For the first time since 1993, five Notre Dame players were represented on the Associated Press All-American units:
• Senior rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and senior left guard Aaron Banks were named to the AP first team.
Last week Owusu-Koramoah became the third Notre Dame player in the last nine years to earn the Butkus Award, which honors the nation’s top linebacker. He joined Manti Te’o (2012) and Jaylon Smith (2015) in that group, and also was feted as the 2020 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Meanwhile, Banks last week was named first-team All-America by Pro Football Focus because he was the lone Power 5 left guard (65 teams total) who earned a pass- and run-block grade above 80.0.
• Graduate student and left tackle Liam Eichenberg made second-team All-AP. He has a chance to become the fourth straight Notre Dame left tackle selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, joining Zack Martin (2014), Ronnie Stanley (2016) and Mike McGlinchey (2018).
Eichenberg has started all 37 games the past three seasons, is one of three finalists for the Outland Trophy and was the recipient of the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy.
• Named to the third unit were graduate student and right guard Tommy Kraemer, plus sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton.
Kraemer has started 38 games for the Fighting Irish dating back to 2017, despite missing the final six in 2019 because of a knee injury.
With Kraemer’s selection, it marked the first time since football went to two platoons in 1964 that three different Notre Dame offensive linemen were named to the top three AP All-American teams.
A Freshman All-American last season, the rangy Hamilton tied Owusu-Koramoah for the team lead in tackles with 56, and also broke up five passes to go with an interception.
He is Notre Dame’s first AP All-American safety since fifth-year senior Tom Zbikowski (also third team) in 2006.
The 1993 team that finished 11-1 and No. 2 to Florida State, which it had defeated that November had been the most recent to have five AP All-Americans: Offensive tackle Aaron Taylor and cornerback Jeff Burris on the first team, center Tim Ruddy and defensive lineman Bryant Young on the second unit, and cornerback Bobby Taylor on the third group.
Previously, the most AP All-Americans in head coach Brian Kelly’s 11 seasons were four apiece in 2012 and 2015.
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