Adon Shuler's Trust in Notre Dame Has Allowed Him to Live Out Dreams

Adon Shuler’s ascension as a sophomore was needed as the safety room lost a couple of key pieces in the offseason, but it’s also hardly a surprise to anyone in The Gug. 

The new New Jersey native had been trending in the right direction since the spring and Shuler has done nothing to keep his head down and worked this fall.  

Shuler has two interceptions and 15 tackles through seven games, including last Saturday’s pick-6 against Georgia Tech, which was a result of listening to his coaches. 

“Earlier that drive, our coaches were like, ‘The quarterback has been running, so kind of like get to it a little early, but don't overplay it,’” Shuler stated. “I just kind of went through my keys, seeing that they were running a drive concept to the boundary. Then I saw the receiver kind of get open.

“I started working my way there and I saw the quarterback, he threw the ball and kind of overthrew it and I was close to it.”

It was another confidence boost for Shuler, who recorded his first interception week one against Texas A&M, and it’s a good time to have one as Notre Dame is preparing for one of the toughest challenges of the year this weekend as they’ll see Navy’s triple-option attack. 

Shuler didn’t play against Navy a year ago in Ireland, but he was on the trip and saw how efficient the Midshipmen work, which was different than the option offenses he faced in high school. 

“I just saw how serious it was last year,” Shuler explained. “We played Union City and Ridgewood in high school. They were kind of a Wing-T team. I have a little bit of experience, but not at the college level.

“But just last year, seeing DJ (Brown) and X (Xavier Watts) kind of really take their game to the next level and be really detailed and not miss a key during the game and even at practice. It was like, alright, there's definitely levels to it.”

Eye discipline will be key for every player, but especially for the safeties as they’ll have various responsibilities throughout the game. Shuler will be expected to cover the quarterback, the pitch, or make sure he has everything over the top covered as Golden will implement multiple defenses this week. 

“The eye candy, the quarterback faking, the motion,” Shuler said. “At the end of the day, Coach Golden will say, 'They have to put their cleats in the ground and play football.' So, just knowing that once I have my cleats in the ground and knowing the keys that my coaches told.”

Shuler’s role is growing by the week as Golden and Mike Mickens gain more trust in the him. Plays like the interception or blowing up a screen go a long way to earning a larger role, but it’s Shuler’s work ethic that has impressed his defensive coordinator the most. 

“He's instinctive, he's physical and he’s still learning,” explained Golden. “He's still growing, but he's always around the office. He's always studying film, he's always asking questions. He's got a great look on game day. It's never too big for him, even if he makes a mistake. It's great when Mick says one thing, he goes out and does it and then reward it.” 

And speaking of trust, Shuler’s trust in Notre Dame is now paying off as Ohio State and a few other schools tried to flip him in the final months of his recruitment. 

“The relationship I built with Coach Freeman and Coach Golden through Coach Smoke (Pierre), my high school coach. He had a relationship with them before I was even in high school. Trusting him and trusting Coach Freeman in making the right decision to come here.” 

It’s been a perfect match and now Shuler will get to live out one of his childhood dreams this weekend as he’ll finally get to play at MetLife Stadium, which is 26 minutes from where he grew up. 

“It's really a dream come true,” said Shuler. “I've always wanted to play at MetLife. In high school, we played at Rutgers for our championship, so I was kind of a little bummed. Now that I'm able to play there, man, it's a dream come true.”

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