With a little over 48 hours from the season debut at College Station, we continue to evaluate the positional group comparisons between Notre Dame and Texas A&M. After evaluating the offenses earlier this week, now it is time to look at the strength of both teams: the defense.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Defensive Line
Notre Dame
Coming into the 2024 season, Notre Dame's defensive line may just be the best part of this team. This mainly stems from the immense amount of returning production coming back, and supplemented by some newcomers that will surely make a difference. Senior Jordan Botelho has been getting snaps ever since he was a freshman at Notre Dame, and now sitting on top of the depth chart at the Vyper position, he's finally looking to take a massive leap forward. Boubacar Traore is coming into his second season after seeing some playing time last year, and after another impressive offseason, he could prove to be a key asset in the rotation. Senior edge rusher RJ Oben arrived at Notre Dame after transferring from Duke, and will immediately start for the Irish at defensive end. Oben has consistently hovered around 5-6 sacks in his last three seasons, and will be an important addition to an already talented veteran group. The real strength of this unit resides at the defensive tackle position, however. There, you will find Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills. Cross III has already been named a preseason All-American, and is regarded as one of the best defensive tackles in the country. Cross III is a game-wrecker who primarily stops the run, but can also have a heavy impact on the passer. His partner, Mills, a team captain, plays a similar roll to Cross III, but he stands at 6'5" and 295 pounds. His incredible size makes him a load to deal with inside. This is one of, if not the most talented defensive fronts in the entire country.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M, similar to Notre Dame, boasts an impressive group at the line of scrimmage. Defensive end, Shemar Stewart, was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school. His first two seasons at A&M have not resulted in a lot of sacks, but he has racked up a solid amount of tackles, and had a part to play in some big turnovers for the Aggies. From a raw potential standpoint, he is extremely athletic and filled with potential, so 2024 may be a big year for Stewart. DJ Hicks will be starting at defensive tackle for the Aggies as a true sophomore. As a freshman, he did not see the field a lot, but he is another former 5-star recruit that may be primed for a big jump this season. The other defensive tackle is Shemar Turner. Turner is a senior who was named to the All-SEC second team last year. In that season, he recorded 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks, which is extremely impressive for a defensive tackle. He brings experience and talent to this group, but the star of this line is Nic Scourton. Scourton is a Purdue transfer who was named All-Big Ten second team last year. Last season at Purdue, he was responsible for 10 sacks and 50 tackles. He is an elite pass rusher, and will be sure to try to take advantage of an inexperienced Notre Dame offensive line. It will be exceptionally difficult for Mike Denbrock to scheme against a front this talented at nearly every position.
These two units will probably be the driving forth in this matchup. Whoever's defensive line can find the quarterback and limit the run game the most will likely win the game. They might both have productive games due of the limitations both teams have on the offensive line. It will be interesting to see which unit wins, as they offer different advantages. Texas A&M has a ton of talent with multiple 5-stars and athletic talent. Notre Dame brings in a very experienced group, but they don't have the top end athleticism. Notre Dame seems to have more of an advantage on the inside of the line, while A&M has a premiere pass rusher. I think it would only be fair to call this one a tie.
Linebacker
Notre Dame
Notre Dame's linebacking core is a healthy mix of experience and athleticism. The Irish always seem to have solid and steady linebackers, and this group is no different. The unit is highlighted by graduate senior, Jack Kiser. In his long career at Notre Dame, Kiser has tallied 185 tackles and 4 sacks. As one of the longest tenured players on the team, he has also been named as a captain, and one of the main leaders on this team. The group also features Drayk Bowen, who as a freshman, played in 12 games last season. He brings a lot of athleticism and with a season under his belt; he could turn into a huge weapon on the defense. Jaylen Sneed is another big piece of this group. Sneed's high athletic upside has yet to have been utilized to a point where he has been a true difference maker, but now in a starting role, things could change in a big way. It's important to note that Max Bullough said he is more than comfortable interchanging the linebackers throughout the year, so keep an eye on incoming freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaiden Ausberry as well. Viliamu-Asa's maturity and instincts have earned him high praise, which will likely translate to some early playing time for the former 5-star. Overall, this is a well-rounded group with a lot of playing time and talent to spare. Hopefully the lack of experience at some positions can be mitigated with the athletic ability that this group brings to the table.
Texas A&M
The Aggies run a 3-4 defense, so their linebackers will also comprise of pass rushers who primarily get after the quarterback. At that position, Bowling Green transfer, Cashius Howell and Rylan Kennedy will see action. Howell was a productive player at Bowling Green, where he contributed 56 tackles and 11.5 sacks over three seasons. Kennedy is a sophomore, but he did play in 11 games last year. Solomon DeShields will also start for A&M, now in his senior year. Throughout his career, DeShields has 85 tackles and 6 sacks. As a senior, DeShields also brings experience to the center of that defense. The best player in A&M's linebacking core is Taurean York. Last season, as a freshman, he started in every game and was awarded SEC All-freshman team. In that season, he recorded 74 tackles and three sacks, impressive numbers for a freshmen. With that kind of production as a freshmen, a year of development may propel him into one of the better linebackers in the SEC. We highlighted York as a player to watch earlier this offseason, which you can read more about here.
Texas A&M and Notre Dame seem to have pretty even linebacking groups coming into this season, but A&M might have the most talented player with York. This leaves me leaning toward A&M, but Notre Dame does have a lot of experience with Kiser. Kiser's leadership will be vital for Notre Dame in this game. College Station can get very loud and chaotic. That means Kiser will need to be a calming and vocal presence for the entire defense. For now, I give the slight advantage to the Aggies.
Secondary
Notre Dame
Notre Dame's secondary features two of the best in the country at their respective positions. This is, of course, Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts. Morrison has been a star at Notre Dame ever since his freshman year. That year, he raked in six interceptions. He followed that up with an impressive sophomore campaign where he picked off the quarterback three more times and shut down Marvin Harrison Jr. for most of their matchup. Morrison is a preseason All-American, who will likely be one of the top picks in the next NFL draft. Watts also returns this season after turning down a chance to be picked in the 2024 draft. Watts, a safety, is the definition of a playmaker. Last season, he broke out, intercepting seven passes and forcing one fumble. All this talent and production despite multiple position changes only speaks further to his football IQ. The two of them together are one of the best secondary duos in all of college football. The rest of the secondary is compiled of players like Christian Gray, Jaden Mickey, Jordan Clark, and Leonard Moore. Moore, a freshman, has caught the eye of Morrison, as Morrison recently said that Moore might end up being better than him. The rest of the group mentioned all have experience with Al Golden and his defense, which has consistently been elite. Gray was recently named the starter over upperclassmen Jaden Mickey, so more young talent seeing the field early is never a bad sign in that regard. Jordan Clark, the Arizona State transfer, brings more experience and versatility to the nickel position. Finally, opposite of Watts, sophomore Adon Shuler will start after seeing some action toward the tail end of last season. Shuler's length and athleticism should serve to be very complimentary to the skills of the rest of the secondary.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M's secondary looks revitalized after a couple of successful transfer portal acquisitions paired with some talented returnees. One returning player is cornerback, Tyreek Chappell. Chappell has played a lot of snaps for the Aggies, and has demonstrated a knack for pass breakups. Although he does not pull in a lot of interceptions, he has broken up 28 passes in his career. Will Lee III is one of those newcomers looking to bolster an already talented defense. Lee III spent two years at the junior college level until he landed at Kansas State last season. There, he established himself as a do-it-all cornerback with 42 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. Additionally, one of the best players in the Aggie secondary is Bryce Anderson. Anderson, a safety, has been starting since he was a freshman and is great in run support. He even had five pass breakups last season. Their secondary also contains safety, Dalton Brooks, who played all but one game last year, and RS freshman Dezz Ricks, a 5-star transfer by way of the Crimson Tide. Ricks didn't see a ton of action in his first season, but expect to see him on the field Saturday night.
Although Texas A&M has a good secondary that will test Notre Dame's offense for the duration of the game, I think Notre Dame has a considerably better secondary. This is less about Texas A&M's secondary and more about how good Notre Dame's could be. They have top-end talent and a good supporting cast to make up a unit that should be able to keep A&M's weapons in check.
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