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Notre Dame Football: The 3 Most Irreplaceable Players on the Irish Defense

By Mason Plummer

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 08: Nolan Givan #88 of the Ball State Cardinals catches a touchdown pass over Alohi Gilman #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on September 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Ball State 24-16. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 08: Nolan Givan #88 of the Ball State Cardinals catches a touchdown pass over Alohi Gilman #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on September 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Ball State 24-16. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Kurt Hinish #41 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs off the field at halftime against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Kurt Hinish

Hinish is not necessarily the first name that comes to mind when you think of the stars that would be irreplaceable on the 2019 Notre Dame defense, but the lack of depth behind him makes Hinish the third-most irreplaceable player on defense.

Last season in 8 games played, Hinish tallied 13 total tackles (six solo), two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Not too shabby from a guy that did not get to see a ton of playing time behind Jonathon Bonner last season.

Hinish comes in at No.3 because of the depth behind him, as stated above. Currently on the roster behind Hinish is freshman Jacob Lacey and sophomore Ja’Mion Franklin.

Lacey, who will most definitely be a stud at Notre Dame in the coming years, just does not have the experience in a Notre Dame uniform that would make me feel confident in him getting the bulk of the snaps in games against Michigan, Stanford and Georgia. He will get there, just not quite yet. Rated very highly as a 4-star recruit on 247sports.com, Lacey has the build and tools to become a star, but like I said, he needs time.

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Sophomore Ja’Mion Franklin is not a guy that was rated nearly as high as Lacey, but he is still a player the Notre Dame coaching staff likes quite a bit. Franklin has the size and speed to succeed at the college level, but has yet to prove it so far in his young Notre Dame football career.

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