16 tackles as a freshman, with his best performance coming in the Citrus Bowl against LSU where he tallied five.
Brian Kelly noted it’s Genmark-Heath’s size (he’s nearly 6-1 and 211 lbs.) coupled with his instincts, contact skills and physicality that qualify him for consideration at linebacker. But nothing is permanent yet. The coaches don’t plan to make a final decision until the fall.
“We need some more (time),” Kelly said. “I’m not a guy who likes to just move guys to move them. We have a plan. And the plan would be for him to take that position over and let Asmar stay at rover and focus on that. That would be the ideal situation.”
The move would be beneficial for depth purposes considering Tranquill and middle linebacker Te’von Coney will be graduating after this year.
“I think you always have an eye on the future,” Lea said. “Everything you do is first about this season, but also thinking about how to stay out in front of it.
“As it pertains to what (Genmark-Heath's) doing right now, the immediacy of getting reps there, that has to do with this fall. If he were to stay in that role, I’m not doing that for him to watch the game from the sideline.”
