We’ve been asking ourselves for a decent amount of time now how exactly Notre Dame can go about replacing Kyle Hamilton after he declared for the NFL draft. The answer:
There is no replacing Kyle Hamilton.
Let’s be real for just a second as Hamilton was as talented of defender as I’ve seen in my time watching Notre Dame football since the early-nineties. There are other greats on that list, certainly, Bryant Young, Justin Tuck, Manti Te’o, and Jaylon Smith are just a few of the many.
However, were any more talented combined with the football instincts and size that Hamilton possesses? There’s a reason that he’s being projected as a top-five pick as a safety despite coming off a knee injury.
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However, Notre Dame isn’t going to be left in incapable hands as Hamilton departs. Chip Patterson of CBS Sports recently took a look at some of the names around college football that are set to replace All-Americans in 2022 and here is what he had to say about Brandon Joseph transferring to Notre Dame and stepping in for Hamilton:
Replacement — Brandon Joseph: An All-American already from his time at Northwestern, Joseph is set to follow in Hamilton’s footsteps on the path from the Notre Dame defensive backfield to the NFL Draft. Houston Griffith and D.J. Brown are both there to provide depth and competition, but Joseph arrives as a highly-coveted transfer with star power and the expectation of locking down the back end of a defense that could be among the best in the country in 2022.
It’s crazy to think that a defense can get better despite losing their best player from the year before but that’s exactly where I’m at with my expectation for Notre Dame in 2022. Hamilton may be gone but it’s worth remembering he was unfortunately unavailable for nearly half the season. It also helps that there is a star-transfer replacing him and plenty of firepower playing in front of Joseph, Griffith, Brown and the rest of the Irish secondary.
Barring injury, if this defense isn’t among the nation’s best in 2022 it’ll be an utter disappointment for Freeman and Notre Dame.
Related:
An early look at Notre Dame’s 2022 football schedule