Mike Elston Notebook
Notre Dame defensive line coach Mike Elston spoke on his deepest unit since he's been in South Bend.
On Jayson and Justin Ademilola:
“Jayson and Justin have stood out the most with opportunities I’ve given them. They know the defense, and they’re doing a good job of learning it. They’re pressing each other, and it’s almost like a competition between them.
“Justin was rotating in at end at the fourth spot and understood what we were doing. We moved him over to drop, and now he’s running with the third group.
“Jayson is in at the third group behind Myron (Tagovailoa-Amosa) and Jerry (Tillery). They are competitive young men, and they learn really well."
On Michigan-Notre Dame game:
“I told my guys that you never want to take a play off. I showed them a play when we came here. Ron Powlus took Notre Dame down to score to win the game. Our quarterback drove the ball down to win the game with not much time. Notre Dame blocked the field goal. The ball went backward and flew into Michigan’s players, and he advanced it for a first down. Michigan got another kick and won the game.
“That was one big memory of coming to Notre Dame Stadium and playing, but we’re so close to each other in proximity that there are a lot of recruiting battles. We know all their players, and they know all of our players. It’s a great rivalry to be part of.”
On role of Associate Head Coach:
“It’s been really good for me because I get to spend time with the support staff on a daily basis. Coach Kelly has really charged me with making sure our support staff has a better understanding of what their role is and an appreciation for their role.”
On Clark Lea:
“I love working with Clark. He’s open-minded and comes in asking my thoughts. I love and respect the fact he’s open-minded. He knows he doesn’t have an answer for everything, so he’s open to listening and working through things. When it’s time to make a decision, he does a great job of communicating. He’s doing a phenomenal job.”
On depth:
“We’re more stout, and we have more depth. Our linebackers across the board have more depth. There is better communication from that level down to our defensive line.
“Our defense is about communicating a bunch of different things throughout the course of the play. We’re bigger, faster and have a better pass rush up front.”
On managing depth on the defensive line:
“It’s however many guys are deserving, and we’re building that depth. Jerry Tillery can’t play 80 plays in a game, and you throw 14 games a year at him, and he can’t do that either. You have to be building depth to take the reps off of him, so when it’s time you need him, he’s there.
“You’re trying to build depth for repetition sake and taking volume off someone, but you’re also trying to get guys on the field to reward them. They don’t want to stand on the sideline the whole game. They are preparing for the University of Michigan, and they want to perform.
“It might not be a shocker if we play eight or nine guys in the first game to reward them for the work they’ve done. They’ve worked their tail off. At the end of the day, when we need to get a stop, you’re going to see the first group run out there.”
On young guys cracking into the rotation:
“You’re getting a three-deep ready. Jayson and Justin are involved in that right now. You can move guys around with guys that have been here. Jamir Jones, Ade Ogundeji, and Julian Okwara can play both positions.
“You don’t need to put a freshman in if he’s not ready, but Justin learns the system so well, and he’s done a nice job. He’s a physical player. He has a lot to learn technically, but it’s not going to be challenging for them to crack the lineup and we might not need them to crack the lineup if we stay healthy.”
On Jon Bonner:
“The biggest challenge with missing as much time as he did in the spring was getting his conditioning up. He’s working on that as we go through camp.
“He’s steady and consistent. He’s not a flashy guy, and he will never be, but he’s solid and stout inside. He’s a pretty athletic nose guard as you think about it. He’s long, rangy, athletic and plays with good power. He knows how to get off blocks too. I think he’s going to have his best season this year.”
On the competition at Drop:
“Julian is a phenomenal athlete. He’s a very savvy player and productive. He’s got a great pass rush, and he’s more physical than people give him credit for. He and Daelin are going 50-50 with the first group right now.
“Daelin runs with the 1s one practice and Julian runs with the 1s the next practice. Until we find a consistent performer of one is better than the other, it will probably stay the same during the course of the year. I love the way both of them are playing, and I want to keep both of them excited.
“Normally for big guys, you can rub on their belly and feed them to make them happy, but Daelin and Julian aren’t like that. You have to manage that part of it, and we’ll be able to manage that pretty well.”
On third down rush package:
“We’re going to put our four best pass rushers out there. That’s Khalid Kareem, who is arguably our best, Jerry Tillery, Daelin Hayes and Julian Okwara. Our job is to put them in positions to be successful. You have three of the four as defensive ends, so you have to put them in a position they can go out there and get their one-on-one matchups and win.
“We have a great plan for that, and we’re installing right now. When it comes to Michigan, we’ll game plan a piece that takes advantage of their weaknesses and puts into account the strengths of our guys.
“Ade is in the mix, and he’s probably fifth. He’d be the next guy in.”
On Khalid Kareem:
“Khalid is probably one of my favorite guys I’ve ever coached because it’s so important to him. He’s so intentional, and he works his tail off. He doesn’t normally have bad days. He had one this camp, which shocked me, but in 11 practices that one bad day is pretty good.
“He’s always consistent and in the backfield. He’s great with his hands. Physically, he has long arms, and he knows how to use his body with his hips and hands. He’s just a special player and fun to be around but he knows when it’s time to work.”
On Jerry Tillery:
“He wants to play in the NFL. He has all these things outside of football he wants to accomplish, but he’s committed himself to get to the NFL. His preparation during fall camp has been really good.
“He has a unique nature about him, but he’s focused on winning games for our team and going on to the next level.”
On Micah Dew-Treadway:
“He’s done a really nice job at the nose guard position. He’s battling Kurt (Hinish) for playing time. We’re not going to be able to play them all in every game, so we’re adding depth, but they’re also playing for a chance to represent us against Michigan.”
On Ade Ogundeji:
“He’s the same guy every day. He works his tail off and one of Matt Balis’ top performers. It’s just a lifestyle that is going to pay off for him.”