The Notre Dame football team goes into the 2021 season fresh off another double-digit win campaign, though they are losing a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. They will have to replace Ian Book, the school’s all-time winningest quarterback, while also replacing four-fifths of their offensive line.
On defense, the linebacker corps take a big hit with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah leaving for the NFL, and both defensive ends, Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji are off to the NFL as well. It is going to be tough to fill a lot of the shoes of the players that are leaving, but this is Notre Dame football we are talking about, and there is a lot of talent left on the roster.
Looking ahead, players on the 2020 team are going to have to step up, and we look at five who are going to lead the reload in 2021.
Linebacker Drew White will help lead the Notre Dame football defense in 2021
Notre Dame football hired Marcus Freeman to be their defensive coordinator this offseason, and if there is one thing he is elite at, it is coaching up the linebackers. Sure, he is an elite recruiter, and that is going to pay off down the line, but for the 2021 college football season, he needs to make sure the defense does not take a step back.
Leading the linebacker group in 2021 will be middle linebacker Drew White, a guy who plays with a lot of intensity, and is a very capable player. White has the experience to be the leader on this Irish defense this season, and you can be sure that a coach like Freeman is going to get the most out of him in his final season in South Bend.
Running Back Kyren Williams
Running back Kyren Williams returns in 2021 after a breakout season as a redshirt freshman in 2020. Heading into last season, there were questions as to who would shoulder the load at running back, this after the program lost Tony Jones Jr. to the NFL, a guy who nearly had 900 yards in 2019.
Well, Williams stepped in against Duke in game No. 1 and rushed for 100 yards, took control of the starting job, and never looked back. He finished his first full season as the feature back with over 1,000 yards rushing, over 300 yards receiving, and proved to be a very capable blocker, protecting quarterback Ian Book.
Turning the page to 2021, the Irish are going to need every bit of Williams, as well as sophomore Chris Tyree, who had some special moments this past season as well. In Williams, they have that three-down back that you need to be successful, and with a new quarterback in 2021, and inexperience at wide receiver, his role is going to be even bigger this Fall.
All-American safety Kyle Hamilton
With a lot of talent leaving the secondary, including guys like Nick McCloud and Shaun Crawford, the Notre Dame football team returns their best defensive from a year ago, safety Kyle Hamilton. As a sophomore last season, Hamilton went from being a very good player to an All-American-type player, and someone who is certainly going to help this team reload on defense this season.
Hamilton has already been mentioned as a way-early All-American candidate and will be forced to lead a secondary with a lot of question marks. Sure, Clarence Lewis returns, and we will get into him in a bit, but at safety, it is really only Hamilton that the coaching staff can truly rely on heading into the Spring.
Houston Griffith is going to return in 2021, after nearly transferring away from the program, and some talented safeties are coming in as true freshmen in Justin Walters and Khari Gee. This is likely Hamilton’s last season in South Bend, as he is a potential first-round pick, so expect a monster season from him in 2021.
Cornerback Clarence Lewis
Another defensive back that is going to help the reload in the 2021 college football season for Notre Dame football is sophomore cornerback Clarence Lewis. This is a kid who came out of nowhere to become one of the top cornerbacks on this roster, and will now attempt to lead a new crop of talented youngsters coming in.
The group coming in consists of Ryan Barnes and Philip Riley, two guys who enrolled early at the school, and have already gotten a jump on their athletic, and academic careers. They bring a very bright future to the cornerback spot, and being a guy who started as a true freshman last season, Lewis can teach them a lot about the college game.
Chance Tucker is also a true freshman coming in, and he was a highly-recruited player coming out of high school, and so was JoJo Johnson, who could also play cornerback. Overall, it is a solid young group, but Lewis is going to have to make the change from starting as a true freshman to taking over the cornerback room, and I feel he is more than up to the challenge.
Offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson
As stated earlier, the Notre Dame football program is replacing four-fifths of their starting offensive line from a year ago, a task that would drown any other program. However, this is Notre Dame football we are talking about, a program that seemingly churns out NFL offensive linemen every season.
One player who does return after starting last season is Jarrett Patterson, who was the team’s center before a season-ending injury against Boston College. Ranked as one of the best centers in the country, Patterson could be making the move over to left tackle, replacing a potential first-round pick in Liam Eichenberg.
Patterson is an outstanding talent and a player who should eventually find his name called in the first round as well. This season, he will lead a young group that could start multiple true freshmen in Blake Fisher and Rocco Spindler, and if he does move to left tackle, he will be tasked with the most important role on the line, protecting the quarterback’s blindside.