Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 2, 2021 11 UNDER THE DOME Kyle Hamilton's statistical output against Purdue reflected his omnipresence in Notre Dame's 27-13 victory over the Pur- due Sept. 18. The All-America junior safety had 10 tackles, two passes broken up and an interception that effectively sealed the win. The highlight of his day was a fourth-and-1 tackle where he shot past a perimeter block and dropped Purdue wide receiver Milton Wright for no gain on a jet sweep. The nation took notice. Hamilton has earned several indi- vidual weekly honors for his performance. He was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week. Pro Football Focus (PFF) also named him its national Defensive Player of the Week. Hamilton earned an 86.6 overall PFF grade against Purdue, the best mark on the Irish's defense that game. He had an 84.7 tackling and an 86.9 coverage grade. He allowed catches on three of six targets for 14 total yards. Hamilton also earned Bednarik Award Player of the Week honors. Hamilton's 10 tackles tied a single-game career high. In three outings this season, he has 22 stops (2.0 for loss), two passes bro- ken up and a team-best three interceptions. He trails only junior linebacker JD Bertrand in tackles this year among Irish defenders. Elsewhere, junior running back Kyren Williams was named to the Paul Hornung Award weekly honor role after Notre Dame's defeat of Purdue. Williams totaled 168 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. His first score came on a 39-yard catch in the second quarter. The second was a 51-yard run in the fourth quarter that gave Notre Dame a two-touchdown lead. — Patrick Engel The Division I foot- ball oversight committee has recommended a rule change that would allow college football teams to go over the yearly 25-player signing limit. The new rule, if passed by the Division I Council Oct. 5, would allow a team to gain an initial counter for every player who en- ters the transfer portal, up to seven transfers and 32 counters. According to a report from Sports Illus- trated, it would take effect immediately as a one-year waiver with the expecta- tion that more permanent legislation is developed soon after. It's in response to the o n e - t i m e i m m e d i a te ly eligible transfer rule that passed earlier this year and has led to more players entering the portal. Under current rules, a team can lose players to the portal, but if they have already signed 25 players, they're unable to add replace- ments even if they're under the 85-man scholarship limit. "It's compensatory picks, I guess," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "You lose somebody, you get somebody back." That current setup has led to many players entering the portal, but not finding a new home because teams have reached their 25-man limit. It has also sparked concern among coaches that high school recruiting will suffer be- cause teams will use more spots on transfers now that they're immediately eligible. Kelly is in favor the pro- posed change, he said, but doesn't think it would have a pronounced effect on Notre Dame's roster management and recruit- ing. That's not because the Irish are immune to trans- fers — they had 12 players leave the program between the end of 2020 and 2021 fall camp. But they're less likely to add an influx of trans- fers to replace those who depart. Notre Dame has taken just two undergrad- uate transfers in Kelly's 12-year tenure, and not because of the now-abol- ished sit-out rule. They have added multiple grad- uate transfers each of the last two offseasons while staying within the 25-man limit. It would, though, help to have some extra space in case of emergency and not need to worry about the size of their high school recruiting class. "I like the flexibility," Kelly said. "I think it's a balancing act the NCAA is looking at. I support the legislation. I don't know that it will be that impactful for us." Notre Dame's 2022 signing class had 21 commitments as of Sept. 23. — Patrick Engel Signing Class Size Expansion One Step Closer MORE WEEKLY NATIONAL HONORS FOR KYLE HAMILTON Head coach Brian Kelly is in favor of the proposed rule change that would allow college football teams to go over the yearly 25-player signing limit. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER