26 JUNE/JULY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
BY LOU SOMOGYI
A
mong the 22 freshmen signed
in Notre Dame's 2019 recruit-
ing haul, only three used up
their first year of eligibility.
That doesn't mean that when 2023
arrives all 19 who preserved a year
will return to exercise their fifth sea-
son option with the Fighting Irish. If
they did, the freshman class that year
could have maybe 10 recruits, if that.
Chances are, no more than half
from that 2019 harvest will return for
a fifth season, while others from the
class could use it as a graduate trans-
fer year elsewhere, if they still want
to play collegiately.
What it does mean is Notre Dame
has achieved a point the past few
years where inserting a freshman
into the lineup is more a luxury than
a necessity.
In other words, enough devel-
SECOND-YEAR GROWTH
Sophomore class should be more visible
on Notre Dame's two-deep in 2020
Kyle Hamilton paced the team in interceptions
(four), tied for second in passes broken up (six)
and ranked seventh in tackles (41) in 2019 en
route to Freshman All-America honors from sev-
eral different outlets.
PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS
