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The University of Michigan has been a long-time on-field rival of the University of Notre Dame, but the state of Michigan has been quite good to the Irish over the years.

One need look no further than the 2018 defensive line, where Michigan natives Khalid Kareem and Daelin Hayes were standout ends. One of the top backups at end – fellow junior Adetokunbo Ogundeji – is also a Michigan native.

Prior to landing that trio of standouts in the 2016 class, Notre Dame had not landed a single defensive player from the state that borders it to the North. As Lou Somogyi has shown, the state of Michigan has provided Notre Dame with some tremendous defensive players over the years, and it is capable of doing the same thing today.

Notre Dame had struggled in the state for a very long time prior to the 2016 defensive end haul. Right now that haul was an anomaly, but if the Irish can make that a trend it would provide the Irish with a nearby region that could give its defense impact players.

Every year the state of Michigan produces talented defensive players, defenders capable of being impact players in the Irish defense. When Notre Dame had success in the state (2016), that success has proved to be incredibly beneficial on the field. Notre Dame is now hoping to once again make an impact in the state on the defensive side of the ball.

The Irish are only on a small number of defenders in Michigan, but all three of them would be significant additions to the defensive roster. Landing one defender from the state in the 2020 class would be a welcome addition to the class and roster, but if the Irish can go beyond that it would give the staff a Midwestern foundation for another outstanding defensive class.