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Notre Dame Football: 2019 Mid-season Superlatives

By Nathan Erbach

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 12: Tony Jones Jr. #6 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball against the USC Trojans in the first half of the game at Notre Dame Stadium on October 12, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 12: Tony Jones Jr. #6 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs the ball against the USC Trojans in the first half of the game at Notre Dame Stadium on October 12, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY – SEPTEMBER 02: Chase Claypool #83 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish runs with the ball against the Louisville Cardinals on September 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Mr. Reliable

Preseason Pick –  Chris Finke 

Honestly, another pick gone wrong that looked like a surefire correct selection prior to the season. Before this year, Finke was the epitome of reliable, but whether due to injury or the coaching staff asking him to do too much, it just hasn’t been a great season for Finke thus far.

Chase Claypool takes the reigns from Finke and is the Slap the Sign mid-season Mr. Reliable Award Winner with 4 of the 9 nine votes. Two additional votes went to Cole Kmet, while Alohi Gilman, Jonathan Doerer and Tony Jones Jr. all received one vote apiece.

All of these athletes are certainly deserving in their own way, but Claypool definitely deserves mention. As noted above, he is tied with Jones for the team lead in touchdowns, and also like Jones for rushing attempts and yards, Claypool leads the team in receptions and receiving yards.

I’ll be honest — outside of maybe Kmet — there is no doubt in my mind that Claypool has simply been the best player on the field for the Notre Dame offense all season. However, that doesn’t always lead to an MVP. Claypool earns the Mr. Reliable award because of his clutch catches and seemingly always being the man Ian Book leans on when a crucial play is needed in the passing game. He has also been the most consistent player for the team on offense all year.

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