Notre Dame Football: 3 things to keep an eye on defense this spring
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team will get their spring practices kicked off next month, starting an offseason that will bring a ton of change for the Irish. The program has lost some key players on both sides of the ball, including their all-time winningest quarterback, so the offense will have to find a way to replace Ian Book.
On defense, the Irish are losing a first-round talent in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, as well as some outstanding edge rushers in Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji. There are going to be new faces on all three levels of the defense, and the fog starts to get clearer and clearer once practices start, and we inch closer to the Spring Game, hopefully.
With that said, we look at three things on the defensive side of the ball to watch for this spring.
Notre Dame Football: 3 things to keep an eye on defense this spring
Who steps up in Kyle Hamilton’s absence
Last season, Kyle Hamilton played at an extremely high level for the Irish, earning All-American status, and becoming one of the better safeties in college football. He will no doubt anchor the secondary for the Irish this upcoming season, but he will miss time this spring, after having ankle surgery after the 2020 campaign.
With Hamilton out, players are going to get their chances to shine, as there will be more reps to go around. The Irish brought in two talented true freshmen safeties this recruiting cycle, adding Justin Walters and Khari Gee, and Houston Griffith, KJ Wallace, and DJ Brown all return as well.
It remains to be seen who will start alongside Hamilton this season at safety, which makes this one of the more interesting things to keep an eye on. Walters enrolled early to get a jump on his career, and Griffith was a surprising returnee after entering the transfer protocol, so there is plenty to watch for in this position group this offseason.