Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2021 11 UNDER THE DOME Notre Dame has two finalists for indi- vidual national awards this season. Junior running back Kyren Williams is one of five players in the running for the Paul Hornung Award, which goes to the nation's most versatile player. And despite playing just six full games and eight snaps of a seventh, junior safety Kyle Hamilton is one of four nominees for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the country's best defensive player. It appears, though, the Irish coaches have their attention fixed more on lists that omitted their players. Sophomore tight end Michael Mayer was not among the three finalists for the John Mackey Award for the nation's best tight end. Williams was not among 10 Doak Walker Award (best running back) semifinalists. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly offered a strong disapproval after the Doak Walker semifinalists were revealed. "Certainly very surprising," Kelly said. "The postseason awards have been, for me, over the past five, six years going all the way back to Quenton Nelson and the Outland Trophy, have been a myriad of confusing and really not sure what the criteria is anymore." A few Notre Dame assistants voiced their dismay on social media when the Mackey finalists were announced. "I assume the [Mackey Award] com- mittee actually watches the games when they pick their finalists," Notre Dame tight ends coach John McNulty tweeted. "I also know credibility is everything in this business! To not include [Mayer] is impossible to explain!" Special teams coach Brian Polian weighed in, too. "I cannot understand how Kyren Wil- liams was not a finalist for the [Doak Walker] and Michael Mayer was not a fi- nalist for the [Mackey]," Polian tweeted. "These are two of the best in the coun- try at their respective positions." Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees did not hide his displeasure. "Go vote for [Kyren Williams]," Rees tweeted. "Tired of our guys not getting the respect they earned. Let's make sure what happened with the Doak & Mackey doesn't happen with the Hornung." A fan poll is one of 18 votes for the Hornung Award. Fan voting is open through Dec. 6, with one vote allowed every 24 hours. Michigan State wide receiver/kick returner Jayden Reed, Michigan running back/kick returner Blake Corum, Ball State receiver/run- ning back/returner Justin Hall and Houston cornerback/returner Marcus Jones are the other four finalists for the Hornung Award. Williams had 928 rushing yards on 185 carries (5.0 yards per carry) and 12 touchdowns entering the regular-sea- son finale at Stanford. His 40 receptions are second on the team, behind Mayer, and have netted 339 yards to go with three touchdowns. Williams also has returned 13 punts for 151 yards. Mayer, meanwhile, is Notre Dame's leader in catches (55) and receiving yards (663). He has five touchdown catches and is averaging 12.1 yards per recep- tion. As of Nov. 23, he leads all Power Five tight ends in catches and yards. He is top-five among Football Bowl Subdi- vision tight ends in both categories. Instead, the three Mackey finalists are Colorado State's Trey McBride, Iowa State's Charlie Kolar and Texas A&M's Jalen Wydermyer. McBride leads all tight ends in catches (84) and yards (1,008), with one touchdown. Kolar, a finalist last year, has 53 receptions for 658 yards (12.4 yards per catch) and five touchdowns. Wydermyer has 36 catches for 491 yards (13.6 yards per catch) and four touchdowns. Hamilton joined Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, Georgia nose tackle Jordan Davis and Alabama line- backer Will Anderson Jr. as Bednarik finalists. He has 35 tackles (2.0 for loss), three interceptions and four passes broken up in seven games. He has not played since suffering a first-quarter knee injury Oct. 23 against USC. The Hornung Award winner will be announced Dec. 8. The Bednarik recipi- ent will be revealed one day later. — Patrick Engel Junior safety Kyle Hamilton is one of four finalists for the Bednarik Award, which goes to the country's best defensive player. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Williams, Hamilton Named Award Finalists, Mayer Left Off Mackey List