Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau out with injury

Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau is out indefinitely after suffering a lower body injury during Wednesday’s practice. The details of the injury are not clear at this time. The news was first reported by Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily. 

Last season, Liufau had 22 tackles, including 10 solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss plus 0.5 sacks. Liufau saw action in four games his freshman year in 2019 and doubled that number in 2020. His biggest game last season was against North Carolina where he recorded five tackles, including 0.5 TFLs. In addition to the UNC game, Liufau saw more significant playing time and started in Notre Dame’s second meeting with Clemson in the ACC Championship Game and against Alabama in the Rose Bowl.

The 6-foot-2, 226 pound linebacker is known for being aggressive and using his speed to fly around the field. The Athletic’s Pete Sampson had him listed as a preseason standout prior to the injury.

The next time Brian Kelly meets with the media will be Monday, so the injury will likely be addressed further at that time.

Irish will need new plans at linebacker for a while

The Hawaii native was expected to start this season for Notre Dame under new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

With Liufau out, the Irish have a couple of options at Will linebacker. Expect junior JD Bertrand to play an increased role after a very successful fall camp. Bertrand saw action in three games last season and recorded seven total tackles.

Shayne Simon was already going to play a large part for the Irish defense this season, and expect the senior to step up even more. His playing time has increased each season he has been in South Bend: two games in 2018, five games in 2019 and eight games in 2020. He has 26 career tackles, three of which were for a loss.

Jack Kiser played Will linebacker last year but has spent the summer at Rover. He is a potential substitute at the position as needed.