One of the most frustrating aspects of Notre Dame's game against BYU is that the Irish didn't pressure Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier nearly enough. Part of that is that Boubacar Traore took himself out of the game within the first three minutes.
How big an impact has Traore had on the ND defense so far this season? Big enough that he was the only Irish player to make On3's midseason All-American team. Not even Leonard Moore managed to make that team (because of missing time with a concussion).
On3 released its mid-season All-American team Tuesday morning, and the team's other notable absence was Notre Dame's starting quarterback. Of course, it's hardly a surprise that CJ Carr has dropped in people's eyes after his less-than-stellar performance against BYU. Traore apparently avoided the Cougar Curse since he didn't play much and likely could have affected the outcome if he had.
On3 first team All-American has just one representative from Notre Dame football
Offense:
- QB: Darian Mensah, Miami
- RB: DeSean Bishop, Tennessee
- RB: Nate Sheppard, Duke
- WR: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
- WR: Charlie Becker, Indiana
- TE: Patrick Overmyer, Houston
- OT: Samson Okunlola, Miami
- OG: Kade Pieper, Iowa
- C: Greg Johnson, Minnesota
- OG: Shadre Hurst, Houston
- OT: Lance Heard, Kentucky
- All-Purpose: Wayne Knight, UCLA
Defense:
- Edge: Colin Simmons, Texas
- DT: Xavier Gilliam, Tennessee
- DT: A.J. Holmes, Jr., Texas Tech
- Edge: Boubacar Traore, Notre Dame
- LB: Sammy Omosigho, UCLA
- LB: Chris Cole, Georgia
- LB: Tony Rojas, Penn State
- CB: Kelley Jones, Mississippi State
- CB: Andrew Marshall, Nebraska
- S: Kingston Lopa, Cal
- S: Robert Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Special Teams:
- PK: David Olano, Texas A&M
- P: Daniel Sparks, Virginia
- RS: Michael Scott, James Madison
Traore has just 13 tackles in seven games, but its been his impact in other ways that makes him one of the best of the best. In addition to 4 sacks for Notre Dame, he's got a total of 22 quarterback pressures, 12 quarterback hurries and 6 quarterback hits.
Anthonie Knapp is only Notre Dame star on 2nd team All-American team
Offense:
- QB: Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
- RB: Jamal Roberts, Missouri
- RB: Jadan Baugh, Florida
- WR: Malachi Toney, Miami
- WR: Jesse Legree, Oregon State
- TE: Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech
- OT: Carter Smith, Indiana
- OG: Anthonie Knapp, Notre Dame
- C: Drew Bobo, Georgia
- OG: Luke Montgomery, Ohio State
- OT: Trevor Goosby, Texas
- All-Purpose: Isaac Brown, Louisville
Defense:
- Edge: Tobi Osunsanmi, Indiana
- DT: Will Echoles, Ole Miss
- DT: Xavier Lewis, North Carolina
- Edge: Princewill Umanmielen, LSU
- LB: Ben Roberts, Texas Tech
- LB: TJ Dottery, LSU
- LB: Mason Posa, Wisconsin
- CB: Ashton Hampton, Clemson
- CB: Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
- S: Jaylen McClain, Ohio State
- S: Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma
Special Teams:
- PK: Nolan Hauser, Clemson
- P: Palmer Williams, Baylor
- RS: Jaylon Hawkins, San Diego State
On the offensive side of the ball, offensive guard Anthonie Knapp made the second team for On3 and that continues a climb that's seen him make plenty of NFL mock drafts.
Glass half full, Notre Dame has two players on this All-American team who weren't expected to be anywhere near this good. Here's hoping the second half gets a few more Irish players on the list.
Add us as a preferred source on Google