Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 MAY 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ✦ GIMME FIVE In this year 's NFL Draft that will be held April 29-May 1, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is projected to become the first Notre Dame line- backer selected in the first round since College Football Hall of Fame inductee Bob Crable in 1982. That is the longest current drought from the first round at any single position for Notre Dame, although Jaylon Smith in 2016 was a lock until a severe knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl versus Ohio State dropped him into the second round. The first Fighting Irish player officially listed as a linebacker in the NFL Draft was Myron Pottios, the No. 19 player taken in 1961. Technically, that would make him a first-round pick today, but 60 years ago there were only 14 choices in the opening round, whereas today there are 32. A year later, Pro Football Hall of Fame member Nick Buoniconti wasn't even drafted by the NFL. Will Owusu-Koramoah be the highest line- backer pick ever from Notre Dame? Here are the top five: Rk. Player (Year) Overall Pick 1. Myron Pottios (1961) 19 2. Bob Crable (1982) 23 3. Jaylon Smith (2016) 34 Demetrius DuBose (1993) 34 5. Greg Collins (1975) 35 Also taken among the top 50 were Manti Te'o (2013) at No. 38 and Jim Lynch (1967) at No. 47. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah could become the first Irish linebacker selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Bob Crable in 1982. PHOTO BY JAMES GILBERT UNDER THE DOME Ryan Cole — Baseball The senior outfielder from San Ramon, Calif., delivered a walk-off two-run home run that gave Notre Dame a 5-3 win over then-No. 6 Louisville March 27, helping the Irish split their two- game series with the Cardinals. It was his second walk-off homer of the season, with the first coming in a 6-4 triumph over Duke March 19. Cole had a team-best .378 batting average with three home runs, eight RBI and three steals during No. 12 Notre Dame's 13-5 start. Bridget Deehan — Lacrosse The senior goalkeeper from Milton, Ga., was named the IWLCA and ACC Defensive Player of the Week March 30. She had 12 saves in a 13-9 win over Duke March 28, with eight of them in the second period. Through eight games, Dee- han had a 6-2 record with a 9.45 goals against average (GAA) and a .507 save percentage. Through April 5, she ranked first in the ACC in saves per game (9.38), second in save percentage and third in GAA. Leea Hanks — Softball The sophomore outfielder from Leesburg, Fla., hit .556 (5 for 9) in the Fighting Irish's three-game sweep of North Carolina State March 27-28. She scored four times, had two RBI as part of a six-run inning in the series opener and did not strike out in the series. Hanks had a .281 batting average with 25 hits (third most on the team), one home run, 10 RBI and eight steals during Notre Dame's 17-12 start. Yared Nuguse — Cross Country The senior from Louisville, Ky., was named the ACC Men's Runner of the Year for the 2020-21 season. His 23rd-place All-America finish in the 10K (30:26.6) helped Notre Dame place second at the NCAA Cross Country Championships March 15. Earlier in the year, Nuguse became the first Notre Dame male runner to win an ACC gold medal by running an 8K in 23:03.6 at the ACC Championships, which the Irish won. TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom CHARTING THE IRISH OFFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS Often attributed to legendary Alabama head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant, the "defense wins championships" cliche is no longer applicable to the modern game. In each of the past two seasons, the team crowned national champion averaged more than 48 points per game. Despite two College Football Playoff (CFP) appearances in the last three years, Notre Dame has fallen short in this department, with a scoring aver- age of 33.4 points per game in 2020. This spring, ESPN writer Adam Rittenberg published "college football's top 25 future of- fense power rankings," which evaluates teams on their projected offensive potential for the next three seasons. Checking in at No. 14, Notre Dame will need to overachieve its current ranking for the program to ascend as an offense and deeper into the CFP. "Notre Dame's two CFP losses [17 points scored combined] showed that the program clearly needs more explosiveness on offense to win titles," Rit- tenberg wrote. "The Irish must continue to build on their strengths — offensive line, tight end, running back — and get more from the perimeter game and ultimately quarterback." In the next three seasons, the Fighting Irish will face six other members of the top 25 future offen- sive power rankings, including four among the top 10. ESPN'S TOP 25 FUTURE OFFENSE POWER RANKINGS Rk. School 1. Oklahoma 2. Alabama 3. Clemson* 4. Ohio State* 5. Georgia 6. Texas A&M 7. USC* 8. Florida 9. Texas 10. North Carolina* 14. Notre Dame 20. Cincinnati* 24. Wisconsin* * Notre Dame opponent in 2021, 2022 and/or 2023