For the First Time in Forever, Irish are Deep at DE

Notre Dame has earned the title “Tight End U” with so many good players at the position moving on to have long careers in the NFL. On the other side of the ball, no one has ever called them “D-End U”.

Not once. Not ever.

It’s not like they haven’t had some good players at the position over the years, but it’s rare enough to see a single great defensive end in blue and gold. Having multiple has always seemed like a pipe dream for Notre Dame fans.

This might be the year that the dream becomes reality. For the first time in forever, the position is stocked with talent. Defensive line coach Mike Elston said last week that going into his ninth year with the program, “We haven’t had this kind of depth and what I can foresee as production out of the (End and Drop) positions.”

Watching the ends compete on the practice field is evidence that Elston wasn’t being hyperbolic with that statement. It’s not just one or two guys that has looked impressive out there. It’s the group as a whole with them having at least six players that are capable of making an impact in 2018.

While 5th year senior Jay Hayes is a returning starter at End, it’s the third year players at Drop that are the most intriguing with Daelin Hayes, Julian Okwara, and Jamir Jones battling it out for reps.

Daelin Hayes is as physically impressive as any player on the defense. His athletic traits have always been outstanding. After a year where he got to play a lot of football, Elston is looking for more from Hayes this time around.

The twitch and the strength are always present, but it’s the little things that can make him great.

“It’s technique. It’s hands. Daelin gets in the habit of dipping the shoulder and not using his hands to violently attack an offensive lineman or a tight end,” Elston declared. “And it’s just a consistency of that that will allow his production to go up.

“Daelin has played a lot of football, but he doesn’t have a lot of production. We need him to be productive.”

We’ve seen a flashes of that production so far this spring, but the player contending with him to start has shown more of it. Okwara is neck and neck with Hayes to start right now and ultimately it might come down to who is making more plays.

“Julian goes out there with less plays and has production,” Elston stated. “He uses his hands, he gets off, he’s violent in his pass rush...Daelin has that up and down because he doesn’t use his hands consistently. So that’s the growth he has to continue to do and he’s doing that. He’s working on that. We’ve identified that. I like where he is headed with that.”

The biggest concern with Okwara has been his weight or lack thereof. He’s down over 10 pounds since last season and that’s not where Elston and the staff wants him to be. It doesn’t seem to be a major concern, though. Not with the way Okwara has looked on the field, especially when getting after the passer.

“He’s a lean guy who works his tail off that burns a lot of calories,” Elston said about Okwara. “He’s got to take in more than he burns and he’s committed to that right now. He’s gaining the weight and he’s doing a really nice job. And he’s running out there with the first group every once in awhile and him and Daelin have a great battle going. I love that position.”

Included in that is Jones who made the move over from linebacker this spring. Elston admitted that finding reps for him has been tough because of the guys he’s competing with, but they’ve moved him around so he can learn both end spots.

When it comes time to play games, Elston said that Jones is someone that “we’ve got to try and find a way to get him on the field.”

The same goes for Ade Ogundeji, who has been one of the breakout stars of the early part of spring. He is stuck behind Jay Hayes and Khalid Kareem, who Elston called “incredibly talented”, at End. Ogundeji has been just too good to ignore and it would be shocking if he can’t find a spot in the rotation.

Elston gushed about the performance of Ogundeji so far.

“To speak about Ade, he’s playing winning football. He’s doing an incredible job. If you watched practice today he is productive making sacks and TFLs. At the end of last year I met with him and said, ‘Listen, whatever we’ve got to do, I’ve got to find a role for you (and) get you on the field.’ He needs to play.”

While it will still be a challenge to get him snaps because it may mean taking Jay Hayes or Kareem off the field, Elston is trying to be creative to have more of them potentially on at the same time.

“(Ade)’s starting right now in Dime (3 technique in a sub-package),” Elston said. “So he’s doing a great job for us and I love his development. When you talk to Matt Balis, he’s got that board of guys who are starving, guys that are hungry, guys that are satisfied, and Ade is always up there with the starving guys that just want more. He’s working his tail off and I love where he is at.”

Hayes, Hayes, Okwara, Kareem, Ogundeji, and Jones. That’s a long list of talent that will be attacking off the edge for the Irish this season.

For a lot of fans to see all of those names together it may seem surreal. It’s not normal for Notre Dame to be this deep at defensive end. The “D-End U” label would be putting the cart before the horse because all of this potential has to turn into production on Saturdays first.

But the Irish finally aren’t just hoping for strong defensive end play this season. They are expecting it. Irish eyes won’t be the only ones smiling watching them. Elston will no doubt be smiling knowing he has the kind of options at those defensive end that he’s never had at his disposal before.