Notre Dame football: Get excited about LB Prince Kollie
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team is thin right now at the linebacker spot, but you should be excited about true freshman Prince Kollie.
The Notre Dame football team was already thin heading into their matchup against Florida State at linebacker, as Marist Liufau was ruled out for the season. Then, the Irish suffered another blow against the Seminoles, with Paul Moala once again tearing an Achilles, albeit his other one.
That has led to the Irish being even thinner in terms of the depth chart, and on Wednesday, when the two-deep was listed for the Toledo game, a true freshman was named. That true freshman is Prince Kollie, an outstanding linebacker prospect from Tennessee, who was one of the top-10 rated players in the 2021 recruiting class per rivals.com.
Coming out of high school, Kollie was a consensus pick as a top-20 linebacker in the country across multiple media outlets, and rightfully so. The young man had scholarship offers from nearly every big collegiate football program in the country, including Alabama and Oklahoma, and should have an instant impact for the Irish against the Rockets.
Notre Dame football calling on Kollie against Toledo
After allowing 38 points against Florida State on Sunday night, Notre Dame football is looking to right the ship against Toledo, and they should be in line for a much easier game. Toledo is a decent MAC team, but going into Notre Dame Stadium, they should be no test for the Irish.
For Kollie, this is his chance to help this team as a true freshman in front of the home crowd, and the hope is that he can not only stay healthy but help against what should be a decent Toledo run game. Kollie has impressed this summer, but with how veteran-laded the linebacker group was for the Irish, the expectation was he would not see the field much in Year 1.
Overall, this kid has all the talent to be the next standout linebacker for the Irish, and there is a reason that the program was so excited when he committed to South Bend. On Saturday, we will get to see him in some action that counts, and the fan base should be very excited about the start of what could be a dominant career for Kollie with the Irish.