Notre Dame Football: Post-spring 2-deep depth chart projections for 2020
By Jacob Wilson
Defensive Line
Starting ends: Daelin Hayes, Adetokunbo Ogundeji
Backups: Isaiah Foskey, Justin Ademilola
Perhaps the most significant losses of any positional unit on the Notre Dame roster came at defensive end. The Irish will be without the services of three of their top four producers in the sack department in 2019, losing Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, and Jamir Jones to the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, and Houston Texans, respectively.
The good news is that the Irish have so much depth at the position, more than most positions on the roster. Daelin Hayes is an exceptional talent, Adetokunbo Ogundeji showed significant promise, and backups Isaiah Foskey and Justin Ademilola will likely be groomed into solid depth pieces themselves.
Defensive tackles: Kurt Hinish (NG), Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (DT)
Backups: Jacob Lacey, Jayson Ademilola
The interior defensive line is a little more straightforward. We know that nose guard Kurt Hinish will retain the starting job, likely alongside senior Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa. Hinish, a big body who helps clog up the middle, recorded two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss in 2019. Tagovailoa-Amosa had a serviceable year for himself as well, recording 23 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and half a sack.
Expect both sophomore Jacob Lacey and junior Jayson Ademilola to rotate in routinely as they did in 2019. Both Lacey and Ademilola were impressive in 2019, combining for 39 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss. With Lacey serving as the Irish’s top prospect at the position, look for him to get as many snaps as the coaching staff can afford him.