Notre Dame's 20-man defensive line and the 2024 attrition lessons that drive it

New York Times

3 days ago

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame defensive line coach Al Washington didn't want to engage with the question, more out of superstition than protocol.
Washington had already discussed most of his personnel, one by one, in a news conference last week before the absence of defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio came up. The senior missed last Wednesday's open portion of camp, taking away a starter for a position group accustomed to playing at less than full strength.
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'I'm numb now after last year,' Washington laughed. 'No, he'll be back. He's been great. Nothing there.'
Sure enough, Rubio was back repping with the fully stocked defensive line on Sunday morning as Notre Dame's preseason stretched into its second week. The position group, which is more than 20 players strong, is both a response to last season and a show of force for this one.
Notre Dame added two defensive tackles in the transfer portal, but Jared Dawson (Louisville) and Elijah Hughes (USC) ran with the second and third teams, respectively, on Sunday. Bryce Young arrived as a five-star prospect last year and ended up on Bruce Feldman's Freaks List this summer, but he worked with the second-team defensive line, alongside Rubio.
With 20 scholarship defensive linemen at Washington's disposal, this might feel like an embarrassment of riches. After last season's march through a 16-game season that ended in the national championship game, the defensive line coach knows returns on investment are hardly guaranteed.
Notre Dame looked like it had reliable depth on last year's line, too, only to watch seven of the nine defensive linemen who played in the season opener at Texas A&M suffer some season-altering injury. That number doesn't include Rubio, who missed the first half of the regular season recovering from a broken foot. It's better to have depth than not, which isn't the same as knowing that depth will be there for the long haul.
'It's a comfort to have that depth, but also I think there's many guys in that room that can help us and will help us,' head coach Marcus Freeman said. 'You're going to have to find roles for those guys. How can they help us? If they can help us, we're going to find a role to get them on the field.'
On Sunday, Notre Dame offered a glimpse of how the defensive line might line up at Miami (Fla.) in three weeks, with a starting lineup of ends Boubacar Traore and Josh Burnham, with Donovan Hinish and Jason Onye at defensive tackle. The second unit featured ends Young and Junior Tuihalamaka, with Dawson and Rubio at tackle. End Jordan Botelho remains limited as he recovers from this summer's pectoral injury.
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In an ideal world, Washington would head to Miami with at least 10 defensive linemen ready to play. Seven different linemen logged at least 25 snaps in the heat of the Week 1 trip to Texas A&M last year, with none getting more than 50.
'The unique thing is, a lot of guys in the room played,' Washington said. 'We have some freshmen and a couple of redshirt guys that haven't yet. But with our philosophy on defense, it's to kind of go in waves. The season is longer; we experienced that last year. You have to develop from the youngest all the way up. That's a benefit.
'The culture in the room has to be one where you appreciate at any given moment your number is called, and the objective is to play the best ball we can. That's the message we preach, our guys preach. A lot of the guys around last year saw the benefit of that because we had some tough injuries and some things happened.'
Notre Dame lost Botelho and Traore to torn ACLs by early October. Burnham suffered an ankle sprain against Northern Illinois that lingered all season. As soon as Rubio returned in mid-October, Onye was lost for the season due to what Notre Dame described as 'personal reasons.' Rylie Mills suffered torn knee ligaments against Indiana. Young battled a hamstring issue. Cross was sidelined in November with an ankle sprain. The hypothetical depth the Irish thought they had? They never had it.
Washington isn't necessarily managing camp differently in light of last season, but he wants to lean into his depth even more than he already has. What's the point of 20 scholarship defensive linemen if you can't use them in August, taking reps off those frontline players in the process?
'You have to be smart. You have the luxury to be smart,' Washington said. 'Nobody should be like, 'Hey, you're back in and getting 50-60 reps.' We have to win this year. We have to be the best version of us. But we have the luxury to also make sure we're smart with people. We're not putting people in bad spots.'
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Washington was talking about Botelho's return from his summer injury; the sixth-year senior is already doing some individual drill work. However, he could have been talking about Traore, less than a year removed from that ACL. Or he could have been talking about Rubio not overtaxing his healed foot. Or Burnham staying on his feet after that high ankle sprain.
If all goes to plan, Notre Dame will be able to make hockey line changes up front, and the players know it. The Irish had eight different defensive linemen log at least 300 snaps last season. Washington wouldn't mind having more players do so this fall.
They'll tweak the approach under defensive coordinator Chris Ash, going away from boundary (short side) and field (wide side) ends in favor of just playing right and left. In theory, that change lets Washington mix and match defensive ends by down-and-distance, perhaps getting Traore and Young on the field at the same time, leaning into the pass rush when the moment suits it.
Suppose there's any lasting benefit from last season's grind into mid-January. In that case, it's the realization that college football players aren't automatically built to endure it, at least not along the defensive front.
'It's an awesome feeling to know that you can go out there for four or five plays, give your all and someone's gonna be right there to be able to pick up where you left off,' Burnham said. 'I mean, you definitely want to be out there as long as possible, but at the same time, just knowing the depth that we have in this room, if you're not gonna give your all every play, the next one in line is.'
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