Blue and Gold Illustrated

Oct 9, 2021

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 9, 2021 51 IRISH IN THE PROS his spot in the Chargers' secondary ro- tation, especially after making the pick. With the score tied at 24 between the Chiefs and Chargers Sept. 26, less than two minutes remaining in the game, and Kansas City facing a third-and-nine at its own 27-yard line, Mahomes tried to work his gun-slinging magic, scrambled to his right and launched a deep ball downfield. Gilman, playing as an extra defensive back in deep center field, broke on the pass from the opposite hashmark, and when Mahomes overthrew his receiver, Gilman corralled the 33-yard pass at his own 40-yard line. Gilman's critical play set up the game-winning touchdown drive that ended with 32 seconds remaining and a 30-24 Chargers win. "It was kind of just slo-mo for me," Gilman said. "As the ball was coming out, I didn't think [Mahomes] would take that shot downfield, but he did. It was great to get that opportunity and help our team win." FINDING A HOME To say Gilman took the scenic route to Notre Dame might be the best way to describe his high school and college years. Six schools and five states over seven years, Gilman just needed a place to plant his roots after seemingly endless relocation, and Notre Dame provided that when he arrived there in the fall of 2017 after transferring from the Naval Academy following his freshman year. Growing up in the town of Laie on the Oahu Island in Hawaii — a stone's throw from where former Irish stand- outs Manti Te'o and Robby Toma lived — Gilman attended a private high school through his sophomore year about 30 miles away in Honolulu. His next stop, as a prep junior, was with his family in Orem (Utah) High School — his sister played rugby there at Utah Valley University. Gilman re- turned to Oahu for his senior year where he wrapped up his high school career at a public school, football power Kahuku, in the neighborhood where he lived. Devoid of video games and most other electronic creature comforts, Gilman's upbringing was modest and at times surreal compared to what most adoles- cents are used to. Gilman shared a funny but sincere story of how for entertain- ment, he and his buddies would chase and catch chickens in the streets in and around his neighborhood. "I guess you could say 'island living,'" Gilman explained, "We didn't have much when we were growing up." Following high school, Gilman re- turned to the U.S. mainland to attend the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, R.I., for one year before play- ing football the next at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. After one season playing there under fellow Laie native, former University of Hawaii quarterback and veteran Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, Gilman decided in the spring of 2017 to transfer to Notre Dame. "I felt coming here, academics and football lined up," Gilman said at the time of choosing Notre Dame. "I felt they were going in the right direction and that I could contribute right away." Strange as it sounds, because of his passion for Notre Dame, Los Angeles might have been the perfect NFL land- ing spot for him because two of his for- mer Irish defensive teammates — tackle Jerry Tillery and linebacker Drue Tran- quill — are also Chargers. "I'll always miss our time together at Notre Dame, but we're a strong group, we're a family, all of us will always stick together and stay in touch," Gilman said. "Obviously a lot of us are in 'The League' now, so we see each other after games and are always checking in on each other." ✦ MEMORABILIA Call 877-630-8768 to advertise in Blue & Gold Illustrated! Want a prayer published? Call 800-421-7751 M A R K E T P L A C E Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectibles in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK 3 HIGHLIGHTS • Romeo Okwara (Played at Notre Dame 2012-15), LB, Detroit Lions: Started at linebacker and notched four tackles with one sack in Detroit's 19-17 loss to Baltimore … Started each of the 0-3 Lions' first three contests and compiled six tackles with one sack. • Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (2017-20), LB, Cleveland Browns: Started at linebacker and notched four tackles with 0.5 sacks and two passes broken up in Cleveland's 26-6 win over Chicago … Has played in all three contests with two starts, made nine tackles (six solo) with 0.5 sacks and three passes de- fended for the 2-1 Browns. • Harrison Smith (2007-11), S, Minnesota Vikings: Started at safety and made eight tackles with one pass broken up in Minnesota's 30-17 win over Seattle … Started all three contests for the 1-2 Vikings, and compiled 22 tackles (18 solo), one sack and one pass broken up. • Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: Made eight tackles with 0.5 sacks in the Char- gers' 30-24 win at Kansas City … Has played in all three games for 2-1 Los Angeles and tallied 12 tackles (nine solo) with 0.5 sacks. • Tommy Tremble (2018-20), TE, Carolina Panthers: Ran for seven-yard touchdown and caught one pass for 30 yards in Carolina's win at Houston … Saw action in each of the 3-0 Panthers' first three contests, and had one reception for 30 yards, and the one rushing attempt for seven yards and a touchdown.

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