Notre Dame football vs. UNC Tar Heels: 3 Irish players to watch in Week 9

By Brad Weiss | Oct 27, 2021

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 18: Jayson Ademilola #57 and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa #95 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium on September 18, 2021 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame safety DJ Brown (2) celebrates during the fourth quarter of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. /

Notre Dame football vs. UNC Tar Heels: 3 Irish players to watch in Week 9

D.J. Brown, Safety

During the first half of the Notre Dame football team’s win against USC, star safety Kyle Hamilton went down with an apparent leg injury. What would eventually be a knee issue, Hamilton would not return and would be replaced by senior DJ Brown, who will now take his place in the starting lineup on Saturday night.

In Brown, the Irish have a safety that they can certainly trust, and trust against Sam Howell and this UNC Tar Heels, as he has been here before. Last year, Hamilton was ejected for targeting early in the Irish’s win over UNC, and it was Brown who stepped in and did an admirable job being thrown into the first.

This weekend, he will have a full week of practice knowing that he will be playing big minutes, and I believe he will step up in a big way. Brown has experience, and despite the fact Howell is an excellent passer, the combination of he and Houston Griffith should be able to get the job done deep.

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