Notre Dame Football: Projected pre-spring game 2018 depth chart

Linebackers

Starting linebackers: Te’von Coney, Drue Tranquill
Backups: Jonathan Jones, Drew White

With all of the moving parts at the linebacker position, it’s hard to paint a black and white picture of who will be on the field at any given time. However, what we do know at this point is that Te’von Coney will take on a full-time role as middle linebacker after leading the team in tackles. Captain Drue Tranquill will also make his anticipated move inside, operating as a “buck” linebacker.

Depending on Asmar Bilal’s success in the rover role (we’ll get into that in a second), the Irish could have a significant amount of youth backing up the inside linebacker positions. One certainty is that junior Jonathan Jones will be the primary backup, but things get a bit blurry after him. Sophomore Drew White could see some meaningful snaps should disaster strike at the position.

Starting rover: Asmar Bilal
Backup: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

The rover position has been a source of much success for the Irish over the past few years, regardless of which coordinator implemented it. As it stands right now, the favorite for the job is senior Asmar Bilal. Bilal has seen meaningful action in many games over his college career, recording 45 total tackles and 4.5 sacks over the course of 19 games.

Following closely behind Bilal is sophomore Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, a former three-star prosepct who was recruited by the Irish to fill this very role. While only a sophomore, Owusu-Koramoah has already impressed his coaches and is a lock to earn at least the No. 2 spot at this position. Should Owusu-Koramoah win the battle, look for Bilal to serve in an all-round utility role.