Notre Dame Football: Way-too-early projected 2-deep 2019 depth chart

Defensive Line

Starting interior: Kurt Hinish, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa
Backups: Jayson Ademilola, Ja’Mion Franklin, Jacob Lacey

While the Irish are stacked at defensive end, the interior of this Irish line poses some questions as it relates to the unit’s ability to overcome the losses of Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner. Juniors Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Kurt Hinish are poised to replace them at the 3-technique and nose guard, respectively, but only time will tell whether they can adequately fill the significant void left by their predecessors.

In regard to the Irish’s interior depth, sophomore Jayson Ademilola figures to be first man up behind Tagovailoa-Amosa while both Ja’Mion Franklin and early-enrollee Jacob Lacey look to earn significant playing time at nose guard. Franklin and Lacey both have great potential, but little experience keeps them in the “question mark” category until further progress is made.

Given how early we are in the offseason, many of these predictions (especially those concerning depth) remain little more than speculation. With that said, we’ll revisit all of these position battles in the form of a more confident depth chart deeper into the spring season.

Starting ends: Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem
Backups: Daelin Hayes, Adetokunbo Ogundeji

Despite their proximity to one another, the current standings of the interior vs. the exterior of the defensive line couldn’t be further apart. While there is very little available experience along the interior, the Irish boast a plethora of capable defensive ends that add a veteran presence on the outside.

Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, and Daelin Hayes formed a trio that devastated offensive lines in 2018, but the coming season will serve as a proving ground for a group of seniors that had much of their success attributed to Tillery’s work on the inside. Nevertheless, the Irish will be relying heavily on their ends to generate pressure in the midst of uncertainty up the middle.

With Hayes splitting time with Okwara, senior Adetokunbo Ogundeji is set to be the primary backup behind Kareem. While the latter aren’t expected to form an Okwara/Hayes-esque timeshare, Ogundeji is primed to earn significant playing time after logging over 250 snaps in 2018.