Notre Dame football: Irish player named to ‘most intriguing’ list for 2021
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football program has plenty of exciting players on the roster, but one member of the team was recently named one of the ‘most intriguing’ of 2021.
The Notre Dame football team has All-American talent on both sides of the ball and were recently ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Poll. After losing so much talent to the NFL, that is a testament to the direction of this program, one that has been in the College Football Playoff twice in the last three years.
In a recent piece for Sports Illustrated, Pat Forde named his 25 most intriguing players for the 2021 college football season. Leading that ranking was Alabama signal-caller Bryce Young, who was one of five quarterbacks to dot the first seven players listed. In fact, it was not until player No. 8 where a defensive player was even named.
That player was Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton, widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in the country, and someone who could be picked in the top-5 of the 2022 NFL Draft. A dominating presence in the Irish’s defensive backfield, Hamilton is everything you look for in a safety at the collegiate, and pro-level, and will be tasked with leading a new-look Irish defensive in 2021.
In his piece, Forde spoke to the Irish having to fill many holes on offense, and that the defense will be the one to lean on, at least to start the season.
"With the Fighting Irish working in a lot of new starters on offense, they might turn to the defense to carry the first few weeks of the season. And that begins with Hamilton."
Forde is absolutely right, and in Hamilton, they certainly have the right guy steering the ship on that side of the ball.
Notre Dame football has a star in Kyle Hamilton
Hamilton is a special player and someone who will not wait long to hear his name called in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He is long, fast, and athletic, and while he is a ballhawk, he is also not afraid to come up and make a tackle. He checks nearly every box, and this will most likely be his final season in South Bend, so let us enjoy him while we still can.
New starting quarterback Jack Coan was named as an Honorable Mention player on this list, and rightfully so, as he will be taking over for Ian Book, the winningest quarterback in program history. Coan does not have to carry the offense as Book did, but the Irish need him to do what he does, and that is protect the football, and not be the cause of losses.