Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 SEPT. 19, 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Liam Eichenberg Is The Best Member Of The Best O-Line By Todd D. Burlage Given the recent run and long history of Notre Dame left tackles becoming All-Americans and eventually first-round NFL Draft picks, there's no reason to believe that fifth-year senior Liam Eichen- berg isn't the next in line to accomplish both. A third-year starter (he has opened all 26 con- tests the past two years) with an unyielding de- sire to improve — while playing against less-than- daunting ACC competition this season — provide Eichenberg a great chance to become not just an All-American, but perhaps a first-teamer and po- tentially even a consensus or unanimous selection. The two previous Irish left tackles before Eichenberg — Ronnie Stanley (2014-15) and Mike McGlinchey (2016-17) — finished their careers as con- sensus All-Americans, and Zack Martin (2010-13), the four-year starter before them, became one of the best left tackles of the last decade. All three ended up first-round picks in the NFL Draft the same way Eichenberg will. After working through some growing pains as a first-year starter during the early part of the 2018 season, Eichenberg steadily evolved into one of the best tackles in the country. Last season, this 6-6, 305-pound mauler didn't give up a sack and allowed only three quarterback hits and nine hurries while playing 845 snaps (496 pass plays). And in 31 career games and 1,025 pass-blocking snaps heading into the 2020 season, Eichenberg had allowed only three total sacks. Eichenberg is already on several preseason All-America teams, so there is no reason to believe the best player on the best offensive line in the country won't renew those honors in the postseason. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah's Production Will Be Evident By Lou Somogyi My first thought on offense was Liam Eichenberg, the heir to what has become a remarkable tradition at left tackle under head coach Brian Kelly. On de- fense, sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton is the most conspicuous future All-American and first-round pick. Yet when combining Eichenberg's experience with Hamilton's flair for playmaking, I lean toward the individual who best combines both assets: senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He is the archetype of the versatile, three-down modern linebacker with the hybrid qualities to be effective in numerous roles. Pro Football Focus' snap tracker broke down that last year Owusu-Koramoah played 107 snaps on the defensive line, 218 as a box defender and 352 as a slot defender, with the capabil- ity to line up anywhere on any drive, any down. Offenses can't just "avoid" him. A preseason ESPN first-team All-American, Owusu-Koramoah also received notice on The Athletic and FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman's "Freaks List" (as did the higher-rated Hamilton), and he was No. 13 in ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay's initial 2021 NFL mock draft. Beyond the physical, Owusu-Koramoah's motor and passion on the field are non-stop, while maturity keeps him grounded. Owusu-Koramoah tied fel- low first-time starter Drew White in tackles last year with 80, and also paced the team in tackles for loss (13.5), sacks (5.5), fumbles recovered (two) and was tied for second in fumbles forced (two), to go with four passes broken up. That was just the settling in part. Pro Football Network's AJ Schulte labeled him "the NFL's next star hybrid defender." For now, I consider him Notre Dame's next All-America candidate. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO IS NOTRE DAME'S BEST 2020 CANDIDATE TO BE AN ALL-AMERICAN? EICHENBERG OWUSU-KORAMOAH When asked about the roots of his terrific work as a sports journalist and an ACC Network televi- sion host, Jordan Cornette recalls a meeting from about 15 years ago with Notre Dame men's bas- ketball head coach Mike Brey that put this career calling on course. Cornette, an Irish power forward under Brey from 2001-05, was never necessarily a stat-sheet stuffer — though he remains the program's all-time leading shot blocker with 201 for his career. But there was a gift beyond basketball that intrigued Brey, and the coach called Cornette into his office to share it. Cornette was affectionately told that he would become a basketball All-American the day his on- court skills matched his media interview talents. Cornette, now 37, took the message to heart — not necessarily the All-American part — and 15 years later, he's a high-profile ESPN television personality and now the host for the ACC Net- work's new Saturday morning football preview show "The Huddle." Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Cornette to discuss his new gig and the path he took to land it. BGI: What do you remember most about that fateful meeting with Coach Brey? Cornette: "I think he was trying to fire me up in terms of basketball. But what it did more than that was reinforce to me that I had a real genuine and sincere interest in the sports journalism business. "That's why I tried to give quality quotes after games because I un- derstood that it helps the guys on the other side to do their job better." BGI: Why such a strong attraction to this career path? Cornette: "I knew I had an in- kling for it. I always had an interest in the trends within the game and the voices that were behind it, explaining and analyzing those trends. "Describing the game piqued my interest. I knew I was going to be in media so I started with the writing and producing side of it. Then I moved on from there and it kind of took off." BGI: How ironic is it that you'll be hosting an ACC football show during a season that Notre Dame is a conference member? Cornette: "I was offered and accepted this job before COVID had really gained much steam. So I was stepping into this role before there were any conversations of Notre Dame potentially joining the ACC as a football member. "It was by pure luck that I stepped into this role at the same time the school I love was going to be joining the league, which obviously will bring more attention and more eyes to the ACC this season." BGI: What did your time at Notre Dame do for you? Cornette: "Maturity. Kind of dis- covering myself and being opened up to a whole new world, under- standing there is life beyond my little bubble. And also, learning that whatever goals I wanted to reach in this new world I had to go get. "At Notre Dame, you learn that inside of you, you better carry the necessary tools if you want to reach any type of success in life." BGI: Any lasting appreciation from those col- lege years? Cornette: "Absolutely. For me, basketball opened a door to go to an institution like Notre Dame. Otherwise, I could've never dreamed of that. And then understanding what doors it would open after that if I did the work. "It didn't happen overnight for me, but I learned that you have to be willing and mature enough to understand there's an opportunity in front of you at Notre Dame and you better capitalize on it." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … FORMER IRISH BASKETBALL PLAYER AND CURRENT ACC NETWORK HOST JORDAN CORNETTE CORNETTE