Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa Injury: Marcus Freeman’s silence could be cause for concern

It was smooth sailing for Notre Dame in a 70-7 Week 13 win over Syracuse, but even in a blowout win, the Fighting Irish didn’t emerge completely unscathed. Sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa left the game early with an apparent injury and did not return. 

The blowout score didn’t provide much urgency for Marcus Freeman to get KVA back into the game, but he may not have been able to get back onto the field, no matter the score. The fourth leading tackler for Chris Ash’s defense, Viliamu-Asa, would be a massive loss. 

Then, after the win, Freeman did not provide any update on his status, only feeding Notre Dame fans' concerns as Notre Dame heads into its regular season finale against Stanford and most likely into the College Football Playoff. 

Marcus Freeman does not provide update on KVA injury after Week 13 win

Beyond being one of Notre Dame’s leading tacklers, Viliamu-Asa has also recorded three sacks, two pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery in his sophomore season. If he’s out for an extended stretch, he will be a significant loss for the Irish. 

Notre Dame’s defense was already a bit short-handed heading into Week 13, though the results of its dominant win wouldn’t show it. The Irish were also without redshirt freshman safety Tae Johnson. Johnson did not enter the year as a starter in the Notre Dame secondary, but quickly unseated Jalen Stroman at safety. 

Without Johnson, Stroman led the Irish with eight tackles on Saturday, adding two tackles for loss and an interception returned 44 yards for a touchdown. Johnson was out with a hand injury, but he and Viliamu-Asa will have time to get healthy before the CFP. 

One of the biggest advantages of being an independent for Notre Dame is that the Irish will not have to play in a conference championship game. So, while the Irish will be hard-pressed to climb into the Top 4 and receive a first-round bye in the CFP, they will have an additional week off when many of the CFP contenders have to play for championships leading up to Selection Sunday. 

While Freeman's silence is far from an admission that KVA will be out long-term, it may be a bad sign. The College Football Playoff committee takes injuries into account for its rankings, so if KVA was healthy and expected to return soon, Freeman would have every incentive to announce it after a dominant win.