Sophomore safety and team captain Adon Shuler had himself a day against NC State. The fast and physical safety was a thorn in the Wolfpack’s side, playing an integral role in holding the dangerous offense to a mere seven points. Shuler made three total tackles and recorded an early fourth-quarter interception that put an end to any hopes NC State had of coming back.
Shuler’s consistently fierce play resembles something along the lines of the Tasmanian devil, yet his philosophy on the game is much more stoic.
“You just always have to be calm, cool and collected,” Shuler said in his postgame press conference.
Shuler practices what he preaches. As one of the most experienced players on the Irish defense, his steady level of play has raised the level of the unit around him. He ranks second on the team with 29 tackles.
His exemplary play and calm authority were on full display against NC State. With the Wolfpack trailing by 17 points early in the fourth quarter, a touchdown drive would have at least provided them a marginal chance for a comeback. Sophomore quarterback CJ Bailey stepped up into his pocket on fourth down and fired a pass over the middle. Unfortunately for Bailey and the Wolfpack, Adon Shuler found himself in the right place at the right time, as he always does.
Shuler was also well-aware of the field in front of him. An all-around athlete, Shuler showed off his wheels, darting for a 44-yard return before being taken down within enemy territory.
Immediately after being tackled, Shuler was once again aware of the field in front of him. Rather than run for yards this time, Shuler and his teammates ran to the end zone for a photo. Posted up alongside five Irish teammates, Shuler and company quickly posed before heading back to the sideline.
“You can see we’re out there having fun. It’s fun when you’re out there doing your job and the coaches trust you to make plays,” Shuler said.
As fun as it is to make big plays, Shuler acknowledges that team glory comes before all else. After the defensive unit’s disappointing games against Texas A&M and Purdue — in which it let up a combined 71 points — Shuler was at the forefront of fixing the issues. For him, it all started with finding a cohesiveness amongst the group.
“It was a lot of not togetherness, and it wasn’t the Notre Dame standard that we were used to. That’s what we had to get back to, and that was kind of the message. We have to get back to playing our style of football and take it to whoever we’re playing and make sure they know they’re playing Notre Dame that week,” Shuler said.
That sense of unity Shuler was longing to see out of Notre Dame’s defense has been actualized in the past two weeks. Notre Dame has only allowed two touchdowns in its last eight quarters of football, and the defense that was regarded as the “weak link” earlier in the season is now supporting the offense when it starts slow.
In the first half, Notre Dame couldn’t find much of a rhythm offensively. Apart from a flashy first drive, two failed fourth-down conversions mixed in with overall lack of energy defined a sluggish offensive half. Defensively, however, Notre Dame was locking down the Wolfpack.
Elite coverage in the backfield, courtesy of Shuler and company, paved the way for the defensive line to pressure Bailey. It ended up notching three sacks, upholding the standard of excellence Shuler called for out of the group earlier in the season.
For Shuler, the defense’s progression in recent weeks is all a part of the process.
“It’s football. It’s the process that you go with. The first day of camp isn’t going to be the best day, and just like the last day wasn’t the best day. But, everyday, you’re going to go in there and grind with your brothers, and you know they got your back,” Shuler said.
After the game, Shuler received a team-high 87.2 defensive player rating per Pro Football Focus. The metric head coach Marcus Freeman is most proud of, however, isn’t a numerical rating.
“Our leadership on our players, our captains like Adon … have done an unbelievable job continuing to make sure our guys are practicing the right way, but their mindsets are right. This is our defense. This is ours, and that’s the buy-in that I think you’re seeing the reflection of,” Freeman said.
Calm off the field and chaotic on it, Shuler embodies everything Freeman is striving for Notre Dame’s defense to look like. His leadership has fueled a defensive renaissance that’s propelling the Irish up the AP Poll. With each passing week, as the defense continues to improve, Notre Dame’s dream of a College Football Playoff berth feels increasingly within reach.
But to get there, Shuler knows it’s all about focus.
“One play, one life. That’s been the mindset from the beginning of the season.”
