The Notre Dame Football program saw nine players selected across the 2021 NFL Draft, and 14 players enter the NFL. So who replaces them?
The Notre Dame football team will need to replace the production of 14 players who have departed for the NFL. This article will discuss the players on the current roster who are most likely to fill those vacancies.
A total of nine Notre Dame football players were selected during the 2021 NFL Draft this past April, and you would have to go all the way back to 1994 to find a year when more Irish players were drafted (10).
Following the conclusion of the draft, another five Notre Dame players signed deals as undrafted free agents. These numbers are a measurement of the talent on the college football team’s roster and, to an extent, the overall health of the program.
Another way we can measure the health of a college football program is by observing how effectively they can replace the production of players who departed after the previous season. The 2021 season for Notre Dame will be a solid data point for that measurement.
The biggest losses for the Irish are on the offensive side of the ball. Notre Dame will have to replace their starting quarterback, four starting offensive linemen, two of their top three tight ends, and two starting wide receivers. The most significant departure for the Irish is Ian Book, a three-year starter and the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history.
Book was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round.
Liam Eichenberg, Aaron Banks, Tommy Tremble, and Robert Hainsey were all selected on the second day of the NFL Draft. Ben Skowronek was selected on the third day of the draft. Tommy Kraemer, Javon McKinley, and Brock Wright all signed deals as undrafted free agents.
The other five players who left for the NFL were all defensive starters last season. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, the 2020 Butkus Award winner, was selected on the second day of the draft. Starting defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji were both Day 3 picks. Defensive backs Nick McCloud and Shaun Crawford signed deals as undrafted free agents.
Who will be replacing those 14 players on the depth chart? Let’s go through each position group and discuss the players who are best-positioned to win those open starting jobs.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace starting quarterback Ian Book?
The biggest loss for the Irish this offseason is the departure of starting quarterback Ian Book. Book was a multi-year starter and team captain. He also broke the record for most games won by a Notre Dame starting quarterback.
Notre Dame’s quarterback room was already a bit smaller after Phil Jurkovec elected to transfer in 2019. So the Irish coaching staff turned to the transfer portal where they found Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan.
After announcing his decision to transfer to Notre Dame, Coan immediately became the favorite to win the starting job. Following the conclusion of spring practices, that still appears to be the case. However, sophomore Drew Pyne and true freshman Tyler Buchner are making it a real competition.
Barring anything unexpected, it seems that Coan will be the starter for the Irish this season. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees should feel great about the future of the position with both Pyne and Buchner on the roster.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace wide receivers, Ben Skowronek and Javon McKinley?
Javon McKinley and Ben Skowronek were Notre Dame’s top two receivers during the 2020 season. Among wide receivers, that pair ranked first and second in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns.
They were big targets – figuratively and literally — for quarterback Ian Book. McKinley is 6’ 2’’ and Skowronek is 6’ 3’’. That size will be missed in Notre Dame’s wide receiver group this year. Currently, there is only one receiver on the roster who is a least 6’ 2’’.
That receiver is Kevin Austin.
Austin is expected to be the number one receiver for the Irish offense this season. The rising senior from Pompano Beach, Florida has had injury problems in the past that have kept him on the sideline. If he can stay healthy, though, he could earn some national recognition.
Avery Davis, Braden Lenzy, and Lawrence Keys are also expected to make significant contributions to the Notre Dame offense this year. Davis finished fourth on the team in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last season.
Lenzy and Keys both missed time due to injury during the 2020 season. However, they still combined for 12 catches, 114 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace tight ends, Tommy Tremble and Brock Wright?
Tommy Tremble and Brock Wright did not make major contributions in the passing game last season. However, both players contributed to the success of Notre Dame’s rushing attack by being strong run blockers.
Tremble was often used as a lead blocker on running plays. On the NBC Broadcast, Tony Dungy would regularly praise Tremble for his athleticism and enthusiasm for blocking. Most Irish fans would probably rank Tremble and Wright as the second and third-best tight ends on Notre Dame’s roster last season.
The top tight end on the team was true freshman Michael Mayer.
Mayer was second on the team in receptions (42) and receiving yards (450) in 2020. He accounted for twice as much production in the passing game as Tremble and Wright combined. The Irish offense will need Mayer to play an even bigger role this upcoming season.
Another tight end who will be stepping into a bigger role is senior George Takacs. He has only recorded five catches in the past two seasons, but he has an opportunity to double that in 2021.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace offensive linemen Liam Eichenberg, Aaron Banks, Robert Hainsey, and Tommy Kraemer?
The position group with the most to replace is the offensive line. Four starters from last year’s offensive line have departed for the NFL.
Liam Eichenberg, Aaron Banks, Robert Hainsey, and Tommy Kraemer have combined for 142 starts in their college careers. They were also part of a group that was named a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is an annual award that recognizes the best offensive line in college football.
Jeff Quinn and the rest of the Irish coaching staff will be tasked with restructuring the entire offensive line before the start of next season. Fortunately for Notre Dame, that is a position they recruit very well.
Jarret Patterson is the lone starter from last year’s team who is returning. He played center for the Irish last season, but we will likely see him lined up at either guard or tackle in 2021.
With Patterson switching positions, Zeke Correll should start at center for the Irish this fall. He started two games at center last season when Patterson was sidelined due to injury.
Josh Lugg should be the oldest member of the 2021 starting offensive line. The senior started three games last season and saw action in eight others. He has played both guard and tackle in the past, and I would not be surprised to see him play both positions this season.
During spring practices, true freshman Blake Fisher emerged as the favorite to win the starting left tackle job. At 6’ 6’’ and 330 pounds, Fisher certainly has the physical attributed to play college football as a true freshman.
Another true freshman who may crack the starting lineup is Rocco Spindler, who is competing for one of the starting guard spots. His chances of winning a starting job improved when Dillon Gibbons announced he was entering the transfer portal earlier this spring.
Finally, the Irish made a huge splash on Friday, signing All-American transfer Cain Madden from Marshall. He is a guy who is going to start next season, which gives the Irish even more depth up front along the offensive line.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah?
The short answer to this question is: no one will replace JOK. His athleticism and versatility on the football field are something you only find at the elite college football programs. Despite the results of the 2021 NFL Draft, he is without a doubt a first-round talent.
Owusu-Koramoah had the second-most total tackles for the Notre Dame defense in each of the last two seasons. Over that same stretch, he forced six total turnovers and recorded ten sacks. His strong play last year earned him the 2020 Butkus Award, which recognizes the best linebacker in college football.
The Irish defense will look different this season following a coaching change this offseason. New defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman likes to use a variety of alignments and personnel. The rove position that Owusu-Koramoah played last season might not have an exact equivalent in 2021.
There are a handful of linebackers who will be stepping into a bigger role next season. Shane Simon, Jack Kiser, Isaiah Pryor, and (if fully healthy) Paul Moala. Of those four players, Kiser was the most productive last season – recording 20 total tackles and an interception.
Simon and Pryor saw action throughout the season. The former recorded 14 tackles in eight games and the latter recorded eight tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble in four games.
Moala was a key piece in the linebacker rotation last year, but he suffered an Achilles injury in Notre Dame’s third game of the season last October. While he may not be 100 percent by the start of the 2021 season, Irish fans are hopeful he can make an impact later in the year.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace defensive backs, Nick McCloud and Shaun Crawford?
Cornerback Nick McCloud was arguably the most impactful player that Notre Dame added via the transfer portal last year. The former NC State player finished the 2020 season with 33 total tackles, eight pass breakups, and one interception.
Shaun Crawford has seemingly done everything for Notre Dame’s defense. Last year was his sixth season in South Bend. During his time in an Irish uniform, Crawford has lined up at safety, cornerback, and Nickelback. Aside from his versatility, the thing the coaching staff will miss the most about Crawford is his wisdom and leadership.
Next in line on the cornerback depth chart is senior Tariq Bracy and junior Cam Hart. Bracy started six games for the Irish last season and recorded 24 tackles and three pass break-ups. Hart saw action in nine games last season and finished the year with three tackles and two pass break-ups.
Notre Dame has also made offers to a couple of cornerbacks in the transfer portal this offseason. Those players would be directly competing with Bracy and Hart for playing time.
At safety, there are a couple of players who are competing to start alongside future first-round pick Kyle Hamilton. Houston Griffith, who entered and then withdrew from the transfer portal this offseason, is the favorite to win the job. Competing with him is DJ Brown, who became a regular part of Notre Dame’s secondary rotation last season.
Griffith is the most experienced in the group. The senior has recorded 33 total tackles and three pass breakups over the past three seasons. He played in all twelve games for the Irish during the 2020 season.
Brown had eight tackles and two pass breakups last season. One of those pass break-ups should have been an interception, but instead Brown showed Irish fans why he plays defense. Even if Brown is unable to surpass Griffith on the depth chart, he should be a big part of the secondary rotation in 2021.
Notre Dame Football: Who replaces each player heading to the NFL?
Who will replace defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji?
Daelin Hayes earned significant playing time as a true freshman back in 2016. Over the course of five seasons (one cut short due to injury), Hayes recorded 94 total tackles, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, one interception, and three pass break-ups. His athleticism allowed Notre Dame’s defensive coordinators to drop him into pass coverage on occasion.
Ade Ogundeji played three full seasons for the Irish and was responsible for 81 tackles, 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and a pass break-up. He was relatively new to the game of football when Notre Dame first started recruiting him, and he grew into an NFL draft pick.
Despite losing two multi-year starters in Hayes and Ogundeji, Notre Dame’s defensive line is considered to be one of their strengths heading into the 2021 college football season.
The projected starters following spring practices are junior Isaiah Foskey and fifth-year senior Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, who is making the transition from defensive tackle to defensive end.
Foskey is coming off of a breakout season in 2020 when he had 20 tackles, 4.5 sacks, a pass break-up, and a blocked punt that he subsequently recovered for a touchdown. He is the type of player who can make game-changing plays for a defense.
Tagovailoa-Amosa will be one of the most experienced players in an Irish uniform in 2021. Over the past four seasons, he has recorded 54 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, and a pass break-up.
Notre Dame Football: Irish should get off to fast start in 2021
The Notre Dame Football team has a fairly easy schedule to start the 2021 season, which should lead to a fast start for the Irish.
Behind those two players on the depth chart are sophomore Jordan Botelho and senior Justin Ademilola. Both should be featured heavily in Notre Dame’s defensive line rotation this season.