Notre Dame Football: All-time Brian Kelly era team

Cornerbacks

Although he only played under Kelly for half of his college career, cornerback Robert Blanton saw the majority of his success over the course of his junior and senior seasons. A four-star product out of North Carolina, Blanton fit nicely into Weis’ defense, but truly came into his own under Kelly’s coaching.

After logging 71 tackles and four interceptions from 2008-09, Blanton began to realize his potential as a junior. Blanton would go on to record 53 tackles, five passes defensed, and two interceptions while also contributing on special teams. Blanton took yet another step further in his second year under Kelly, contributing 70 tackles, five passes defensed, and two picks in 2011.

While Blanton was solid in coverage, he also contributed significantly to the Irish run defense. In 2010-11 alone, Blanton recorded 2.5 sacks along with 15.5 tackles for loss. As a key contributor in multiple facets of the game, Blanton helped the Irish to back-to-back 8-5 seasons before being drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Current lockdown corner Julian Love is well on his way to making this list, but he doesn’t count for now as he is still a member of the Irish. However, former four-star talent KeiVarae Russell does crack the list as Kelly’s corner opposite Blanton. A product of Washington, Russell goes down as Kelly’s most statistically consistent corners.

Unlike Blanton, Russell’s entire three year career was played under Kelly’s tenure with the Irish. Despite playing under two different defensive coordinators, Russell served as a solid option during his time at Notre Dame, accruing 109 tackles, three interceptions, and eight passes defensed from 2012 to 2013.

After a season-long academic suspension in 2014, Russell would make a successful return in his senior year. Russell contributed 60 tackles and four pass breakups in 2015, also involving himself in four turnovers. While his Notre Dame journey wasn’t always pristine, Russell was committed enough to make a comeback that eventually lead to a third round draft selection by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Safeties

Despite often unorthodox defensive schemes under Kelly, this all-time team will feature a two safety set for the sake of clarity. With Blanton and Russell penciled in at their respective spots at corner, linebacker-turned-safety Zeke Motta gets the nod as one of Kelly’s top safeties. Kelly hasn’t had much success in the secondary, so Motta’s versatility is enough to earn him a spot here.

Motta, a four-star product out of Florida, contributed in both a special teams and reserve role as a freshman in 2009. However, his experience as a starter began in his first season under Kelly, a year during which he recorded 50 tackles and one interception. Motta’s time in this role would continue through 2011 as he went on to record 40 tackles with an interception and a score.

While Motta’s first three years didn’t necessarily stand out, his senior season turned out to be quite impressive. After compiling just over 100 tackles from 2009-2011, Motta put together 77 tackles and three passes defensed over the course of a solid 2012 season, showing enough promise to earn him a late-round selection by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2013 NFL Draft.

With little to speak of in terms of the Irish secondary, Harrison Smith served as one of the lone bright spots. However, referring to Smith as a bright spot doesn’t even begin to encompass the significance of his presence on Kelly’s early Irish squad.

Smith initially joined Notre Dame as a three-star linebacker prospect, but his success in coverage over the course of the 2008 season made it apparent that his abilities would be best utilized elsewhere. Before long, Smith had recorded 160 tackles, 11 passes defensed, and seven interceptions through two years.

The Tennessee product would put forth another incredible effort in 2011, tallying 90 tackles and nine passes defensed while involving himself in three fumbles. Smith, Notre Dame’s captain in his final season with the team, began a new chapter in an already impressive story when he joined the Minnesota Vikings via the 29th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.