Notre Dame football: 10 most important players in 2021

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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – NOVEMBER 16: Jamale Carothers #34 of the Navy Midshipmen runs with the ball while being tackled by Drew White #40 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium on November 16, 2019, in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: 10 most important players in 2021

5. Drew White, Linebacker

Outside of Kyle Hamilton, Drew White is the most recognizable face on the Notre Dame defense, and with good reason. He’s an incredibly experienced linebacker, now going into his fifth year at Notre Dame, and was a starter last season and a rotational player in 2019. With each season, White has shown a ton of improvement, and Notre Dame needs him to play a massive role in the defense next season.

White acts as a senior leader on the defense, while also be a smart player who the defense can be run through. That’s going to be very important because Notre Dame has a new defensive coordinator and new defense to run. Leadership is going to be key, which needs to come from someone like Drew White.

Luckily for the Irish, they have a player like White, and luckily for White, he has a defensive coordinator like Marcus Freeman. Freeman is one of the elite minds when it comes to the linebacker position, and White will certainly benefit from playing in his defense in 2021.

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