Notre Dame Football: Fighting Irish primed for 2018 playoff run

Notre Dame’s Defense

Even with giving up 79 points in two of their final three games, the Notre Dame defense was a big reason the Irish went from 4-8 to 10-3.

This success is mostly owed to defensive coordinator Mike Elko, who after only one year with Irish, departed for Texas A&M. Despite entering 2018 with their fourth defensive coordinator in three years, the Irish defense will be just fine and will be the back bone of this season’s success.

The Notre Dame defense returns nine starters from last season, including linebacker Te’Von Coney, who led the Irish in tackles, and cornerback Julian Love, who led the team with three interceptions, two of which were returned for scores.

With experience on their side, the Irish defense, should have no problem being an X-factor, week in and week out. With minor improvements in how the defend both the pass and run games, Notre Dame’s defense could finish as one of the best in the nation.