NOTRE DAME, IND. – Opposing offensive lines will have their hands full when facing Notre Dame’s front three on defense this season. What was viewed, even as of last year, as a potential weakness for the Irish, has quickly become what some consider one of their biggest strengths. With returning starters Ethan Johnson and Kapron Lewis-Moore solidifying the end positions, the only question remains who will see the majority of downs at nose guard. Fortunately, the team has plenty of players to answer.
Senior Sean Cwynar and sophomore Louis Nix III will be in an eventful position battle throughout fall practice. Both players feel like they have taken the necessary steps to contribute and fill the gap between the two veteran ends.
For Cwynar, who replaced injured starter Ian Williams for four games last season, those steps are mainly rehabilitating from a broken foot he suffered at the end of the year. The senior wasn’t able to practice with the team in the spring, and he has worked hard to prove he can build on the success and experience he garnered last year.
“It might be hot, or you’re a little bit sore, but you sort of reflect on the fact that you were sitting out all of spring and how bad that was,” acknowledged Cwynar. “Going forward, I feel like (Head Athletic Trainer) Rob Hunt and (Strength and Conditioning) Coach Longo have done a fantastic job just helping me get better and to be 100 percent.
“I wanted to compete in the spring a lot. I wanted to continue to show the coaches what I could do. Our defense was playing great at the time. It was tough to take that hit and to watch all the guys get to go out there and work on their game and not have that opportunity.”
For Nix, the challenge has been to shed excess weight. The sophomore looks great. He has lost 15 pounds and comes into fall practice weighing in at a personal best 326 pounds since coming to South Bend.
“I feel great at the weight I’m at,” said Nix. “Whatever helps me out health-wise, condition-wise; whatever makes me better as a player.
“My teammates saw the potential in me. In the spring game, they kept pushing me. Coach Longo and the staff, they got me right. They kept me running and lifting. They worked with me instead of blowing me off to the side. They worked with me the whole summer and the whole team pushed me. That helped me concentrate. T hat made me focus on what’s important. It made me a better person all around.”
Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston will be watching closely throughout this fall to see who has made the most improvement and who will get on the field when the season kicks off on Sept. 3 against South Florida. The fortunate scenario for him is that he has a list of players to consider.
“We have more depth this season,” said Elston, who also has senior nose guard Hafis Williams to add to the list. “We don’t have as much experience, but we have depth. Practices are moving faster because we’re able to get more guys in and we’re able to keep guys fresh. If we can build that experience over the next twenty practices we should be able to cycle the guys in like we talked about.
“It was an area of concern for us as a staff and we addressed it. Now we’re in a better position. The good thing is that we have big guys that have the skill sets to do the jobs at the defensive line, and now it’s just about getting them the experience that we need.”
“The great thing about it is that the competition pushes each other to go hard every day out there in practice,” said Cwynar. The senior knows all about embracing challenges as he managed to finish his undergraduate degree in three years and is now enrolled in the one year MBA program at the university.
“You can’t go out there and just take a day off,” he added. “(The defensive linemen are) a pretty veteran group in certain aspects, with Kapron and Ethan, everyone just pushes each other to get better. I feel like that competitiveness can really be cultivated.”
The competitiveness between the linemen has proved to be effective for Nix as well. Having lost the weight, the jovial sophomore who refers to himself as “Irish Chocolate” is ready to get in the game.
“I just wanted to work that off because I really wanted to play,” said Nix. “I didn’t like being that guy on the sidelines. I rooted for my team, but you never want to be that guy that never plays. I didn’t want to be that guy.”
“He looks great,” said Cwynar when referring to Nix. “He’s so athletic for his size. He’s so strong. He really is a great player. I love watching him play. I think he’s definitely going to help our defense out.”
Elston has his work cut out for him in deciding who will see playing time, and at what frequency, but it is definitely a much better problem than not having enough depth. In his eyes it is just nice to see how his players are developing and the intensity it has brought early on in camp.
“It’s so early to tell right now how much, who is going to play,” he said. “We’ve got a great battle a nose (guard).We’ve got a great battle at both (defensive) end positions.
“We haven’t, as a staff, talked about the playing time yet and the balancing of it. It’s not in the focus yet. What’s in the focus is trying to prepare everybody to help us win and then deciding Thursday before the game on what the rotation is going to look like.”
Whoever lines up for that first snap against the South Florida offense doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that the coaches and players have used the spring and summer to get themselves individually prepared to collectively build on the successful end to last season.
