Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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State in 27-degree weather at kickoff on Senior Day. He finishes 12-of-25 passing for 130 yards with three scores and two picks. Williams adds 202 yards and two touchdowns on 20 rushing attempts. 13 — At 10-0, Notre Dame holds steady at No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings. No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 4 Michigan hold their same positions. 17 — Book returns to lead No. 3 Notre Dame into Yankee Stadium against No. 12 Syracuse. The Irish defense pitches a shutout, thanks in part to two in- terceptions by junior safety Alohi Gilman, all the way up to the 10-second mark in the game. The Orange kick a field goal to make the final score 36-3 — and finish 41.4 points under its scoring average. 19 — Cornerback Julian Love is named one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented to the nation's top defensive back. 20 — Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michi- gan hold steady in the top four College Football Playoff rankings, with Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State jostling for position. 24 — No. 3 Notre Dame finishes the regular season 12-0 with a 24-17 win at USC. Junior running back Tony Jones Jr. puts the game on ice with a 51-yard receiving touchdown from Book with 3:09 to play that put Notre Dame up 24-10. December 2 — No. 3 Notre Dame is se- lected to the 2018 College Football Playoff and will face undefeated ACC champion and No. 2-ranked Clemson in the Cotton Bowl Dec. 29. 4 — Fifth-year senior line- backer Drue Tranquill receives the Wuerffel Award, presented to the college football player "who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement." 7 — Notre Dame hosts the 2018 Echoes Banquet and Book is named the 2018 team MVP. 19 — On the first day of the early signing period Notre Dame inks 21 recruits — and a record 10 will enroll in January. 28 — Kelly takes home the 2018 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award. 29 — Notre Dame is defeated 30-3 by Clemson in the Cotton Bowl. The Irish finish 12-1, while Clemson goes on to win the national title, blowing out No. 1 Alabama 44-16. 31 — Defensive end Khalid Ka- reem announces he will return to Notre Dame for his senior season. January 2 — Wimbush announces he will use his fifth season as a graduate transfer at a school to be determined. 4 — Love announces he will bypass his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft. Senior tight end Alizé Mack also announces he won't be back in 2019 despite possessing another year of eligibility. 5 — Junior defensive end Julian Okwara announces he will return to Notre Dame for his senior season. 6 — Senior wide receiver Miles Boykin joins Mack, forgoing his final season of eligibility at Notre Dame and declaring for the NFL Draft. 8 — Notre Dame comes in at No. 5 in the final AP poll. 14 — Running backs coach Autry Denson accepts the head coaching job at Charleston Southern. 14 — Notre Dame welcomes 10 early enrollees to campus, including all four offensive line signees. 15 — Wimbush announces his commitment to Central Florida. 16 — Junior linebacker D.J. Morgan announces he will pursue a graduate transfer and eventually com- mits to Connecticut. 19 — Freshman wide receiver Braden Lenzy de- cides not pursue a track career at Notre Dame and will focus on football. 27 — Notre Dame hires Carolina Panthers wide receivers coach Lance Taylor to replace Denson as running backs coach. Taylor previously coached run- ning backs at Stanford from 2014-16. February 6 — Four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey signs with Notre Dame as the 22nd player in the group. The Irish finish with the No. 14 overall class in Rivals' 2019 team rankings. 11 — Junior wide receiver Javon McKinley is ar- rested for "resisting law enforcement and battery … resulting in bodily injury to public safety officer while engaged in official duties." March 2 — Notre Dame opens spring practice. 2-4 — Boykin, Bars, senior line- backer Te'von Coney, Love, Mack, senior defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, Tranquill and Williams all participate in the NFL Scouting Combine in In- dianapolis. Boykin impresses with a 40-yard dash time of 4.42-seconds and 43.5-inch vertical jump. 21 — Kelly reveals that junior linebacker Drew White will miss the remainder of spring practice following AC joint surgery. Kelly also announces that McKinley has been reinstated and will be reevaluated after spring practice. April 6 — Kelly reports that sopho- more offensive lineman Luke Jones will transfer. 13 — Notre Dame closes spring with the 90th annual Blue-Gold Game in front of an audience of 30,074. The defense records 15 sacks with quarterback-friendly rules in place ("touch" sacks) and scores the last 28 points to defeat the offense 58-45. 18 — News breaks that sopho- more cornerback Noah Boykin will transfer from Notre Dame. 25 — In the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers select Tillery with the No. 28 overall pick in the first round. 26-27 — The Baltimore Ravens choose Boykin in the third round with the No. 93 overall pick, the New York Giants take Love in the fourth round at No. 108, the Green Bay Packers draft Williams in the sixth round at No. 194, and the New Orleans Saints select Mack in the seventh round at No. 231. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 133 Senior running back Dexter Williams missed the first four games due to a suspension, but took his first carry of the season 45 yards for a touchdown against Stanford. In just nine games, Williams rushed for 995 yards and 12 touchdowns. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA