I’ve not seen a better group of linebackers at ND. They are aggressive, fast and don’t miss many tackles. Fun to watch
Best LB group in ND history
- Thread starter graceh90
- Start date
I'd certainly agree they are the best group in a long time, but ND has had some pretty stout linebackers over the years.
Best back 7 since ive been alive. We lost an All American CB 1st rd draft pick & a true freshman has been just as good & dare I say better than Morrison. Watts, Shuler best safety combo, and the lbs are so deep and talented.
Football has changed a lot over the years. I remember Bob Golic, who was our middle linebacker, playing nose guard quite often. And I would not have wanted to try to move him out of the way.
And crazy to think next year's group may be even better. Bowen, Sneed, Ausberry, KVA all will be more experienced. And we got the hotshot Faramio coming in and would not at all be surprised if he's in the rotation.
I’ve hesitated to go there because Stams, Bolcar, Pritchett, and Stonebreaker in 88 were a force week after week against a brutal schedule. I’ve been impressed by this groups speed all year but wondered if they might get bludgeoned by better competition.
They are the real deal. I am convinced
They are the real deal. I am convinced
Kiser about to play in his 68th game against Penn State; an ND record. I think he had a few nice plays today including the sack in the early part of the game. I think espn was short-changing ND on a sack when they were showing sack stats during the game.
Ausberry is a backup for crying out loud. That guy probably starts at every school but a couple.
Surprised at Bowens speed and suddenness for a guy that large. Same goes for KVA.
Sneed moves like a cornerback.
Kizer is the smartest guy on the field and can cover sideline to sideline.
The safeties are great and the defensive line is extremely disciplined, but the greatness of this defence is due to this line backing core. They are so fun to watch.
Surprised at Bowens speed and suddenness for a guy that large. Same goes for KVA.
Sneed moves like a cornerback.
Kizer is the smartest guy on the field and can cover sideline to sideline.
The safeties are great and the defensive line is extremely disciplined, but the greatness of this defence is due to this line backing core. They are so fun to watch.
I used to think the group of Tranquill, Coney, Bilal and Morgan was the best group since the 2000s by far. I don’t know if any of those guys are starters on this team. Maybe Tranquill but I’m not sure.
Only 2 guys I can say definitely say would start in this group: Te'o and Jaylon Smith.
JOK would definitely start
JOK replaces someone (probably Kiser). I just watched some more of this game and Drayk Bowen is not coming off the field, the kid is special.
Drayk Bowen is an absolute beast. He's all over the field, making big time plays.
Flat out.....Most offenses don't have a guy who can F with Drayk Bowen. The dude stands out. He's an alpha.
Flat out.....Most offenses don't have a guy who can F with Drayk Bowen. The dude stands out. He's an alpha.
I feel like he’s popped off the screen the last couple weeks. I saw him blow a few offensive linemen back today, dudes strong as an ox.
Perfectly said. He's crushing people. OL, QB, TE, RB....it don't matter.
Stams, Bolcar, Pritchett, and Stonebreaker.......This is the best group no offence to the current group
KVA is strong too. He pushed over an OL after a series. A real big dude he pushed over.
They couldn't run like these guys and dominate laterally like they do. Now don't get me wrong those guys were outstanding. I know I played against some of them . This group currently is really special. Great to see KVA back on the field. Can't imagine how good they'll be next year. Lose Kiser but more talented guys in the pipeline. Max doing a phenomenal job with that group.
I respectfully disagree. As good as those guys were they couldn't go sideline to sideline like this group can. Those guys were dominant in their era when power football was more the norm. Spread offenses, zone read, RPOs now. This group is solid against all of it.
Good point about Max Bullough. We all know what a tremendous job Mike Mickens has done as a position coach, but Max Bullough has been great, too.
Well stated. In that era versus that brand of football and against schedules that were insanely insanely difficult, that group takes a back seat to no one.
Absolutely. I mean if Frank Stams was at ND now he'd be 15-20 pounds heavier and playing with his hand on the ground.
Mike Goolsby says he's the best.
It's a time piece, and at that time no one was, and with NDs defensive backfield probably wasn't necessary.
The schedule ND played stand for itself. It was by far the toughest schedule in the nation.
I think the infusion of the rpo required that LBers needed learn to defend that way.
RPOs came up through the high-school and that's where defending it became necessary
The schedule ND played stand for itself. It was by far the toughest schedule in the nation.
I think the infusion of the rpo required that LBers needed learn to defend that way.
RPOs came up through the high-school and that's where defending it became necessary
So hard to compare eras. Those guys were great in theirs and the current group is really good already and their best football is still ahead of them. Remarkable that they're this good this young collectively. I expect them to be way better next year.
Watch his hit on the UGA QB on their long pass play. Damn did he pay a price for that throw.
I orginally thought the flag on that play was gonna be for roughing the qb or worse targeting. Didnt have sideline interference on my bingo card.
He took an OL and their QB out on a reverse later in the game. Just a guided wrecking ball. 😂
This is an unreal group against the run. They have been exploited a little bit in pass coverage.
Penn state runs a lot of swing passes and even wheel routes to the RBs. Georgia, NIU, Illinois, USC, have had success with their rbs catching the ball vs our LBs. We need to be better here against PSU.
Penn state runs a lot of swing passes and even wheel routes to the RBs. Georgia, NIU, Illinois, USC, have had success with their rbs catching the ball vs our LBs. We need to be better here against PSU.
Agree. It’s like comparing Tony Rice to Riley Leonard or Ricky Watters and Rocket to Jeremiyah Love. Why bother.
Nasty,
Plenty of time between now and the Penn St game to fret over matchups and schemes. Today we celebrate a great Irish victory and the outstanding play of our defense and special teams. We will need to be better against PSU in several areas, but linebacker play is among my least concerns.
Comparing players from different eras is really challenging and calling this the best LB group in ND history is recency bias. This group is young, playing at a high level and certainly could eventually end up near the top of my personal list. But, in my time as a fan (Holtz era forward) nothing tops the LB group on the ‘88 squad. Stonebreaker and Stams were absolute game-wreckers! Bolcar and Pritchett were studs and centrally cast for their positions in that era. It isn’t fair to compare this group to anyone historically at such early stages of their playing careers IMHO.
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