Notre Dame Football: Top Candidates to Replace Aaron Lynch

While Notre Dame football never exactly flies under the radar, the Irish have frequented the news even more so than normal this offseason. The twists and turns under the Golden Dome include the sudden departure of freshman cornerback Tee Shepard after less than two months in South Bend, as well as the arrests of quarterback Tommy Rees and inside linebacker Carlo Calabrese earlier this month.

The biggest on-field impact, however, will come from defensive end Aaron Lynch’s decision last month to leave Notre Dame and transfer to USF, much closer to the Florida native’s home (and girlfriend). While the Irish defensive line should still be a strength in 2012, the absence of the freshman All-American will require a number of players to step up in the fall.

Here are five defensive linemen who can help ease loss of one of Notre Dame’s most talented and shortest-tenured players in recent history.

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Sheldon Day

The biggest luxury of having depth at a position is allowing freshmen to be developed slowly. The Irish thought they had a great opportunity to do just that with Day, an early enrollee in January. However, the combination of Lynch’s departure and Day’s smooth transition from high school to the practice field has temporarily squelched those plans.

Day is likely to capture a place in the defensive end rotation, spelling expected starters Kapron Lewis-Moore and Stephon Tuitt. An Indianapolis native, Day weighs in at around 286 pounds, close to ideal size for a 3-4 defensive end. Strength and conditioning are usually the biggest factors in how quickly defensive linemen see the field. Day appears to have a physique ready for major college football.

Chase Hounshell

While not as prestigious a recruit as Lynch and Tuitt, Hounshell was still a big catch for the Irish in 2011 out of Kirtland, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He saw limited action as a freshman last season, registering four tackles.

Hounshell could use a few more pounds on his 6’4” frame, as he’ll be likely the first defensive end in off the bench this season. A high-motor player (and a great Twitter follow @chasehounshell), the sophomore has all of the tools to be an impact player, even without finding his name all over the stat sheet with sacks and tackles for losses.

Kapron Lewis-Moore

No player was more affected by the loss off Lynch than the fifth-year senior Lewis-Moore. A knee injury against USC last season sidelined him for the final half of the season after 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks. He was expected to take a backseat to Lynch and Tuitt in 2012.

No longer will that be the case for the Weatherford, Tex. native. Lewis-Moore was thrusted back into a starting role this spring and will anchor what is otherwise a young group of defensive ends. Every team should be so fortunate to have a leader like Lewis-Moore in their starting lineup.

Tyler Stockton

The Irish have tinkered with some position switches this spring along the defensive line. Kona Schwenke moved inside, while Stockton likely will work on the outside this season. At 6’0” and 285 pounds, Stockton lacked the size to truly emerge as a contributor at nose guard.

Although he didn’t record any statistics last season, he’s a veteran presence who understands defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s system. With little game experience behind the two starters, a strong summer could propel Stockton into the rotation this fall.

Stephon Tuitt

With his former classmate no longer on the team, Tuitt will now have the eyes of most opposing offensive lines squarely on him. There was little doubt as to whether the sophomore from Monroe, Ga. could thrive alongside Lynch, but often times, the loss of a complementary player has more of an effect than initially thought.

Unlike Lynch, Tuitt did not enroll early last year, but still worked his way onto the field as a freshman, finishing the 2011 season with 30 tackles and a pair of sacks. He’s extremely agile for being 6’6” and 295 pounds, with the potential to become a matchup nightmare. The Irish need that to happen sooner rather than later with Lynch no longer in the picture.