Notre Dame football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame football star Drue Tranquill(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

13. Drue Tranquill, S/LB, 2014-18

292 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 3 INTs, 11 pass breakups, 5 fumbles recovered, 1 forced fumble

Drue Tranquill was a fan favorite during his time at Notre Dame, and for good reason. Tranquill would be a key member of a defense that rebuilt itself and rebranded itself after the disastrous Brian VanGorder era on the defensive side of the ball.

By the time 2018 rolled around, Tranquill was one of the most important pieces of the Notre Dame defense and a two-time team captain.

Tranquill would win the Wuerffel Trophy in 2018 after being a nominee in 2017. He was also a finalist for the Campbell, Lott, and Butkus Trophies too. Along with his on the field success, Tranquill was an Academic All-American, the true definition of what it means to be a student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame.

The Los Angeles Chargers would draft him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he has since become a solid player at the NFL level as well. He was a PFWA All-Rookie team honoree in 2019, but a broken ankle robbed him of most of the 2020 campaign.

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