Notre Dame Football: 5 overreactions from ugly victory over Ball State

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2. Te’von Coney will win the Nagurski Award

Notre Dame has had a number of great linebackers during the Brian Kelly era, including Jaylon Smith and Manti’ Teo, but can Te’von Coney be better than both of them?

So far this season Coney has been the backbone of the defense, posting double-digit tackles in both games. With the offense playing poorly it has been a shining light in a somewhat underwhelming start to the year for the Fighting Irish.

After a 10 tackle performance against the Wolverines, Coney posted even better numbers against Ball State. He finished the game with 14 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and a sack.

He was disruptive from the first whistle and should be one the key players that will try to slow down Ke’shawn Vaughn for the Commodores.

While other defensive players such as Ed Oliver and Nick Bosa continue to be placed on Heisman watch lists all over the country, Fighting Irish fans can feel strongly confident that they have one of the best defensive players in the nation.