Notre Dame Football: 3-star recruits who had big impacts under Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly has done a great job recruiting since taking over the Notre Dame Football program, and some of his three-star recruits became impact players.

In today’s college football, all eyes are on the five-star recruits, who are viewed as the players who are going to come in and change the fortunes of each program. While the Notre Dame Football program has had their fair share of those players since Brian Kelly took over, there have also been some three-star guys who have certainly carved out their place in South Bend.

Here are some players who came in as three-star recruits according to 247Sports.com, and ended up making a big impact.

Notre Dame Football: 3-star recruits who had big impacts under Brian Kelly

2020: Clarence Lewis

This past season, the Notre Dame football program got a pleasant surprise in Clarence Lewis, who stepped in as a true freshman and became one of the leaders in their secondary. His play enabled the Irish to once again have one of the premier defenses in college football, going undefeated in the regular season, and getting another shot in the College Football Playoff.

Lewis had more than a few standout moments, including against Syracuse, where his 12 tackles led to him being the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Week. The Athletic named him a Freshman All-American, and while his freshman season was outstanding, he will be expected to step up even more in a very young cornerback room in 2021.