Freeman's All-Defensive Team Of The Brian Kelly Era
Earlier this year, Irish Sports Daily rolled out the Top 25 players of the Brian Kelly era.
The ISD staff debated and debated the list and it went down like this:
25. CB KeiVarae Russell
24. RB CJ Prosise
23. DL Louis Nix III
22. K Justin Yoon
21. RB Cierre Wood
20. DL Kapron Lewis-Moore
19. OL Nick Martin
18. WR TJ Jones
17. QB DeShone Kizer
16. OL Mike McGlinchey
15. CB Robert Blanton
14. RB Theo Riddick
13. DL Stephon Tuitt
12. RB Josh Adams
11. OL Chris Watt
10. DL Sheldon Day
9. OL Ronnie Stanley
8. S Harrison Smith
7. LB Jaylon Smith
6. TE Tyler Eifert
5. LB Manti Te'o
4. WR Will Fuller
3. WR Michael Floyd
2. OL Quenton Nelson
1. OL Zack Martin
Now that we’ve had time to digest that list, I wanted to put together my team of Brian Kelly players at Notre Dame. There aren’t any restrictions on this regarding years the player had to play for Kelly like in the ISD Top 25 Player of the Brian Kelly Era.
We’ll take a look at the defense today.
Freeman's All-Offensive Team Of The Brian Kelly Era
DE Stephon Tuitt
Tuitt is my top defensive lineman at Notre Dame since Brian Kelly arrived at Notre Dame. The Georgia native was able to stop the run but also made his mark getting to the quarterback. Notre Dame doesn’t make the National Championship in 2012 without Tuitt’s 12 sacks.
Career Stats
126 tackles
25.0 tackles for loss
21.5 sacks
1 incredible fumble recovery for a touchdown in Ireland
DT Louis Nix
I remember before I started this job, I would hear about Nix in practice and how quarterbacks couldn’t complete a pass because of his ability to get his hands on passes but also disrupt the interior of the offensive line. Nix was extremely productive (when healthy) from a position that’s hard to get production. The Florida native had the talent, production, personality and the conviction to commit to Notre Dame without a head coach.
Career Stats
122 tackles
14.0 tackles for loss
2.5 sacks
DT Sheldon Day
Day was also pretty much a no-brainer and lining him up next to Nix would have been problematic for defenses as they got older. The Indianapolis native had an explosive first step and the ability to slip through small creases to get in the backfield. He might not have reached the quarterback as much as some of his peers, but his 32.0 tackles for loss speaks volumes.
Career Stats
141 tackles
32.0 tackles for loss
7.5 sacks
DE Prince Shembo
This one was hard. Notre Dame hasn’t had a no-brainer at rush end under Brian Kelly. I considered Aaron Lynch and Darius Fleming. Shembo’s production and will to get to the football was the difference. The Charlotte native defined hustle and when looking at just the football side of things, Shembo made plays.
Career Stats
145 tackles
24.5 tackles for loss
19.5 sacks
LB Jaylon Smith
Easily the most athletic player Notre Dame has had in recent years backed it up over his three years in South Bend. He’d be an outside linebacker on this list as Smith could cover sideline to sideline in the pass game and get downhill in a hurry in the run game. Not really much more to say.
Career Stats
284 tackles
23.5 tackles for loss
4.5 sacks
LB Manti Te’o
Leadership is important at the Mike position and Te’o fits the bill. The Hawaii native made everyone on the field better and then demanded more. Te’o would then go make the game-winning play. I’m not sure there has been a defensive player that has had a season quite like his 2012 season.
Career Stats
437 tackles
34.0 tackles for loss
8.5 sacks
7 interceptions
LB Te’von Coney
He’s still a work in progress but if he had the chance to play next to Smith and Te’o, it would have been a sight to see. Te’o had good games but I’m not sure he ever had the game Coney had against LSU in the Citrus Bowl in January. Coney registered 17 tackles against the Tigers but it truly seemed like more. There have been some good linebackers but Coney's athleticism and ceiling get him on this list with one more season to go.
Career Stats
190 tackles
13.5 tackles for loss
3.0 sacks
CB Robert Blanton
It was a tough call and Julian Love could very well replace him next year but I went with Blanton for the entire body of work. He was underrated during his time in South Bend and might have been underrated in the NFL. Blanton wasn’t the greatest athlete but he made the right play because he could put himself in the right position to make a play. He also might be the only player to challenge KeiVarae Russell when it came to confidence, which is important at the cornerback position.
Career Stats
194 tackles
19.5 tackles for loss
8 interceptions
CB KeiVarae Russell
If Russell didn’t miss a year, he might have gone down as one of Notre Dame’s best corners in school history. Russell was thrown into a tough situation as a true freshman when he was a starter at the position he hadn’t played in high school. The Washington native never lacked confidence and it allowed him to be better than he probably was at the time. Russell also had a handful of clutch plays to seal games or turn momentum in the game. His interceptions against Temple and USC played a significant role in the Irish getting to the Fiesta Bowl.
Career Stats
169 tackles
7.0 tackles for loss
5 interceptions
S Harrison Smith
All it took was for Smith to get a shot at safety and the rest is history. Charlie Weis experimented with him at linebacker but Kelly moved him to safety and Smith turned into a dominant player. Smith stopped the run and also made things very difficult for opponents in the passing game. The lasting memory for me wasn’t the Sun Bowl where he had three interceptions, but the interception on the goal line in 2010 to give Notre Dame a much-needed victory against USC.
Career Stats
307 tackles
18.5 tackles for loss
7 interceptions
20 passes defended
S Zeke Motta
This one was a tough call but I’m going to go with the guy that will take your head off and not think twice about it. I enjoy players that embrace contact and love the game of football, which is Zeke Motta. He might not have the production of some of the other players you could have put here, but he got the job done. Motta’s leadership might have gotten lost at times but he brought along a young Matthias Farley to help the Irish get to the National Championship game when Jamoris Slaughter went down.
Career Stats
179 tackles
4.0 tackles for loss
2 interceptions