Notre Dame Football: The Impact of the Hayes & Crawford injuries

In a big win against No.18 Virginia, Notre Dame football suffered two major injuries. What are they, and can the defense recover from them?

The injury bug was bound to head over to the defensive side for Notre Dame football eventually, and it did in a big way Saturday. Just as the offense was getting to full-strength, defensive end Daelin Hayes and cornerback Shaun Crawford both suffered significant injuries that will impact both of their seasons.

Daelin Hayes was the first key injury of the day, as he suffered a torn labrum early on in the first quarter Saturday. The tear ended up being significant enough that Hayes is having surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2019 season.

Through three games, Hayes had tallied three tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. He is one of the best players on this Notre Dame football team, however he does not start. Hayes comes in off the bench for star DEs Khalid Kareem or Julian Okwara. However, his play should not be discounted just because he was a backup this season. Hayes was a very key part of this team and will definitely change and weaken the Notre Dame defense.

Although, if Notre Dame could afford to lose a player at one position on defense, it would be defensive end. The DE position is undoubtedly the deepest position on the current Notre Dame roster, as was seen against Virginia. Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, Ade Ogundeji and Jamir Jones all had outstanding games from the DE position. The latter two will be the players filling in for Hayes in his absence, and great things can be expected from both — especially Ogundeji.

If there is any sort of silver lining to this Hayes injury, it is that Monday he announced that he would return to Notre Dame for a fifth season. Hayes is eligible to play a fifth year because of the new NCAA redshirt rule which allows players to participate in four games while preserving a year of eligibility. Hayes will bring much needed experience and leadership to next year’s team, which loses both starting defensive ends — Okwara and Kareem.

The other significant injury of the day came to — you guessed it ‚— the injury-plagued Shaun Crawford. The fifth-year corner is set to miss three-to-four weeks with a dislocated left elbow. The injury, which NBC refused to show in replay because of how bad it looked, ended up being not nearly as bad as many who saw it happen thought it would be. Crawford went to make a tackle late in the second half, and as he hit the ground, his arm bent in a horrible angle and in a way that arms are not supposed to bend.

This injury for Crawford is just the latest in his Notre Dame career which was been spelled with injury. Previously, Crawford had suffered a pair of season-ending ACL tears, as well as a torn Achilles last season. Crawford, like Hayes, can petition for another year of eligibility but he has chosen to not.

In Crawford’s absence, Brian Kelly stated in his press conference that rover LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will fill in for passing downs and 3rd & longs where Crawford would usually play. Crawford also covered the slot WR for the ND defense, and it has yet to be seen who will take that role. Look for senior Donte Vaughn or freshman KJ Wallace to earn playing time in Crawford’s absence.

Both the Hayes and Crawford injuries come at a bad time for the Notre Dame defense. While it will not necessarily matter against Bowling Green, Notre Dame faces rivals USC and Michigan in the weeks following. Hayes is out for the season, and it is likely Crawford will miss all three of these games.

If there was ever time for a ‘next man up’ mentality for Notre Dame football, it is now.