DT Jerry Tillery And LB Te’von Coney To Return For 2018 Season
Notre Dame got some tremendous news on Monday, when junior nose tackle Jerry Tillery and junior linebacker Te’von Coney announced they would be returning for their senior seasons.
Tillery played in 24 games and started 14 during his first two seasons at Notre Dame. The Shreveport, La., native racked up 49 tackles, five stops for loss, one sack and four quarterback hurries combined during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
In former defensive coordinator Mike Elko’s aggressive defense and under the tutelage of defensive line coach Mike Elston, Tillery had a breakout season in 2017. The 6-7, 306-pound nose tackle surpassed all those numbers in just 13 games.
Tillery finished his junior campaign with 56 stops, nine tackles for loss, a team-leading 4.5 sacks and a team-best 11 quarterback hurries. When Tillery was playing well, the Irish defense was very difficult to run the football against.
Another offseason in the strength program led by Matt Balis should help Tillery take his game to another level, one that involves him becoming an even better finisher and one capable of playing stronger in November.
Coney began the season as a part of the inside linebacker rotation, but he didn’t get his first start until the sixth game of the season, a road contest against North Carolina. Only staring half the season didn’t keep Coney from having a true breakout year.
During his sophomore campaign in 2015, Coney started nine games but had just 62 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Under the tutelage of linebackers coach Clark Lea — who was recently announced as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator — Coney put up monster numbers, leading the Irish with 116 tackles and 13 tackles for loss.
Coney averaged 10 tackles per game and registered 10.5 tackles for loss in his seven starts.
Notre Dame already lost linebackers Nyles Morgan and Greer Martini, who have exhausted their eligibility, so getting Coney back gives the Irish inside linebacker corps a talented and productive veteran, and a player poised to take over a leadership position on defense.
Coney played both the Mike and Buck linebacker positions this season, but it is expected that he will focus on one position as a senior. By returning for his final campaign, Coney can get to work on improving the one part of his game that has not shined thus far, his pass coverage skills. Coney came off the field on passing downs this season, so improving in that department while continuing his production in the run game will help boost his draft stock following the 2018 season.
----
• Talk about it inside Rockne’s Roundtable
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_CoachD and @BGI_CoreyBodden.
• Like us on Facebook.