Fighting Irish on the Rise | Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Notre Dame does not have a returning All-American on their defense, but they have a few who could potentially be considered the best in America once this season plays out.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is at the top of that list.
Irish fans were patiently waiting for his debut over the previous two years. He impressed immediately as an athlete when he competed at his first fall camp, but with Drue Tranquill at Rover, there was no need to force him onto the field in 2017. In 2018 he seemed poised to jump into the conversation at the position, but injuries held him back.
Healthy in 2019, JOK burst onto the scene with a terrific first season as a starter.
The season opener was a rough one filled with poor run fits and missed tackles, but even in that game he flashed his abilities as a playmaker with two tackles for loss. As the season progressed, the mistakes cut down in a big way.
The playmaking stayed as he led the team with 13.5 TFLs, tied with Manti Te’o for the most by a linebacker in the Brian Kelly era, and produced 19.5 Havoc plays. That’s tied with James Onwualu (2016) for most by a linebacker over the last decade and is four more plays than Tranquill created at Rover in ‘17.
The scary part is that he can still be better. He left some plays out on the field and could have easily had over 25 Havoc plays, which no Notre Dame defender has accomplished in recent memory. That is Justin Tuck levels of disruption.
That number is in his sights for 2020 (or whenever this season is played). I’ve highlighted some plays that show why he is able to make such a significant impact when defending the perimeter.
It all started with what he did against Georgia.
The first play is a quick screen out slot receiver with Georgia sending the tight end to block him. It’s not just that he sees it quickly. It’s that kind of twitch that wrecks blocking angles.
The next play is a play that would have been bad for a lot of players. Instead of fighting for outside leverage, he releases from the block inside. Not only is he fast enough to get to the receiver, he punches the ball out. Georgia was fortunate that the ball bounced right back to them here.
He was the best defender on the field against Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl. It’s pure speed from the backside to make this tackle. Look at the gap here if he wasn’t able to make the play. That’s a ton of real estate and he cuts this off to force a 3rd and long.
JOK put the exclamation point on the win with this and it’s speed from the backside again to come up with the sack. Ade Ogundeji gets an assist here because he bullied his man up the field and stopped the sprint out, but quarterback Brock Purdy has no chance to escape with JOK on him so fast.
He’s such a sudden athlete and getting a lot better at recognizing plays while staying within the frame of the defense. That’s why more should be expected from him this season. He hasn’t even been unleashed on 3rd downs yet and with more opportunities, more Havoc is sure to come.
Can he be the first Notre Dame linebacker since Jaylon Smith to be named an All-American? If he stays on the track that he was on to end 2019, he will be.