Jerry Tillery
FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2018, file photo, Stanford wide receiver Trenton Irwin is stopped by Notre Dame safety Jalen Elliott (21) and linebacker Asmar Bilal during the first half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame's second-year defensive coordinator Clark Lea has spent all spring, summer and preseason looking for replacements for graduated 2018 tackle leaders Te'von Coney and Drue Tranquill. In grad student Bilal and junior Drew White he may have found two of many. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
No. 9 Notre Dame has stacked deck of youthful linebackers

By John Fineran Aug. 27, 2019 02:42 AM EDT

Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams talks to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019 in Indianapolis. (Detroit Lions via AP)
Kelly's Irish resume climb for first title since 1988

By John Fineran Mar. 01, 2019 05:02 PM EST

Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa throws during the first half the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Clemson, Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
AP Top 25 Heat Check: Wrapping up 2018 with eye toward 2019

By Ralph D. Russo Jan. 08, 2019 12:30 PM EST

File-This Oct. 13, 2018, file photo shows Notre Dame linebacker Drue Tranquill celebrating after making a tackle during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh. Notre Dame defensive captain Tranquill and leading receiver Miles Boykin weren’t even Fighting Irish fans the last time they had a 12-0 regular season. Maybe that was a good thing since those current players didn’t have to suffer through how that season ended. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)
Notre Dame getting 1st title shot since '12 loss to Alabama

By Stephen Hawkins Dec. 27, 2018 07:02 PM EST

FILE - In this Dec. 1, 2018, file photo, Clemson's Travis Etienne (9) runs past Pittsburgh's Dennis Briggs (20) during the first half of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game in Charlotte, N.C. Clemson plays Notre Dame on Dec. 29 in in college football playoff semifinal in Arlington, Texas. Etienne has 1,463 yards on 176 rushes (8.3 per carry) and 21 of Clemson’s 46 touchdowns on the ground. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
Playoff: Notre Dame defense preparing for prolific Tigers

By John Fineran Dec. 22, 2018 03:03 AM EST

FILE - In this Nov. 30, 2018, file photo, Northern Illinois defensive end Sutton Smith (15) reacts after sacking Buffalo quarterback Tyree Jackson (3) during the second half of the Mid-American Conference championship game, in Detroit. Smith was named to the 2018 AP All-America NCAA college football team, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
2018 AP All-America Team List

By The Associated Press Dec. 10, 2018 12:01 PM EST

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2018, file photo, Alabama defensive back Deionte Thompson (14) celebrates after Mississippi State place kicker Jace Christmann (47) missed a field goal-attempt during the first half of a game, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Thompson was named to the 2018 AP All-America NCAA college football team, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)
AP All-America team: Tide leads with 4 of 10 CFP players

By Ralph D. Russo Dec. 10, 2018 12:00 PM EST

File-This Nov. 17, 2018, file photo shows Southern California quarterback JT Daniels (18) throwing against UCLA during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Pasadena, Calif. The Trojans have plenty of motivation of their own in the 90th edition of this famed intersectional rivalry, however. They’re definitely playing for bowl eligibility, and they could be playing for Clay Helton’s job as they wrap up USC’s worst regular season since 2000. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
No. 3 Notre Dame visits rival USC at brink of playoff berth

By Greg Beacham Nov. 23, 2018 04:36 PM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2018, file photo, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick stands under a basket following an NCAA college basketball game against Pittsburgh, in South Bend, Ind. Army vs Notre Dame football at Yankee Stadium is part of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series, an almost annual off-site home game the Fighting Irish have played since 2009. It’s a nod to Notre Dame’s history of adventurous independence and the vision Jesse Harper, the coach of Notre Dame’s first great teams, had for turning a small Catholic school in the Midwest into a national powerhouse. “It's born of that, but I think it has current value,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin, File)
Big game on any stage: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Syracuse

By Ralph D. Russo Nov. 16, 2018 01:17 PM EST

FILe - In this Nov. 24, 2017, file photo, Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi celebrates a touchdown against Miami during an NCA college football game in Pittsburgh. Back in 2012, Brian Kelly's Notre Dame team ran the table during the regular season to set up a showdown with Alabama for the national title. Along the way the Fighting Irish had to survive some close games, including overtime victories at home against Stanford and Pittsburgh (a triple OT affair). Now Kelly's Irish are 6-0 and ranked No. 5 and look who is waiting them this week -- the Panthers. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
No. 5 Notre Dame knocking on the door for playoff berth

By John Fineran Oct. 09, 2018 05:04 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 11, 2017, file photo, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, left, talks with Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell before an NCAA college football game in Ames, Iowa. The two teams meet on Saturday. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Defense key in No. 25 Oklahoma St matchup with Iowa State

By John Tranchina Oct. 05, 2018 07:47 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2018, file photo, Notre Dame's Ian Book (12) looks to pass against Wake Forest in the first half of an NCAA college football game, in Winston-Salem, N.C. Notre Dame (5-0) is seeking it's third win against a ranked team when they travel to Blacksburg, Va. to face No. 24 VirginiasTech (3-1) on Saturday. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)
No. 6 Irish expecting raucous environment at No. 24 Hokies

By Hank Kurz Jr. Oct. 05, 2018 11:39 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2018, file photo, Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery rushes Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello during the second half of an NCAA college football game, in South Bend, Ind. Imagine, for a moment, basking on a beach under the hot Hawaiian sun, relaxing with friends, not a care in the world one second, wondering if the world is coming to an end the next. Such was the reality for Notre Dame senior Jerry Tillery, and more than a million others, when at 8:07 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13, a state-wide emergency alert pinged every cellphone on the Hawaiian Islands with a message that an incoming ballistic missile was heading their way.(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)
Travels and tribulations have shaped Irish DL Jerry Tillery

By Todd Burlage Oct. 04, 2018 06:09 PM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2017, file photo, Notre Dame's Robert Hainsey (72) and Khalid Kareem (53) celebrate with teammates after defeating Boston College 49-20 in an NCAA college football game in Boston. Notre Dame junior Khalid Kareem found himself lost in the defensive line shuffle for most of his first two seasons with the Irish. Always buried on the depth chart, the Detroit native just wanted a chance to prove that he could become a regular contributor, and perhaps even a starter. A late-season surge in 2017 followed by a stellar showing in spring ball earned Kareem his chance at both.(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
DE Kahlid Kareem a rising star for No. 8 Notre Dame

By Todd Burlage Sep. 04, 2018 10:57 AM EDT