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Notre Dame football: 5 Irish who won’t be underrated for long

By Daniel Morrison

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Head coach Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players run on the field during player introductions before the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Head coach Brian Kelly and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players run on the field during player introductions before the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – MAY 01: Drew Pyne #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish passes in the first half of the Blue-Gold Spring Game at Notre Dame Stadium on May 01, 2021, in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football: 5 Irish who won’t be underrated for long

Jordan Botelho, Defensive End

A lot of fans remember one thing about Jordan Botelho’s freshman season, his punt block returned for a touchdown against USF in Week 2. On another punt in that game, he nearly blocked the punt and lit up the punter trying to get his kick off.

It was a blowout of a game, and Brian Kelly was getting back of the rotation players time against a bad team. From there, the former four-star recruit from Hawaii was a rotational defensive lineman for the Irish.

Still, he was overshadowed by a ton of great players last season, and even coming into this season he has been overshadowed by some of the great Notre Dame defensive linemen like Isaiah Foskey, Kurt Hinish, and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa. This does mean that Botelho will be on the second rotation of defensive linemen, but that’s an important role in the modern game.

With faster offenses that like to run no-huddle all game long, it’s important to keep the defensive line fresh. This means the second-team players will get a ton of playing time and be incredibly important in every game they play over the course of the season.

Botelho is an outstanding natural talent at the defensive end spot. He’s quick and hits like a rocket. As with any young player, there has been a lot that has gone into refining his game, but as of now, he is set to become the next great defensive end at Notre Dame.

Oh, and if you can’t tell who he is in the picture, Botelho wears 17. You can always tell an underrated picture by who doesn’t have one of them in a database.

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