Kyle Hamilton named AFCA first-team All-American, earns consensus status
Kyle Hamilton added one final national honor to his college football résumé.
Consensus All-American.
The Notre Dame junior safety was named a first-team AFCA All-American Wednesday, his third such nomination from the five NCAA-recognized voting bodies. Any player who appears as a first-teamer on three of them earns consensus status. The Walter Camp Football Foundation and FWAA also selected him as a first-team safety.
In their eyes, Hamilton’s six-plus games of production outweighed his absence from Notre Dame’s final five regular season contests due to a knee injury.
The 6-4, 220-pound Hamilton made 35 tackles in seven games, along with 2.0 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. His three interceptions are tied for the team lead. He averaged five tackles per game, which ranks second among Notre Dame defensive players — behind only junior linebacker JD Bertrand.
In coverage, Hamilton allowed catches on just 14 of 28 passes thrown his way. Those receptions totaled 176 yards, with one touchdown – a 27-yard completion in an Oct. 2 loss to Cincinnati. Opposing quarterbacks had a 42.3 passer rating when throwing his direction.
After Hamilton went down, Notre Dame replaced him with a combination of senior DJ Brown, sophomore Ramon Henderson and sophomore Xavier Watts. Notre Dame’s defense held serve with that trio instead of a potential top-10 pick. The Irish went 6-0 without Hamilton and didn’t allow a touchdown for 14 straight quarters in November.
Hamilton declared for the 2022 NFL Draft and will not play in Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma State.
The AFCA also named Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer a second-team All-American. It’s his third selection from the five NCAA-recognized outlets, though he’s not a consensus pick since none gave him first-team honors. The Associated Press put him on its second team, while Sporting News gave him a third-team spot.
As a sophomore this year, Mayer set the Notre Dame single-season reception record by a tight end. His 64 catches surpassed Tyler Eifert’s 63 in 2011. That number also leads all Power Five tight ends. He totaled 768 yards and five touchdowns. He ended the regular season as Notre Dame’s leader in receptions and yards.
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