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Notre Dame Football

Lea Talks Nyles Morgan, Notre Dame, and Rover

March 29, 2017
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Notre Dame entered the spring with new leadership on the defensive side of the football as Mike Elko took over the reigns as defensive coordinator. Linebackers coach Clark Lea made the jump from Wake Forest to Notre Dame with Elko, and both are counting on senior linebacker Nyles Morgan in 2017.

Through six spring practices, Lea has been impressed with the 6-foot-1, 238-pounder and is focused on improving Morgan’s game.

“He is a physically capable player,” Lea said of Morgan. “He is explosive and twitchy, so there is a lot of things we want to carry over and build on subtly. Our goal is to help him with moving efficiency and fine-tune his game as a linebacker.

“As a senior, just by nature of the arc of your career, you have less room to go to be a finished product. It’s about honing in on some of the new individual techniques we will be doing that will help him control himself and transition between accelerated movements effectively.”

He knows he is here to work for something he cherishes and that’s winning a championship. - Clark Lea on LB Nyles Morgan
Morgan was named a captain in December and has taken full control of the defense over the past few months. The Crete (Ill.) native brings strong leadership characteristics and a will to make myself better.

“He always looks like he is about to pop out of his chair in meetings,” laughed Lea. “I respect that, and we need that. I have to set the tone for that, but he does it as good as anyone I have ever been around.

“When he wakes up in the morning, he’s never dragging or feeling sorry for himself. He knows he is here to work for something he cherishes and that’s winning a championship. He is driven to that.”  

While Lea might have known his leader was Morgan, he went into the spring with an open mind. Lea wanted to assess the roster and give his unit a clean slate to start.
 
“I wouldn’t say surprise because I didn’t enter the spring with an expectation level,” explained Lea. “I’m seeing it as it plays out. There are days when I leave the field, and I am excited and please. There are days I am hit in the face with how far we have to go. Each guy has had wins and losses along the way.”  

The transition has been a smooth one on the outside looking in for Lea. He was a big part of the Notre Dame success in closing the 2017 recruiting class, and he seems to have the respect of his players. The respect is also mutual as Lea has seen first-hand how much is on the plate of a Notre Dame student-athlete.

“I am super impressed with our players,” stated Lea. “I’ve never been at a place where so much is demanded of these kids. They are where they are supposed to be when they are expected to be there. We meet early in the morning, and you don’t have guys coming in late.

“These guys are winners. They are working towards winning a championship. The people part of it has been impressive to me. I didn’t know what to expect that way.”

Lea admitted there was an adjustment walking through the airports and visiting high schools with “ND” logo on his shirt and he still sometimes can’t believe he is coaching in South Bend.  

“Early on, especially as you go through recruiting, it’s the first time you’re wearing the logo, you kind of get caught up in the aura of being involved with this program,” said Lea. “When I see the dome in the mornings, I still pinch myself.”

We have some big, fast, and strong players on the field. That’s exciting to watch. - Clark Lea
However, on the field, it’s the same as it has always been for Lea. It’s about making linebackers into good football players, and that starts with the position coach.

“It’s still football,” Lea stated. “It’s never really varied that much as far as when you get to work with the kids. At this point, I am submerged into football, so it all kind of looks the same to me. We have some big, fast, and strong players on the field. That’s exciting to watch.”  

Lea is in charge of the linebackers and the ever popular Rover position. Drue Tranquill and Asmar Bilal have seen the majority of the reps at Rover, but Robby Regan and Spencer Perry seem to be getting looks at the spot as the spring progresses.

The ability to have an athletic athlete on the edge is an essential component of the position as he needs to cover space in a hurry.

“When you think about football now, you think about the perimeter throws and the need for the player to close a lot of ground,” Lea explained. “We like twitch, athleticism, and length. We want to close those spaces like the bubble and smoke screens. The best players to play the position were long striding and able to close the gap.

“We like for that position to be an effective blitzer. We want them to come off the edge, acceleration, and be disruptive in the blitz game.”

While the Rover needs to be athletic and cover, the position also requires the will to be physical in the box.

“There is a basic linebacker skill set that is needed to fit the run and to play the line of scrimmage,” Lea said. “Unique to that spot are some of the things we ask them to do in coverage as they have to mirror a release and drop off of a release. They have to cover spaces to the field.”

Lea and Elko aren’t looking for a particular build for the Rover position as they have had different body types play the position over the years.  Notre Dame fans can expect to see a variety of players at the position, and it can almost turn into a situational role.

“It’s a pretty dynamic spot,” said Lea. “It’s interesting because, over the years, we’ve had 230-pound kids that did it well. We’ve had 215-pound players that did it well. It’s a unique set of skills, and when you have varying body types playing the position, then you can hone in even further. We can use this kid in this situation because he does certain things well.

“It gives you a chance to be a little flexible.”
 
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