How Brian Mason has turned special teams work into a fall camp competition: ‘I think it’s awesome’
When Notre Dame special teams coordinator Brian Mason arrived on campus in the winter, he made one thing abundantly clear: special teams would not be seen as any less important than offense or defense. It was time to prioritize kicking, punting and the return game.
That’s not to say it was unimportant under the Brian Polian-led unit previously, but Mason wanted to engrain in his players’ heads the significance of it. The first step would be to get starters more involved.
“Coach Mason has made a really big effort to show us that the best teams in the country have their best guys on special teams,” senior linebacker JD Bertrand said.
The fourth-year leading 2021 tackler heard the call and responded accordingly. Bertrand was the first winner of a “Special Teams Player of the Day” competition, which Mason has started and which he posts each day on Twitter. The winner’s photo is shared along with a childhood photo.
“It was really just leading that first day, trying to get to the front of the line and get as many reps as I possibly could,” Bertrand said when asked how he ended up with the honor on Day 1. ”I wanted to help push other guys as well as myself. There’s obviously technical aspects to it, but I think that was one of the biggest things that I was trying to do, just bring that leadership aspect to special teams.”
The mantra Mason includes in each post is “chaos kills,” an ode to his aggressive yet successful special teams approach. His 2021 unit at Cincinnati had six blocked kicks (which was tied for first in the nation) and three blocked punts.
PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for your first year at Blue & Gold
Bertrand’s success at Friday practice was followed by some noise from a fellow linebacker. This time, it was Jack Kiser. When asked about it, the always-humble senior deflected and talked about others.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
DJ Lagway
Florida QB to return vs. LSU
- 2
Dylan Raiola injury
Nebraska QB will play vs. USC
- 3
Elko pokes at Kiffin
A&M coach jokes over kick times
- 4New
SEC changes course
Alcohol sales at SEC Championship Game
- 5
Bryce Underwood
Michigan prepared to offer No. 1 recruit $10.5M over 4 years
“I think it’s awesome to recognize guys that work hard and have a really good day out in practice,” Kiser said. “It can be hot, and special teams doesn’t get all the glamor, but it’s just as important of a period as anything else during practice. It’s cool to see your teammates being recognized like that.”
Kiser played 189 of his 587 snaps (32.3 percent) in 2021 on special teams, while Bertrand played 134 of 886 (15.1 percent) on that unit, per Pro Football Focus. They made a total of 21 starts last season, and Bertrand was a starter in each of Notre Dame’s 13 games. In other words, these are two of the rocks of the Irish defense, and they are treating special teams as they would any rep at linebacker, just as Mason asked of them.
The recognition will continue throughout fall camp. Safety Houston Griffith was singled out on Sunday for his special teams work, while receiver Jayden Thomas earned the shoutout on Monday. The varying selections — experience, age, sides of the ball — shows Mason’s message is sticking with all members of the team.
“Our culture of this program should be represented in the special teams units,” Kiser said. “For that to happen, we have to have the critical, important guys that play every down also have a huge impact on special teams. We’re going to see that this season, and that’s going to become a staple of Notre Dame football.”
A plan that’s surely Mason-approved.
