Notre Dame Football: Notre Dame names seven captains for 2021 season
By Andrew Hall
When the Notre Dame football team takes the field in Tallahassee, seven Irish players will be wearing the captain emblem on their uniforms.
The Notre Dame football program announced seven captains for the upcoming 2021-2022 season. A mixture of juniors, seniors, and graduate students will represent the Fighting Irish with a “C” on their chest.
The captains are running back Kyren Williams, center Jarrett Patterson, wide receiver Avery Davis, nose guard Kurt Hinish, defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, linebacker Drew White and safety Kyle Hamilton.
Once again, Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame football staff decided on having a large number of players selected as official team leaders. The days when the Irish featured offensive, defensive, and special teams captains are gone.
Are these seven captains the most deserving Notre Dame football players?
It is difficult to disagree with any of the names on this list. Each player seems to bring something different to the table. Williams possesses the fiery quality of the typical football captain, as every player on the team knows when he is in the room.
He also keeps the morale up on the sideline.
On the other hand, Davis is not as demonstrative but embodies what you would want out of a teammate. He began his Notre Dame career as a quarterback, moved to running back, cornerback, back to the backfield, and finally to slot receiver where he made clutch plays for the Fighting Irish.
Hamilton is regarded as one of the best defensive players in the country, and Patterson is the lone returning starter from last year’s offensive line. White and Hinish will be relied upon in a big way on the defensive side of the ball, leading a veteran-laded starting lineup.
All of these players are deserving of their title. Adding more captains to the list would simply be too many. However, a few players could have been swapped out for others.
Josh Lugg would have been a great addition to the list of captains. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Bo Bauer is deserving as well. He might not start or play that frequently on defense. But, he is a leader based on how he plays on special teams. Overall, the coaching staff got it correct.