Notre Dame Football: Will the Irish face the No. 1 Draft QB again in 2021?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football team took on Trevor Lawrence in 2020, and all signs point to them possibly playing the No. 1 QB in the 2022 NFL Draft as well.
During the 2020 college football season, the Notre Dame Football team had to play in the ACC due to the pandemic. However, the schedule change did not have a negative effect, as they ran through the regular season with a perfect record.
Luckily for the Irish, when they played against the Clemson Tigers, one of the best teams in the country, they were without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. At the time, Lawrence was still going through COVID-19 protocol, so the team instead had to roll with DJ Uiagalelei, a true freshman.
Though a true freshman, Uiagalelei tossed for over 400 yards, it still was not enough to beat Notre Dame. In fact, with the win, the Irish beat the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in nearly 30 years, but Clemson would get their revenge in the ACC title game.
With Lawrence back at the helm for the title game, the Tigers rolled, clinching their spot in the College Football Playoff. A few months later, Lawrence would be the No. 1 quarterback, and No. 1 player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Notre Dame Football to face elite QBs in 2021
During the 2021 college football season, the Irish may once again take on the No. 1 quarterback in the upcoming draft, as they face some elite signal-callers. In Josh Edwards’ latest 2022 NFL Mock Draft over at CBSSports.com, the No. 1 overall pick is Sam Howell from the University of North Carolina, who Notre Dame plays on October 30.
Outside of Howell, they will also take on USC, who has a potential first-round pick in Kedon Slovis, who went late in the first round in Edwards’ mock to the New Orleans Saints. In 2021, the Saints selected Notre Dame Football star Ian Book on Day 3, and he will get a chance to fight for a role on the roster this summer.
The slate for the Irish in 2021 is a tough one, and the defense will certainly be tested by some of the better quarterbacks in the country. They have the talent on defense to shut down Howell once again in 2021, but playing he and Slovis in back-to-back weeks is going to be a tough hill to climb.