Notre Dame football: 4 Reasons Kyle Hamilton will win the Bednarik Award

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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – SEPTEMBER 14: Daevon Vigilant #5 of the New Mexico Lobos runs with the football against Kyle Hamilton #14 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on September 14, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: 4 Reasons Kyle Hamilton will win the Bednarik Award

Notre Dame Football is Known For Its Defense

It may sound obvious, but it helps to be on a winning team if you want to win an award, as it implies that you were a key part in winning those games if you were one of the team’s best players. Opposite that, you lose games because you’re not a good enough player. The same can be said for an excellent defensive unit.

The best player must have a big impact on the quality of a defense. In reality, there are other factors that mean it may not be the case, but as far as awards and perception are concerned, it does matter.

Notre Dame is known for its elite defenses in recent years. So, when people watch them, there is an expectation that they’ll still be elite. Then, they’ll turn to who they know best on that defense. That’s going to be Hamilton, who is the most important player on Notre Dame when it comes to being successful on defense.

This reputation for excellence, coupled with actual excellent performance, is going to help Hamilton exponentially during award season, while potentially hurting a player like Derek Stingley, one year removed from LSU’s disastrously bad defense.

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