Notre Dame football: Top-5 defensive players returning in 2021
By Brad Weiss
Notre Dame football needs a big season from Clarence Lewis
Sure, the Notre Dame football team has a nice recruiting class coming in at the cornerback position, but it is a holdover who is going to play a key role in 2021. Clarence Lewis stepped in as a freshman last season and did a great job for defensive coordinator Clark Lea, and is someone who could be a four-year starter for the Irish.
In 2021, Lewis is going to be expected to take the next step forward, and based on what we saw in Year 1, he has the talent to do so. A product of Edison, New Jersey, Lewis ended the regular season on a high note, as he was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week thanks to his efforts against Syracuse.
Notre Dame has a ton of question marks on the defensive side of the ball this upcoming season, and one of them is who will start alongside Lewis at corner. He and Kyle Hamilton will be tasked with leading this defensive backfield, a unit that could be a lot better than advertised this Fall.