When fall camp started, it seemed like a pipe dream to expect linebacker Kyngston Viliamu-Asa to be back in time to play in Week 1 for the Notre Dame football team. However, on Sunday that pipe dream took several big steps toward becoming reality. The defender is now participating in practices and taking full contact without a knee brace.
The defender taking this big a step just two weeks into fall camp is a very good sign. While the Fighting Irish haven't said anything about whether he'll be back and ready to play for Week 1, it certainly seems to be trending that way.
If he can return to Notre Dame to start the season, it would mean one of the best linebackers in the country would boost a defense already considered very, very good. Even if the Fighting Irish doesn't need Viliamu-Asa for games against teams like Wisconsin and Rice, the sooner he can get back on the field, the sooner he can shake off the rust and be 100% for games against teams like Miami, BYU and SMU. All three of ND's toughest games of the season come in the final six weeks.
Just ahead of fall camp, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said that KVA would be back for the start of fall camp. However, he also cautioned that the linebacker wouldn't be "full go" when camp first started. It now looks like he's indeed "full go" or very, very close to it.
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa takes major step toward Notre Dame football return
Freeman also said from the beginning that he'll be cleared to play in a game when he's able to do everything he's asked to do in practice. The real question is how many weeks of "full" practice the Irish feel like he needs before they're ready to turn him loose against opponents.
The wait to see when Viliamu-Asa can get into games again stems from last November, when he tore a ligament in his left knee in the Irish’s second-to-last game of the year against Syracuse. In the first half, he recorded 2 tackles and 2 quarterback hurries. His last recorded statistic was a QB hurry on first down with 13:19 remaining in the second quarter. There were some theories that he managed to play a few more downs after injuring the knee.
Even with that injury, the linebacker was Notre Dame's top defensive player. Pro Football Focus gave him an 87.2 grade for the year, ranking fourth in all of college football among Power 4 linebackers. In the first 10 games of the campaign, he totaled 46 tackles and a team-high 7.5 tackles for loss. He also added 3 sacks, 2 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
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