Notre Dame's JD Bertrand Focusing on Slow Mesh & Leading Over Future
Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand has been a fixture at the middle backer position over the last three seasons.
Not only has the Georgia native been the starter, but Bertrand is well on his way to leading the Fighting Irish in tackles for the third straight season as hold the team lead by nine tackles entering the final two games.
Bertrand knows he has a decision on returning to Notre Dame next year, yet that decision isn’t that the forefront of his mind entering this week.
“Honestly I’ve been pushing it all off,” Bertrand stated. “Agents, anything that’s been happening, I’ve been pushing it all off towards my parents. For me, I’m so routine-based. That kind of pushes me out of my routine and puts my mind somewhere else. I know no matter who we play it’s a good opponent and we have Wake Forest coming in here so I’ve just pushed it off until December.”
That doesn’t mean Bertrand hasn’t done his research over the last year as he’s made sure to develop contacts at Notre Dame and outside to give him the several views on his NFL future.
“I think the biggest thing for me is really asking people that I can trust that have the knowledge of the NFL,” explained Bertrand. “Coaches are a good one. Every person is going to have some kind of perspective and just kind of taking in the big picture of what everybody is saying and talking it over with my family and going from there.”
What’s undebatable is the bar Bertrand has set for the linebacker room since he took over the starting role in 2021.
Head coach Marcus Freeman often uses Bertrand as an example of how he wants the Notre Dame program to be as the 6-foot-1, 233-pounder had to show patience while preparing more than anyone else on the team.
“When I got here as defensive coordinator in 2021, JD Bertrand was the third-string linebacker,” said Freeman. “He had very few reps in 2020 and I remember he was one of the first guys that reached out to me and asked me to meet.
“I used that as an example even this week in terms of you don't know when the opportunity for you will present itself. JD Bertrand didn’t care for the opportunity. He just wanted to continue to get better and continue to put in the work and the preparation so that when the opportunity presented himself, he was ready to go.”
Notre Dame’s linebacker room in 2023 is a unique one as it’s filled with three graduate student linebackers, but then there is a youth wave of freshmen and sophomores, who don’t have much experience.
Bertrand has taken it upon himself to make sure the room is left better than he found it regardless of when his final snap in the blue and gold comes.
“Overall they’re doing a great job,” Bertrand said of the young linebackers. “It’s a huge opportunity for them because they’re getting these reps in a game and getting these reps in practice. When I came in as a freshman there was more depth in terms of class by class, so their development as freshmen is happening a lot faster.
“They’re really eager to learn and take any advice you give them. They’re pushing themselves to get ready but also pushing themselves for the next game because you never know what’s going to happen. They’ve really done a good job of learning and being ready.”
Freshman linebacker Drayk Bowen seems to have positioned himself to take over for Bertrand in the middle of the Irish defense and the Indiana native has made sure to soak up everything from the veteran backers over the last year.
“I think it’s the stuff most people don’t see,” Bertrand stated. “He’s not getting as much playing time, but part of that is being a freshman behind three fifth-years. He’s just continuing to nail down the details, learning the defense inside and out. Asking questions. Asking how I’m watching film and how other guys are watching film.
“Honestly I think the biggest positive about him is he just sits there in the classroom in the linebacker room and is just a magnet. I’ll come in there and he’ll just be sitting in there. He’s naturally picking up on what we’re saying or talking about or the film we’re watching.”
And if it is Bertrand’s last game inside Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, it will be against one of college football’s most unique offenses. Wake Forest will bring its slow-mesh offense to South Bend and Bertrand has made sure to pick the brain of Sam Hartman as he prepares for the challenging scheme.
“It’s just a different style,” said Bertrand. “I think the biggest thing is we’ve taken a lot of points in terms of learning the offense a little bit from Sam. They’re going to have some wrinkles here and there but some teams have attacked them trying to pressure while other teams have attacked them by letting the run bleed then letting them hand it off and then tackling it. I think seeing all those different ways will help us attack it in our own ways.”
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