Notre Dame’s returning MVP, Joe Schmidt is no longer just an underdog story. He’s one of the most important pieces in the Irish defense, the central nervous system for a defense that collapsed without him in the middle.
Coming off a major injury and returning to a depth chart filled with options, Schmidt has another reason for skeptics to doubt him. And that might be the best thing to happen to him since breaking his ankle against Navy.
Let’s take a look at the former Cinderella story, readying for his final season in a Notre Dame career we’ll remember for decades.
JOE SCHMIDT
6'0.5", 235 lbs.
Grad Student, No. 38, LB
RECRUITING PROFILE
Schmidt was a recruited walk-on (I know, it’s been discussing), joining the Notre Dame program after turning down scholarship offers from smaller programs. Schmidt was a three-year letter winner and starter at Mater Dei High School, a Southern California powerhouse.
You want RKG? You’re not finding a bigger one that Schmidt.
PLAYING CAREER
Freshman Season (2011): Did not see action.
Sophomore Season (2012): Played in the season’s final 10 games, making mostly special teams appearances. Credited with six tackles, two coming against USC in the regular season finale.
Junior Season (2013): Played in all 13 games, making 15 tackles while receiving spot duty at inside linebacker. After injuries hit the defense, Schmidt played a key role late in the season, forcing a critical pass break-up against USC that helped cement a defensive victory.
Senior Season (2014): Started the first eight games of the season at middle linebacker before an injury ended his season. Named Notre Dame’s Most Valuable Player, collecting 65 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. Had a season-high 11 tackles against North Carolina and had eight against Navy before being injured in the second quarter.
WHAT WE SAID LAST YEAR
I feel very good about this prediction.Get ready to see a very productive linebacker. Capable of running down plays and excellent in coverage, Schmidt’s the type of player who may not have a future on Sundays but will certainly be productive on the field.
Talking with Schmidt earlier this week, it’s clear that he’s a born leader with a lot of sway in the locker room. He’s also an unselfish player, talking about the pride he takes in making sure fellow linebacker James Onwualu is lined up correctly or helping to put Jaylon Smith in a position that helps him make plays.
Schmidt will have his hands full, as the Irish implement a system that’s an NFL scheme. But I expect him to finish in the Top 3 in tackles this season, and play very good defense against the pass.
FUTURE POTENTIAL
No, Schmidt’s not going to wow you with his physical traits. (Maybe the linebacker was wearing wedges when he stood in front of the yard-stick when the measured him at over six-foot.) But Schmidt is a high IQ, productive linebacker, capable of making the ordinary play as well as a few that were much better than that.
The MVP Award is perhaps the most telling piece of evidence when you consider the linebacker’s worth. He also made Jaylon Smith a much better football player and teammate, forcing the more talented athlete to play within the framework of the defense, something he didn’t do when Schmidt went down.
If there’s a question in Schmidt’s game, it’s the inability to make more big plays. Through eight games, Schmidt had just .5 TFLs. Lost as he was as a replacement, Nyles Morgan simply talented his way to seven times that amount.
There’s versatility in Schmidt’s game that could allow him to slide to the Will linebacker position if Morgan shows he’s capable of handling the starting job on the inside. But all of this presupposes that Schmidt’s healthy and fully ready to contribute after a fairly serious injury. We’ll know the status of that soon enough, as Schmidt will once again hold the keys to a successful defense.
CRYSTAL BALL
Barring a health issue, it’s still hard for me to imagine Schmidt coming off the field in 2015. We saw what kind of tire fire this defense looked like without Schmidt helping get people aligned. And while Morgan’s more athletic and Jaylon Smith sure isn’t coming off the field, Schmidt is the key to making sure both guys are positionally sound in a scheme that was exploited at times last season when too many players were freelancing.
(That might be too kind, freelancing usually assumes some level of mastery.)
An undersized linebacker who relies on his speed and athleticism can’t afford a bad foot. So if Schmidt opens camp at less than full speed, it’s certainly worth watching, not to mention worrying about. But outside of health, it’s going to take a brick wall to slow Schmidt down during his final season in South Bend. And as the team’s unquestioned leader on defense, he’ll serve as the heartbeat of a unit that needs to rebound after a miserable stretch of football.
THE 2015 IRISH A-to-Z
Josh Adams, RB
Josh Barajas, OLB
Nicky Baratti, S
Alex Bars, OL
Asmar Bilal, OLB
Hunter Bivin, OL
Grant Blankenship, DE
Jonathan Bonner, DE
Miles Boykin, WR
Justin Brent, WR
Greg Bryant, RB
Devin Butler, CB
Jimmy Byrne, OL
Daniel Cage, DL
Amir Carlisle, RB
Nick Coleman, DB
Te’von Coney, LB
Shaun Crawford, DB
Scott Daly, LS
Sheldon Day, DL
Michael Deeb, LB
Micah Dew-Treadway, DL
Steve Elmer, RG
Matthias Farley, DB
Nicco Fertitta, DB
Tarean Folston, RB
Will Fuller, WR
Jarrett Grace, LB
Jalen Guyton, WR
Mark Harrell, OL
Jay Hayes, DL
Mike Heuerman, TE
Kolin Hill, DE
Tristen Hoge, C
Corey Holmes, WR
Chase Hounshell, TE
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR
Alizé Jones, TE
Jarron Jones, DL
DeShone Kizer, QB
Tyler Luatua, TE
Cole Luke, CB
Nick Martin, C
Greer Martini, LB
Jacob Matuska, DL
Mike McGlinchey, OT
Colin McGovern, OL
Peter Mokwuah, DL
John Montelus, OL
Nyles Morgan, LB
Sam Mustipher, OL
Quenton Nelson, OL
Tyler Newsome, P
Romeo Okwara, DE
James Onwualu, LB
C.J. Prosise, WR/RB
Doug Randolph, LB/DE
Max Redfield, S
Corey Robinson, WR
Trevor Ruhland, OL
CJ Sanders, WR