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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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ATHENS, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Kirby Smart of the Georgia Bulldogs talks with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah #6 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after a 23-17 win at Sanford Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Breakout Player

Preseason Pick  – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (JOK) 

A popular choice in the preseason also becomes the pick for breakout player at the halfway point of the season, as Owusu-Koramoah received 5 of the 9 votes. Others receiving votes were Drew White (Sonny Martinez and Corbin Whitney), Kyle Hamilton (Ryan Palmeri) and Jonathan Doerer (Mason Plummer). Again, a case can be made for all of these players.

However, JOK — or Wu as we often see Owusu-Koramoah referred to as — is as deserving as anyone for this award and kudos to the staff for nailing this pick before the season as well. The linebacker unit was a big time worry of all Notre Dame fans and media alike heading into 2019. After a shaky start to the season against Louisville, it has probably been the biggest surprise as a strength of this football team. JOK and the runner-up for breakout player, Drew White, are huge reasons why.

He is second on the team in total tackles and he is first in solo tackles by a wide margin. JOK is also third on the team in tackles for loss behind only Drew White and Julian Okwara. These stats are impressive for a red-shirt sophomore and first year starter. It certainly looks like Notre Dame has the linebacker situation figured out for the next few years — and one can only imagine what JOK and White can look like as a duo moving forward.

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