Heading into the season it is interesting to see which players are viewed as the best in the country. It should not come as a surprise that the Irish have a player on 247Sports list of top players, but just one of them made their Top 50, rising sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton.
A part-time non-starting player in his first season, Hamilton flashed big time ability as he registered 4 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) which ranked him 17th nationally, while adding 41 tackles and defending 6 passes. These kind of numbers from a true freshman would lead to plenty of hype for their next season and that’s exactly what’s happening for Hamilton.
The brass at 247Sports broke the players down into positional tiers, using past performance and positional value as tie breakers ranked Hamilton as the 25th best player in the country. It’s a bit shocking to see him that high, but many view the star safety as a player who most likely will be a three-and-done player for Notre Dame. I can’t argue with that analysis, as we will be seeing a first-round draft pick roaming the secondary for two more years.
Chris Hummer, who wrote the piece, said “Hamilton might be Notre Dame’s best defensive player since Manti Te’o.” High praise indeed for a sophomore that allowed just a 1.3 passer rating on 250 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.
It is also worth mentioning that linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah made the other’s considered list which put’s him into the Top 75 or so players in the country. Back to Hamilton, as we are seeing the next star Irish defender making his mark early on in his Irish career. Enjoy these next two years, as most likely they will be Hamilton’s remaining time as a Notre Dame star.
