Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton Backs up 5-Star Ranking

The former 5-Star lived up to his billing during this freshman year, setting up for a big sophomore year.

When recruits arrive on campus with a 5-Star next to their name, the expectations are high, and that player is expected to make an immediate impact for their team. When Kyle Hamilton arrived at South Bend last summer from Georgia as the highest ranked member of the 2019 class, playing early seemed like a shoo-in.

The question was about production and after looking back at what Hamilton accomplished as a true freshman was impressive and 247Sports thought so as well. Tom Loy of Irish Illustrated noted that Hamilton impressed immediately with “a three-interception performance during his first practice,” which clearly set the tone for his first year with the Irish.

Hamilton then went on to play in all 13 games, registering 41 total tackles, defending 6 passes, picking off 4 and taking one of those to the house. When a true freshman leads the team in interceptions while playing a part-time role, it just puts a stamp on how impressive Hamilton’s season actually was. Multiple outlets named him to their Freshman All-American team: The Athletic, Pro Football Focus, Sports Illustrated and Football Writers Association of America.

Hamilton will most likely step into departing seniors Alohi Gilman’s spot, and after this debut season the expectations will be high once again for him. If he continues improving and posts similar numbers but in a full-time role, you can expect to see Hamilton on All-American lists once again after the 2020 season concludes.