Notre Dame 99-to-2: No. 2 Jordan Genmark Heath, junior linebacker

By
Douglas Farmer,

By
Douglas Farmer

Published July 31, 2019 02:00 AM

College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Clemson v Notre Dame — ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Jordan Genmark Heath #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs off the field at halftime against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

Listed Measurements: 6-foot-¾, 231 pounds.2019-20 year, eligibility: A junior, Genmark Heath has two seasons of eligibility remaining, including 2019.Depth chart: Genmark Heath and sophomore Jack Lamb will spend the preseason competing for work at Buck linebacker. If Lamb remains healthy and on his springtime trajectory, Genmark Heath may have his work cut out for him.Recruiting: Genmark Heath arriving at Notre Dame came as the result of persistence from newly-hired Irish assistant coaches. When defensive coordinator Mike Elko and then-linebackers coach Clark Lea arrived from Wake Forest, they revived their pursuit of the consensus three-star safety, then a Cal commit. Their new scholarship offer clearly carried more appeal than the Deacons version did.

CAREER TO DATE
Sought as a safety, Genmark Heath made an immediate impact on special teams. He then saw his first real defensive action against LSU in the Citrus Bowl, racking up five of his season’s 16 tackles.

Late last spring, Genmark Heath made the move from safety to Buck. The switch did not come with the expectation of much playing time, knowing Drue Tranquill would not rest much. That was underscored when Tranquill missed only a few snaps after suffering a high ankle sprain in late October. While Genmark Heath got the next week’s start and made six tackles, Tranquill gritted his way through the game’s pivotal snaps.

2017: 13 games; 16 tackles.2018: 13 games, one start; 16 tackles.

What is somewhat noticeable about Genmark Heath is 11 of his tackles have come in defensive situations. Managing 21 special teams tackles in two seasons is impressive in its own way, but seizing those competitive moments to make 11 tackles stands out more applicably.

QUOTE(S)
Within one conversation at the end of spring practices, now-defensive coordinator Lea made two points about Genmark Heath’s progression. He is “still only a year into playing at the second level,” a jump that was even more abrupt for Genmark Heath than Lea would have preferred. Notre Dame has made a bit of a habit of moving safeties to linebacker: Tranquill, current sophomore Paul Moala, Genmark Heath.

When the Irish do so, the trend has been safety to Rover to Buck, but Genmark Heath skipped that middle step.

“We want to be developmental, so we want to recruit a raw skill set or ability set at each position and have the awareness that a corner might grow physically to being a safety, a safety might grow physically to being a linebacker, but a lot of times that path takes you through the Rover position,” Lea said. “... Jordan Genmark Heath out of necessity last year skipped the first move into the second.”

Lea went on to point out how often the Buck linebacker functions as a pseudo-Rover.

“The way offense is played now, there’s not a position that’s not required to play in space, so when you start looking at the game with two (receivers) removed to the boundary, your Buck is playing Rover, just in confined spaces.”

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“Moving Genmark Heath forward to linebacker grants him essentially another year of development. Enough worthwhile safeties had arrived (Alohi Gilman and Houston Griffith, specifically) to force Genmark Heath out of contention there, and that may seem a disappointment, but the opportunities removed from the safety depth chart were apparent among the linebackers.

“For that matter, Genmark Heath not moving forward until most of spring practice had passed indicates Lea was not sold on relying on (D.J.) Morgan, (Bo) Bauer or Lamb if Tranquill were to suffer an injury. Lea gave them their chance through March and half of April. The time had come to make a change.

“Being that change does not mean Genmark Heath will see much time. Tranquill’s backup, whomever it may be, will not be called upon in competitive situations unless Tranquill falls to a third drastic injury in his career.

“Thus, Genmark Heath should again focus on special teams duties while learning the ins and outs of his new position — ‘At some point you have to know exactly what gap you’re going to,’ he said in April.”

2019 OUTLOOK
The Irish linebackers remain a question mark heading into the preseason, and that includes the mix at Buck. But at Buck, the likelihoods are at least limited. Either Genmark Heath or Lamb should end up the starter, and the other will play a contributing role.

As March turned to April, Lamb surged at the position, largely based on his aptitude in coverage. Genmark Heath may well yet beat out at Lamb for the primary role, but it is more likely the junior finds a run-package responsibility and continues to excel on special teams.

https://youtu.be/f00ky6Idxx4

DOWN THE ROAD
If he falls behind Lamb, then Genmark Heath is staring at a career as a backup, albeit quite a productive one. Lamb has all four years of eligibility remaining, as do freshmen J.D. Bertrand and Osita Ekwonu, the buttresses of depth at Buck.

A move back to safety would not make much sense, either, given the young talent biding its time along the back line.

While he was a needed salve when recruited, Genmark Heath finding himself off the top line of a crowded depth chart is a reflection of Notre Dame’s vastly-improved defensive recruiting in the last two cycles.

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Notre Dame 99-to-2: No. 2 Jordan Genmark Heath, junior linebacker