Clark Lea was referring to the unproven confusion at linebacker, a morass so thorough Lea does not break it down into starters, backups and depth, but rather simply pairs up players with fewer than half a dozen tackles at their current position with players with no such tackles. Yet, the Irish defensive coordinator may as well have been referring to the entire back seven of Notre Dame’s defense with only two starters returning healthy this spring in their previous positions.
A defensive depth chart through the next 12 practices would be an exercise in boosting egos, only to risk bursting those bubbles within days as positions reshuffle.