Notre Dame football: Top-5 defensive players returning in 2021
By Brad Weiss
Kyle Hamilton is a potential first-round 2022 draft pick
One of the biggest stories of the 2020 Notre Dame football season was the play of freshman safety Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton exploded onto the scene with his breakout season, being named a first-team All-American by the PFWAA, and a third-team All-American selection by the Associated Press.
Hamilton was only 19 years old during the 2020 college football season, which is incredible to think about when you look at his production. He was a first-team All-ACC player, showed himself to be great against the run and the pass, and ended the season with 51 solo tackles.
The defensive back has already been named an early All-American by ESPN, and for Freeman, he has that elite player in his secondary that is necessary to win games at this level.
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Other names on this defense will need to step up, and the Irish have a bunch of potential breakout players next season. For the 2021 defense, it will be Hamilton that is going to be the straw the stirs the drink, and if his freshman season is any indication, he is going to be a first-round pick one day.