Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2020 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1264448
PREMIER PRO PROSPECTS These might be Notre Dame's most talented players on the 2020 roster in terms of the NFL Draft. 1. Rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Not so long ago, a 6-1½, 215-pound linebacker/safety might have been labeled a "tweener" — not big enough for linebacker nor fleet enough to excel at safety. In today's spread attacks, though, Owusu-Koramoah fits the profile of the versatility demanded at rover. In his first season as the starter, he displayed the versatile skill sets to stop the run (including a team-high 13.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage) and the coverage aptitude to not have to come off the field in nickel situations. This June, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay already had Owusu-Koramoah ranked the 17th-best draft-eligible player in 2021. 2. Safety Kyle Hamilton Although not yet eligible for the 2021 draft, the 6-4, 216-pound Hamilton in reality already might be the top Fighting Irish prospect. For now, the one reason we cannot put the 2019 Freshman All-American ahead of Owusu-Koramoah is he has started only once and has not had to take 60 snaps per game yet consistently. Regardless, Hamilton, LSU cornerback Derek Stingley and USC end/outside line- backer Drake Jackson might be the most coveted sophomore defensive trio among NFL scouts for the 2022 draft. 3t. Offensive Tackles Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey Both are basically fourth-year starters at a position in high demand. If Eichenberg cleans up some false-start issues — which also plagued 2015-17 Fighting Irish left tackle starter Mike McGlinchey — he could conceivably join Mc- Glinchey, Ronnie Stanley (2014) and Zack Martin (2010-13) as the fourth straight first-round left tackle under head coach Brian Kelly. Injured last November, Hainsey already was a captain as a junior and possesses technical attributes that could take him a long way in professional football. 5. Defensive End Ade Ogundeji This could just as easily be fellow graduate student and end Daelin Hayes, but his multiple shoulder surgeries might make NFL general managers a little more leery. The 6-5, 252-pound Ogundeji, who originally committed to Western Michigan, is the embodiment of player development combined with immense hunger. He finished last season in an extended role the final three games, recording 14 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss and 4.5 sacks. If Hayes remains healthy, look for him to also be in demand. Senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) and sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton (14) are two of Notre Dame's prime future NFL prospects. PHOTO BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS Notre Dame's Underrated Winning Streak Entering the 2020 season, Notre Dame owns a 24- game winning streak against unranked opponents. The glass-is-half-empty group might interpret that as a backhanded compliment, sort of like becoming the all-time home run king in the minor leagues (as noted in the 1988 movie "Bull Durham"). While it's laudable, it also means you seldom, if ever, got called up to the majors. Conversely, the-glass-is-half-full crowd will note that it is evidence of a strong program that does not lose focus and avoids getting upset by the underdog. If it were so easy, every team would be doing it — and the fact is that the 24-game winning streak by Notre Dame in such contests is currently the second longest in the nation. Only Alabama eclipses it with an amazing NCAA record of 91 dat- ing back to 2007. No, not Clemson, which in 2017 lost to a 4-8 Syra- cuse outfit. A year earlier en route to the national title, the Tigers fell at home to a Pittsburgh team that a week earlier was whipped 51-28 by Miami. No, not Ohio State, which in 2018 was crushed 49-20 at unranked Purdue. A year earlier, a similar fate befell the Buckeyes in a 55-24 defeat at Iowa. No, not College Football Playoff regular Oklahoma, which lost at Kansas State last season. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, in which the Fighting Irish have recorded a 33-6 mark, they are 24-0 versus unranked foes, winning all seven such contests in 2017, each of the eight in 2018 en route to the College Football Playoff and nine last year. The last such setback occurred on Senior Day 2016 with a 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech — which almost pulled it off again last year before a dramatic late touchdown drive enabled Notre Dame to escape with a 21-20 triumph. While it reinforces to many that head coach Brian Kelly's troops "don't win the big ones," there is also a lot to be said for taking the necessary steps to avoid losing "when you're not supposed to." Since the start of the Associated Press poll in 1936, the current 24-game winning streak in such match- ups is the second longest in the program's history. The record is 29 from 1990-94 under Lou Holtz. In 1990, the No. 1-ranked Irish were shocked at home by three-touchdown underdog Stanford (36-31), which would finish 5-6. Notre Dame didn't lose to an unranked foe again until 1994, when as the No. 8-ranked team it was pummeled at Boston College (30-11) and followed with a 21-14 defeat at home to BYU. The third longest such winning streak at Notre Dame occurred during Frank Leahy's dynasty in the 1940s with 21, before a 14-14 tie at USC to end the regular season with a No. 2 ranking. The combination of Leahy and Terry Brennan won 18 straight such contests before losing at USC in the 1955 finale — and Kelly did the same earlier in his career while reaching 18 consecutive before a 28-21 defeat at Pitt in 2013. Under Ara Parseghian, Notre Dame had two 17- game winning streaks against unranked foes. Surpassing the school-record 29-game winning streak this year would be far more than a back- handed compliment. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 23