New linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary and promising freshmen share their ambitions and readiness to contribute to Notre Dame's winning tradition.
Earlier this offseason, former Notre Dame linebackers coach Max Bullough elected to return to his alma mater, Michigan State, to be their co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. That paved the way for former Michigan linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary to begin his coaching journey in South Bend. Jean-Mary has experience coaching at Michigan and in the SEC during his time with Tennessee.
He's walking into a loaded room and will look to build upon the strong foundation laid by Bullough. We've heard from two of the three new defensive coaching hires, and Jean-Mary did not disappoint. We heard from him as well as the early-enrollee defensive freshman class which is absolutely loaded with talent. Every player from safety Joey O'Brien from linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. talked about their transition to the college level as well as their goals for year one in South Bend.
You can watch the entire press conference here:
Here are some of the main quotes from today's press conference:
Brian Jean-Mary On Being At Notre Dame
"You're at a blue-blood program," Jean-Mary explained. "That's the gist of it. You're at a program that has a tradition of winning and winning at a high level. They've produced a lot of great players with Heisman trophies and other individual awards. But you have a high standard here where you want to finish at the end of the year. I've learned that at some of my previous stops. Obviously the tradition and history of this program, there's a high standard and you know what you're chasing here every day when you show up to work."
Chaz Smith On Aaron Henry's Coaching Style
"Tt's been a great transition with Coach [Aaron] Henry," cornerback Chaz Smith explained. "He's teaching me techniques that I've never been taught before. He's just breaking habits and teaching good habits. Coach Henry is developing me, even though he didn't recruit me and knowing he didn't recruit me. He's taking me in like he did and he already knew me, it's a great feeling. He's just a figure that I can look up to."
Joey O'Brien On Coming Into A Loaded Safety Room
"It's not difficult at all," safety Joey O'Brien explained when asked if it was difficult to come into a loaded room. "The brotherhood we have here, everyone wants to see everyone win. Like you said, I'm coming into a room that's a great group. I just have to wait my turn and when I get a shot, take advantage of it."
Thomas Davis Jr. On The Adjustment To College Football
"It was a pretty quick transition coming straight out of high school," linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. explained. "The biggest thing was getting used to the weather being from North Carolina. Once I got fully adjusted with my classes and in the locker room, everything has been flowing pretty smoothly."
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