Al Washington weighs in on 'great' Notre Dame D-line, striving for more
Notre Dame first-year defensive line coach Al Washington met media Tuesday morning inside the Irish Athletics Center, where Washington broke down his unit’s opening camp, discussed progress and spotlighted multiple players who have impressed as Notre Dame has worked through nearly two-thirds of spring camp.
Q: We saw ND go as much as three-deep at times last year. Is that something you want to do as well?
AW: Yeah, I think it’s a good thing when you have depth for a number of reasons. Number 1, everybody’s engaged and also the output is such that at the end of the game guys are a little bit fresher. So you can kind of protect the output a little bit.
I think if you can do that, I would love to do that for sure. I think they did it a year ago because they were able to because we’ve got a pretty talented group.
Q: How did you assess this group when you first got here and looked at the players?
AW: I think you’ve got a nice blend. So you’ve got, on the outside for example, you’ve got some guys that can generate a rush, some athleticism, some length. And then on the inside, you’ve got some really stout guys that bring an element of toughness inside the trenches. So I think you’ve got a good blend of both of those things that are important.
And then the depth, that was one thing struct me. You’ve got a lot of guys with experience; you get better with experience. Those are the things that were initially glaring this first time with them.
Q: What do you want to focus on for improving the group?
AW: Just the details. Fundamentals. I’m a fundamental guy. I believe in it. So hand-placement, pad-level, scheme is critically important. Without the fundamentals, they don’t have as much, they don’t come to life. So that’s been our focus, and the kids have bought in. They’ve bought in, even guys that are at the end, a guy like Isaiah Foskey or Justin Ademilola. Those guys at this stage in their career, they’re still hungry to learn those extra things that maybe could help their games. So we do a lot of study of NFL guys, we do a lot of study of the film from the past year. Those types of things are what keeps me up that I think about constantly, and then you’ve got young guys on the other end of the spectrum where when you see Gabe Rubio a guy this spring that has really come on. Man. He’s done a really good job of what we’ve asked him to do and you see him after every practice just kind of getting better and better and see their eyes light up. And so that’s kind of what keeps me up and my focus. I think if we can get better at those little things this spring, that can give us momentum into the summer.
Q: What have you seen from Jacob Lacey?
AW: He plays with a motor. If I were to say one word that comes to mind with Lacey, I would say dependable. He’s a dependable person, whether it’s him doing off the field what he’s doing or on the field, he’s always there. Like today for example, he had to fill in at a spot he wasn’t really scripted to go in, but he understood the job. He’s not just doing his job, it’s big picture. He’s dependable, he’s powerful, he can play with leverage. He can be disruptive in there. I think he’s done a fine job this spring of taking more reps than maybe he has in the past because with big Kurt (Hinish) graduating. I’m very pleased with Lacey.
Q: How do you like the versatility of the group, especially inside?
AW: (Howard Cross), he’s another one and I’m probably, I was an undersized D-tackle. I’m partial to him. Howard Cross is a beast; he’s an explosive kid. He’s productive because he can generate separation. So yeah, he may be whatever, 6 foot or whatever, but he’s one of the more explosive guys I’ve ever been around. He’s doing a really good job. He’s been very productive this spring. We played him inside and played him outside a little bit, so he’s versatile that way.
And then Rylie, Rylie’s really bought in to being that flex lineman. Those guys that can play across the board, from the 9 to the 6 to the 7 to the 4 to the 4, 3. He’s big enough to hold point inside but athletic enough on the outside. He’s been valuable, he’s done a phenomenal job. Very impressive. He’s getting better with the fundamentals. He’s always texting me and asking questions. He really works at it, very pleased with him.
Q: What have you seen from the freshmen?
AW: Great work ethic, very receptive, very athletic. Like Tyson has got some of the best feet I’ve seen. He’s just learning his craft, but Tyson’s got a chance to be a dude. Same thing with Aiden Gobaira. We got him playing a little inside, we’ll put him outside and then a little bit inside just to give him that experience. He’s just got to continue to grow, because these kids are seniors in high school (who enrolled early). They’re explosive, athletic and they have a great attitude, which is real important for young guys. So they’ve been fun to work with.
Tyson is working inside and outside. To be honest, it’s based on how he grows. As an inside guy, he’s a mismatch because he’s so athletic. So if he can get big enough to where he can anchor inside, then you’ve got something. Which I think he can, he’s probably close to 40s, 50s now. So most kids that age if they’re that big, they’ll probably put on another 25 pounds, 30. But he’s a difference; he’s a change of speed on the inside for sure.
Q: You’ve been in several different systems. How would you describe Coach Golden’s defense and what he brings?
AW: He’s a beast. I was telling someone, one of my mentors and a person I have a lot of respect for is Paul Pasqualoni. He’s right now the defensive line coach at the Panthers, but he’s a long-time head coach at Syracuse, Had a chance to work with him at Boston College. He is probably the most impactful coach I’ve ever been around, like knowledgeable in all aspects of the game. Al Golden is right there with him. He’s a beast. It’s almost like getting your PhD in football, because his experience in football as a young head coach is what it is, he’s a great coach, but then his experiences across the board. He’s been around some great coaches and he’s a great teacher. He’s really done a great job. So he’s been very impactful for me, for sure.
Q: Some guys mentioned Golden’s ability to bring in some NFL concepts. How have you seen that process? What are the benefits?
AW: I think for the most part, we’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing. Coach Freeman, his system in place is still kind of the foundation, but I think any time you have a coach who’s had experience at the highest level, there’s definitely some nuggets you take away. I know as a player a lot of these players, at the end of their eligibility, are one step away from that next step, so I think that from that standpoint they’re very open-minded about it because they know soon enough they’ll be in that situation so to speak.
I think we are what we are, and we’re trying to enhance it.
Q: You called Cross a beast. What have you seen from him?
AW: I think he’s grown in his ability to use his hands, being able to get inside-leverage on whoever he’s going against. I think he’s enhanced his ability to get off of blocks. His production comes from separation. He’s so explosive, he has such a motor that he’s hard to block, he’s hard to deal with, he’s very disruptive. I have high expectations for him and I know he has high expectations for himself. And he’s a warrior, he’s one of the tougher guys I’ve ever been around. You combine that with his ability to generate a pass rush, he’s a good football player. I think he has a chance to do some special things.
There’s always exceptions (as it pertains to Cross being undersized as an interior defensive lineman), and he’s one. IF he uses that as fuel, great. But pound for pound, you can match him up with anybody.
Q: Onye at nose?
AW: He kind of swings at nose and tackle.
Q: How do you like your personnel for a three-man front? Who all is there?
AW: It depends, Right now we’ve got the same people out there. I guess we’ll be able to answer that better in fall camp but we kind of have both ways of going about it.
Rylie’s worked in four-man spacing, outside and inside and as well as in odd spacing, he can work anywhere. You can play him at the 0, you can play him at the 4-high, the 5, he can do it all in that way because he’s unique. In terms of specifics, we’re still probably a ways away from being able to zero in on that. Definitely this spring we’ve moved him all over.
Q: What’s Mills’ next step?
AW: I’ll start with playing the run, because it all starts with playing the run. So just continue to work his hand-placement, his second step in the ground. These things that we’re working on now. Hand-placement, contact-balance and being able to separate, get off of blocks. So much of what we do in terms of production has to do with being able to get off of blocks, and there’s art to that. Pass-rush wise, just keep building. He’s a really good pass rusher for a guy his size, so just continuing to develop counters and changeups when necessary. He’s got potential. He wants to be great.
They’re a really talented group, and everybody praises them and they should, but there’s another level. So how do we get there? It’s in the details. Coach Golden put a video up, showed the defense, it was awesome. It was highlighting the Spurs and Greg Popovich and the great teams they’ve had and really, it wasn’t about the flash, it was about the fundamentals. They were a great team, the Spurs had a dynasty because of the basics.
Q: We’ve seen Justin (Ademilola) play all over the place. Where do you like him?
AW: Justin, man, he’s explosive. He’s obviously got a lot of experience, he’s very sharp. I think he can play anywhere we need him to. Kind of the way we’ve gone about it this spring so far. He’s one of my favorites that way, I’m very excited about him and what’s ahead.
I think he could (play both sides). Right now we haven’t gone that way but he’s certainly capable do whatever the defense would need.
Q: How are Nana and Ehrensberger progressing?
AW: Doing very well. Nana and Alex have progressed very nicely, particular hands, those two work at it constantly, too. Good group of guys who want to take the next step.
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