Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 8 Marist Liufau, senior linebacker returning from a dislocated ankle

By
Douglas Farmer,

By
Douglas Farmer

Published July 30, 2022 03:00 AM

NCAA Football: Notre Dame Spring Game — Apr 23, 2022; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (8) signals to his teammates in the second quarter of the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Listed measurements: 6-foot-2 ¼, 229 pounds.2022-23 year, eligibility: A senior, Liufau still has three seasons of eligibility remaining, a phrasing that is borderline common this offseason, albeit one that still takes a moment to comprehend.Depth Chart: Liufau will start for Notre Dame in five weeks at Ohio State. As the lead Will (weakside) linebacker, there is little proven depth behind the Hawaiian, namely only sophomore Prince Kollie.Recruiting: A consensus three-star prospect and the No. 36 outside linebacker in the class, per rivals.com, Liufau was chased by the teams that one would expect to pursue a Hawaiian. USC, Oregon and Washington State led the way, falling short to the University in the Midwest known for its Hawaiian imports, largely courtesy of former special teams coordinator Brian Polian.

CAREER TO DATE
Liufau played in four games as a freshman, preserving a year of eligibility that then became redundant when he lost all of the 2021 season to a dislocated ankle. In 2020, Liufau made 22 tackles in 10 games, highlighted by a combined 12 tackles in the final two games of the season, a sneak peek at the ascension coming from Liufau in the following summer.

That rise very much did happen, as Liufau inspired loud whispers from Notre Dame practices of an undeniable breakout season before a dislocated ankle cost him the entire fall.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
Does Anthony Travel have a specific vacation package aimed at Hawaii? Could Liufau somehow benefit from one?

A fact I have just internalized: Alexander Ehrensberger's home city of Düsseldorf, Germany is approximately 150 miles closer to South Bend than Marist Liufau's home city of Honolulu, Hawaii
— Ashton Pollard (@ashtonpollard7) July 22, 2022

QUOTES
First-year Irish head coach Marcus Freeman’s comments about Liufau as he returned to full-go in practice this spring echo Brian Kelly’s thoughts from last preseason. First, a refresher on Kelly’s mid-August comments in 2021:

“He’s playing within himself a lot better in terms of what he’s asked to do,” Kelly said. “... Marist would tell you that he played outside the lines a lot and that was probably one of the things that he knew he had to get better at. … He’s a versatile player, he can pass rush off the edge, he can cover guys, he can play in the inside. He can do a lot of things for us.”

Now compare that to Freeman’s thoughts in mid-March:

“He’s a super versatile player,” Freeman said. “... He can play Vyper (end) if you need him to. Last year he was one of our most dominant pass rushers on third down in fall camp. He brings in energy, he brings a physical demeanor.

“Marist has to continue to improve his physical actions. You can play as hard as you can, you can bring a type of energy, but if you can’t control your body to accomplish your job, then you’re out of control. That’s the challenge for Marist.”

The biggest difference between Kelly’s remarks in 2021 and Freeman’s in 2022 is the ordering of the praise. Liufau has gone from overly-aggressive but versatile to versatile but overly-aggressive. Perhaps the best and most-recent example of such was Liufau’s interception in the Blue-Gold Game in April. Forcing the turnover came first, but then he drew a penalty for his celebration.

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
Editor’s Note: As this series is always targeted to finish before Notre Dame begins preseason practices, this projection was obviously written before Liufua suffered that injury in the preseason.

“Liufau took 206 snaps in 10 games in 2020. He should see more playing time moving forward, and thus more than 25 tackles, but predicting further is difficult without having a better idea of how Freeman’s scheme will translate to South Bend. …

“Irish linebacker recruiting picked up last cycle and has only gained steam the last few months, but Liufau should have plenty of an edge on those incoming players. Whether or not (Shayne) Simon is around into 2022, Liufau should get a chance to dominate at Will linebacker before his time at Notre Dame is up.

“Of course, any Hawaiian starting at linebacker in a gold helmet will elicit certain comparisons, ones that are unnecessary and not necessarily applicable given the differences between middle and Will linebacker duties.

“But becoming another Hawaiian contributor at Notre Dame will only further strengthen that recruiting corridor jumping over the West Coast powers.”

2022 OUTLOOK
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty should never be expected, but one feels rather likely coming from Liufau at Ohio State in five weeks. Depending on the circumstances, it may be hard to fault Liufau.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 02 Cincinnati at Notre Dame — SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 02: Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Marist Liufau (8) looks on from the sidelines with his crutch supporting him during a game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Cincinnati Bearcats on October 2, 2021, in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

He was set to break out in 2021, and instead he had to struggle through watching road games from his own couch. Liufau has admitted that frustrated him immensely. Perhaps that should have been assumed, but in this case, one suspects Liufau was more aggravated than most would be.

He plays with that sense of aggravation. In front of 105,000 fans in his first chance to reclaim that break-out path, Liufau might deliver a late hit or celebrate a play a bit too exuberantly. A flag will fly.

And Notre Dame will be glad for it, simply because it means Liufau is not only back on the field but back in all ways.

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.

☘️☘️☘️@marist_09 pic.twitter.com/K3ZdHPplew
— James Laurinaitis (@JLaurinaitis55) June 29, 2022

DOWN THE ROAD
Though not impossible, it is a bit of a stretch to anticipate Liufau heading to the NFL after 2022, even if he has been in college for four years already. NFL front offices will simply want to see more than one year of film, no matter how much of a star he might be in that one year.

Consider Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. In his junior season, his first actually on the field, Owusu-Koramoah had 80 tackles with 13.5 for loss including 5.5 sacks. He both forced and recovered two fumbles while defending four passes. That was not enough to push him into the NFL. He needed more film.

A couple touchdowns would obviously elevate Liufau into greater consideration, but it is more likely he starts for the Irish again in 2023.

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