NFL
By: Brock Vierra
We are back with another college football profile and this week, I explore the talent from South Bend, linebacker Marist Liufau. Marist Liufau plays with a fire I rarely see in college football which says a lot considering all the young football players in the world would give their lives for a D1 opportunity. The 6-2, 239-pound linebacker from Hawaii is a standout for Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame defense. A pre-season Butkus Award watch list selection, he shines in a linebacker room filled with NFL talent. He looks like Troy Polamalu in both hairstyle and play, he causes vicious collisions and he makes big plays. He is the modern mold of what a linebacker should look like in terms of being both a fluid coverage linebacker and a heat-seeking missile. His game is literally game-changing and here’s why you should be all in on Marist Liufau.
He has tremendous experience at just 22 years old. He played cornerback in high school so that is where his coverage abilities originated from and when you look at some of the best linebackers to grace the game, they’ve started at DB like Liufau. Liufau’s ability to sniff out both ball carriers and option schemes is why he had such a huge game against Navy. With modern offenses employing such tactics as the RPO, Liufau’s ability to play within the defensive system and not be fooled by misdirection or fakes used by the various offensive schemes run by teams across the country makes him such a dangerous threat.
He played in Hawaii’s top level of high school football, has played for the Irish since stepping on campus, and is well-liked by both his coaches and fellow teammates. He’s a fantastic communicator, is able to perform at a high level in various weather conditions, and gives his coaches a versatile tool that models the modern NFL’s “hybrid” linebacker.
What I especially love is Liufau’s love of hitting people. In this era of constant targeting calls and a clear push to remove violence from this violent game, Liufau lays the lumber on opponents…cleanly. When you have a player like that, one hit changes a game. Whether that is a hit that results in a fumble or a crack so hard, it energizes your teammates while making opponents consider their next steps, those are the little things that can turn a 50/50 game into wins. He plays with reckless abandon but he is not reckless. He rarely makes contact with his helmet or with an opponent’s helmet. His tackles are all shoulder-driven, he has incredible explosiveness in his hips and he makes tackles consistently. Almost with the fundamentals one would find in rugby, if Liufau isn’t able to square a ball carrier up for a big hit, he wraps up said ball carriers well.
What I think is the most underrated and biggest aspect of his game is that he is a fundamentally sound player who gives great attention to the minor details of the game. Look how he rallies to the ball, even when he isn’t a part of the play. Look how he works against the run. He has a great base, his hips are always in the right place and he plays with cautious anticipation to not get beat by the RPO or play action. His gap integrity is so solid, that teams will run to the other side. The big thing is his eyes. His eyes are always in the backfield. He makes QBs second-guess their decisions. His maturity is exactly what you want to see for a player who plays a position that constantly goes 100 mph.
I have him as a third-round selection but this week, Notre Dame plays Ohio State in primetime. This is his big opportunity to climb up draft boards, especially against a Buckeyes team that has shown vulnerability at times. Marist Liufau, one for the future.
For more College Football content, watch The College Football Forecast with Me and Bill Carroll.
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