Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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important thing, getting that degree, espe- cially from Notre Dame," said Romeo, who recently signed a two-year contract exten- sion with Detroit valued at almost $7 mil- lion. "So it didn't take a lot of persuasion or input for [Julian] to come back to Notre Dame. "He knew what he wanted and recognized the things he felt he still had to do." Julian Okwara's announcement to return to Notre Dame came less than a week after Khalid Kareem, another budding Irish star playing the strongside defensive end oppo- site Okwara, also unveiled his plans to delay NFL dreams and return for his senior season. When asked why, Kareem also listed graduation and righting the wrongs from the 30-3 beatdown to Clemson last season in the College Football Playoff as the reasons for another go-around. "That [CFP loss] sort of left a sour taste in our mouths," Kareem succinctly explained. "Just wanted to come back and win it all." The return of these two uber- talented "bookends" is expected to become instrumental to success on the entire Irish team this season, not just its defense. "Tip of the spear," is how another standout Irish defensive end, senior Daelin Hayes, summarized the importance of Notre Dame's defensive line this season. "That's how we feel. It kind of lives and dies with us." The Power Of Precedent With Okwara and Kareem back on the field and in the fold again for their final go-around, these two standouts follow the recent lead of two other Irish player tandems who dabbled with NFL aspirations before wisely deciding it best to return to school and maximize their final year of eligibility. Offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson came back and lifted the Irish to 10 wins in 2017 after a 4-8 debacle a season earlier. Both players became first- round — actually top-10 — picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Linebacker Drue Tranquill and defen- sive tackle Jerry Tillery returned last year and sparked a run to the College Football Playoff, with Tillery also becoming a first-round selection and Tranquill a fourth-round pick this past April. These are the four most recent examples of Irish players under head coach Brian Kelly to benefit by returning for their senior seasons. Safety Harrison Smith, tight end Tyler Eifert, offensive tackle Zack Martin, center Nick Martin and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley are a few others enjoying NFL ca- reers after putting professional pursuits on hold for a year. GAME BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 91 Okwara wants to be the best defensive end in the country this season. He tied for the team lead with eight sacks in 2018, but his mind is more on the many that got away, specifically the 27 misses noted by the Notre Dame coaching staff. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA