Notre Dame football: 3 Irish named to ESPN’s top-100 players for 2021
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team saw three of their players land within ESPN’s top-100 players in 2021, including the No. 7 overall player in the ranking.
The 2021 Notre Dame football season will kick off in less than two weeks, as they have a Sunday night tilt against Florida State to open up the action on September 5. For the Irish, this should be an exciting season, as they look to get back to the College Football Playoff for the third time in four years.
On Monday, ESPN released their top-100 players for the 2021 college football season, and the program saw three members named within the top-50. In fact, two Irish teammates were named right after each other, as Kyren Williams was named the No. 46 overall player in the country, and Michael Mayer was named No. 47.
For Williams, he is fresh off a breakout season at running back, one that saw him get the job done for the Irish on the ground, and in the passing game. When it comes to Mayer, he is a special talent, and after his stunning true freshman season in 2021, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees feels he could be the best tight end to ever play at the school when all is said and done.
Notre Dame football star ranked No. 7 overall
While Williams and Mayer went back-to-back, it was the most talented player in the Notre Dame football program that cracked the top-10. That player was, of course, Kyle Hamilton, who is regarded as one of the best defensive players in the country by almost every media publication.
A potential top-5 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hamilton is the glue to this Notre Dame defense and leads a unit that could be one of the best in the country on all three levels. They are a veteran group, led by first-year defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, and despite losing an All-American talent in Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, they are going to give offenses fits in 2021.
In the grand scheme of the season, these kinds of rankings do not mean anything, but for the players named, it is a real honor. Of course, other members of the Irish will be looking to get on this ranking next season, but two misses, in my opinion, were offensive linemen Cain Madden and Jarrett Patterson on this year’s rankings.