Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 SEPT. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME UNDER THE DOME Four days before the season opener versus Duke Sept. 12, Notre Dame revealed its five captains for the 2020 season. Fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book and senior r i g h t t a c k l e R o b e r t H a i n - s e y b e c a m e the 23rd and 24th players in school history to be chosen as a two-time cap- tain after hav- ing also served in that capacity in 2019. Joining them are fifth-year senior defensive ends Dae- lin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji, and sixth-year senior safety Shaun Crawford, who had medical redshirt years in 2015, 2016 and 2018. • Book is the first three-year starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish since Jimmy Clausen from 2007-09, and the only one ever who has both passed for more than 5,000 yards (6,118) and rushed for at least 1,000 (1,032). • Hainsey already was a co-starter as a 2017 fresh- man when the Notre Dame offensive line earned the Joe Moore Award as the nation's top offensive line. • One year after two defensive end starters in Kha- lid Kareem and Julian Okwara, now both in the NFL, served as captains, their replacements re- ceived the same respect among t e a m m a t e s . Hayes was med- ically redshirted last year, while Ogundeji came to the forefront over the final month when Okwara also had a season-ending injury. • Crawford has been a model of perseverance and ver- satility, having started at nickel and cornerback, includ- ing eight games last season while overcoming another injury. He seized control of the strong safety position in this season's training camp. — Lou Somogyi IRISH PLACE TWO ON PRESEASON ALL-ACC TEAM For the first time in Notre Dame football annals, all-conference se- lections among the Fighting Irish will be made in 2020. The first taste of it occurred Sept. 4 when senior left guard Aaron Banks and senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah were chosen to the 27-man Preseason All-ACC Team. The 330-pound Banks has recorded 19 consecu- tive starts, while Owusu-Kora- moah — whose 80 tackles last year tied for the team lead — has been projected in many circles as a first-round pick in the NFL Draft next spring. Clemson was the overwhelm- ing selection to capture its sixth consecutive ACC regular season and ACC championship crown, while Notre Dame was picked second by a wide margin in the 15-team league (see page 54 for the voting tabulations). Clemson had five players in- cluded on the team, most notably Preseason ACC Player of the Year Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, while Florida State had four and North Carolina three. — Lou Somogyi LOU HOLTZ TO RECEIVE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM President Donald Trump announced Sept. 4 that 1986-96 Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz will receive the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, sometime in the near future. In addition to a distinguished 33-year head coaching career that earned him a place in the College Football Hall of Fame, the 83-year-old Holtz was cited for his extensive charity work. Notre Dame vice president for public affairs and communications Paul Browne issued the following statement: "Lou Holtz is among America's greatest college football coaches, leading Notre Dame to a national champion- ship in 1988. But his contributions off the field have been equally inspiring, bringing attention and support to his hometown, alma mater, Catholic Chari- ties, the Women's Care Foundation, the Center for the Homeless in South Bend and other worthy organizations through his charitable foundation. "At Notre Dame, he and his late wife, Beth, served as research ambas- sadors, and the players he molded have added to his legacy through their own contributions through the Lou's Lads Foundation. We presented Lou with an honorary degree in 2011 for his service on and off the field to Notre Dame and beyond, and we join now with his family and many friends in offering our sincere congratulations on this honor." Earlier in August when he spoke at the Republican National Convention, Holtz drew some ire for referring to practicing Catholic and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as a Catholic "in name only." This prompted a response from Notre Dame president Rev. John I. Jen- kins, C.S.C.: "While Coach Lou Holtz is a former coach at Notre Dame, his use of the university's name at the Republican National Convention must not be taken to imply that the university endorses his views, any candidate or any political party. "Moreover, we Catholics should remind ourselves that while we may judge the objective moral quality of another's actions, we must never ques- tion the sincerity of another's faith, which is due to the mysterious working of grace in that person's heart. In this fractious time, let us remember that our highest calling is to love." — Lou Somogyi IAN BOOK ADE OGUNDEJI DAELIN HAYES ROBERT HAINSEY SHAUN CRAWFORD Notre Dame Names Five 2020 Captains