Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 8 Marist Liufau, fifth-year linebacker, second season as a starter

By
Douglas Farmer,

By
Douglas Farmer

Published July 19, 2023 03:00 PM

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: APR 23 Notre Dame Spring Game — SOUTH BEND, IN - APRIL 23: Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (8) in action during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football Game on April 23, 2022 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Listed measurements: 6-foot-2 ¼, 235 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A fifth-year veteran, Liufau still has two seasons of eligibility remaining thanks to the universal pandemic eligibility waiver adding a year to his ticking clock despite playing 10 games that year.
Depth Chart: Liufau will be listed as a starting linebacker, likely as the Rover. Behind him should be sophomore Jaylen Sneed, pushing for playing time but not as well-versed in the scheme as Liufau.
Recruiting: The usual suspects chased the Hawaiian, a grouping Notre Dame has counterintuitively been a part of ever since Brian Polian reeled in Manti Te’o in 2008. USC, Oregon and Washington State all fell short of landing Liufau, the No. 36 outside linebacker in the class of 2019.

CAREER TO DATE
Liufua preserved a year of eligibility as a freshman, appearing in just four games, a precaution rendered unnecessary when he lost all of the 2021 season to a dislocated ankle that August. Between the two, Liufau made 22 tackles in 10 games in 2020 including 12 tackles in the season’s last two games. Most notably, he took only 206 snaps in 2020, meaning he made tackles on more than 10 percent of his snaps, an impressive rate for anyone, let alone a backup.

It then made sense for him to flash in preseason practices and look to be Notre Dame’s next playmaking linebacker before that practice injury ended such buzz.

It took some time for him to fully find his momentum in 2022, but he played well enough to join classmates JD Bertrand and Jack Kiser as Notre Dame’s three leading tacklers.

2019: 4 games.
2020: 10 games, 3 starts, 22 tackles with 1.5 for loss including half a sack.
2021: Dislocated ankle sidelined Liufau for the season.
2022: 13 games, 13 starts; 51 tackles with 4.5 for loss including half a sack, as well as one interception and one fumble recovered.

QUOTES
Liufau’s 2020 was highlighted by an adjustment to send him after North Carolina star quarterback Sam Howell. Liufau repeatedly disrupted life in the Tar Heels backfield, a large part of turning a 14-14 first quarter into a 31-17 Notre Dame rout.

But the Irish need more than dynamism off the edge from Liufau.

“Marist has to have the versatility to go on and off the ball,” Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said toward the end of spring practices this year. “He has improved his edge stuff.”

The Irish need a more complete linebacker, one who can set the edge against the run (on the ball), get after the quarterback as he has shown and also one who can stay disciplined in coverage (off the ball).

I stopped by the Official Banking Partner of Notre Dame Athletics, Credit Union 1, to sign up for my Fighting Irish checking account today! I’ve also downloaded the mobile app so now I can bank wherever and whenever I need to. Thank you Credit Union 1!! #CU1Irish #ad pic.twitter.com/jGDXHfl1yC
— Marist Liufau (@marist_09) April 26, 2023

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“He practiced before the Fiesta Bowl, and Liufau was active all spring, culminating with three tackles in the Blue-Gold Game, but nothing erases an injury from memory like a play on a fall Saturday.

“Once that is in his back pocket, the sky might be Liufau’s ceiling. His flashes in 2020 — most notably at North Carolina on Black Friday as his blitzes flummoxed Sam Howell — gave an idea of what could come from Liufua when fully incorporated into the defense. He can keep up with any running back out of the backfield, he is big enough to cover tight ends, and he is dynamic enough to shoot through a gap and catch an unsuspecting quarterback.

“Liufau’s season should not be measured by tackle numbers. Rather, only his moments of disruption will define how much of an impact he has. Between forcing fumbles, deflecting passes and tackles for loss, Liufua should knock the opposing offense off schedule at least a dozen times this season.

“To put that vague description into context: Notre Dame defended approximately 131 possessions last season (touchdowns + turnovers + punts + failed fourth-down conversions). Knocking the opposition off schedule a dozen times would mean Liufau dramatically impacted about 10 percent of their possessions.”

Writer’s Note: 4.5 tackles for loss + 1 interception + 1 pass broken up + 1 fumble recovered + 3 quarterback hurries = 9.5 disruptive plays from Liufau in 2022 on approximately 131 possessions again (not a typo, just a coincidence) = disruptions on 7.3 percent of opposing drives.

Lots of good here from the #808. Vyper Jordan Botelho (12) stones a 6-5/325 OL on the trap and then tosses him to the ground. Marist Liufau absolutely destroys the TE to get the TFL. pic.twitter.com/C4MovYym0a
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) November 8, 2022

2023 OUTLOOK
The 2021 hype predating Liufau’s dislocated ankle carried over into the 2022 preseason, seemingly held onto by many outside of the program for a full 12 months.

And then the 2022 preseason quickly tempered expectations. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman led the way, obliquely suggesting Liufau may not be full-go when the season began. There was logic to it: A dislocated ankle does not carry the same long-term worries of an Achilles injury, but it is an injury that takes plenty of time to recover from.

Liufau still played an absolute ton in 2022, more than Bertrand and nearly twice as much as Kiser. But he was not as disruptive as the 2021 and 2022 preseason hypes yearned for.

That may have been partly his role in the defense, not just rust.

Focusing on more of a forward-moving role could lean into Liufau’s instincts, the ones that flummoxed Howell back on Black Friday in 2020. A Rover tilting more toward a defensive end than a safety, if you will, could help manufacture the chaos that Notre Dame’s defensive line is not assured of creating this year with no proven stars.

DOWN THE ROAD
Liufau’s somewhat disappointing 2022 — he simply did not impress often enough — likely means he should return to college for a sixth season in 2024. One year of strong film will leave NFL teams simply wanting another. Linebackers at the next level need to be both fleet of foot and sure tacklers, things Liufau once was but now needs to show repeatedly.

Of Bertrand, Kiser and Liufau, the latter is the most likely to return in 2024 to finish up a six-year career.