Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 6, 2021 11 UNDER THE DOME KYLE HAMILTON TURNS TO COACHING WHILE SIDELINED WITH INJURY Some players work on rehabilitation ex- ercises with a trainer off to the side when they go down with an injury. They stay out of the way and focus on themselves and what they need to do to get healthy. Not Notre Dame junior safety Kyle Hamilton. He spent last week rehabbing his in- jured knee, of course, but he is also taking on responsibilities bigger than himself. He is a team captain, after all. An All- American. Someone his teammates turn to. Guys like that don't quietly do their own thing during practice hours when they're not able to practice themselves. "He's been actively involved with coaching this week," head coach Brian Kelly said before the game versus North Carolina Oct. 30. "This has been a coach- ing week for him. He's done a really good job. He's working with the safeties. To- tally engaged, being a captain." There is still no timetable for Hamilton's return. He injured his knee in the first quarter of the 31-16 win over USC Oct. 23, and Kelly ruled him out for North Carolina during his usual Monday press conference two days later. Kelly has not issued a specific diagnosis for the injury, but he has said multiple times the feeling inside the facility is that Hamilton will be cleared to play at some point in the final month of the season. Until then, he'll continue his role as a player- coach. "We had a conversation about what the expectations are when you're not playing," Kelly said. "You're a captain. You've got to be able to leave something at the end of the day if you're not practicing. For him, leave some knowledge. I think he has done a really good job of understanding that." Kelly said Hamilton has spent an extensive amount of time with sophomore Xavier Watts, who has changed positions multiple times in the last two months from wide receiver to rover to safety. Watts is a special athlete, but that's a lot for anyone to go through. Hamilton has helped ease the transition this week. As a result, Watts could be in line for some defensive snaps with Hamilton out. Kelly did not rule out Watts as a possible fifth option at safety behind seniors Hous- ton Griffith, DJ Brown, Isaiah Pryor and junior KJ Wallace. Kelly said Hamilton has shown a great deal of maturity this past week. He provided a presence Notre Dame's safeties could certainly stand to lean on with preparing for a rather potent Tar Heels offense. North Carolina entered the weekend ranked No. 14 nationally in total offense at 471.1 yards per game. The Tar Heels had gashed opposing defenses through the air with the Sam Howell to Josh Downs quarterback-wide receiver connection, and run- ning back Ty Chandler has done damage as well. Notre Dame would have certainly loved to send its All-America safety on the field to defend that trio, but what's done is done. So given the circumstances, he utilized his time in the most helpful manner possible. Hamilton still has many years left to play this game, but perhaps he showed he has a knack for coaching it, too, when there comes a day and age, not a nagging knee injury, that keeps him off the field for good. "I think he's learning about himself," Kelly said. "Not being able to play changes your perspective." — Tyler Horka With a knee injury that prevented him from practicing the week of the North Carolina game, Hamilton became an unofficial assistant coach in practice. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER YOU DON'T WAIT FOR MAIL DELIVERY! HAVE TO The digital edition of Blue & Gold Illustrated is available Sundays at BlueGoldOnline.com The Blue & Gold Illustrated digital edition includes all the great content you find in your print edition, plus: ✦ Searchable archive ✦ Downloadable PDFs ✦ Available on computers and tablets Visit BlueGoldOnline.com for the latest issue every Sunday! It's already part of your subscription! PLUS: The Blue Gold Report Midweek Update! • Emailed Every Pre-Game Wednesday • Depth Charts And Rosters For Both Teams • Updated Statistics • Columns and Much More! • Can be viewed on your computer, phone or tablet, or printed out to read later. To receive notifications, please send your email address to: newsletter@blueandgold.com. Customer Service: 1-800-421-7751