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And so begins another round of “This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football” here on OFD. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.
#2 Jordan Genmark Heath, LB
Genmark Heath came to Notre Dame as a VERY addition to the 2017 recruiting class. He was ranked as a 3-Star Safety recruit in San Diego that held an offer list that was quite eclectic. It included some Pac-12 schools, Mountain West schools, The IVY, and fellow nerds Vanderbilt and Northwestern.
Jordan started out at safety at Notre Dame, but was moved to Rover, and now he was moved to the Buck. It’s a story much like former Irish great, Drue Tranquill — only much quicker.
Speaking of Tranquill... I spoke to Jordan after the spring game, and he told me that Drue watched tape with him quite a bit during the spring to help him with the ins and outs of the Buck position (a captain showing how a captain should be, even after his watch has ended).
Genmark Heath has a career total of 32 tackles in his two seasons and has appeared in all 26 games. Now, with so much of Notre Dame’s production moving on to the NFL, Jordan will be looking to increase that tackle total quite a bit.
Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, or Chicago
(Notre Dame loves all three.) Thinking about Jordan and Drue though... easy.
Hey Dog HEY!
Doing our best to make sure you know which one of man’s best friends match each Notre Dame player.
They’re “basically wolf corgis” from Sweden. Perfect.
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2019 Outlook
Jordan was in a very real linebacker competition this spring with rising sophomore Jack Lamb. Even though Genmark Heath has two years of experience on the field over Lamb (who has yet to take a snap) it was Jack that started getting reps on passing downs — and many felt that Lamb will eventually take over at Buck.
The thing is though, Lamb hasn’t been able to stay healthy — at least for the public to see much. The battle will certainly continue into fall camp, but I like Jordan’s chances there. He’s a smart player and plays with the kind of aggression you like to see at linebacker.
Because of that competition, it’s hard to say what kind of impact Jordan will have on the team and the season. Without a doubt he will have a role on defense and special teams, and it wouldn’t shock me if Jordan ends up splitting time with Lamb while having a solid year.