Among Notre Dame’s 22-man scholarship freshman class signed in the 2019 recruiting cycle, three had major roles while the other 19 preserved a fifth season of eligibility by not playing in more than four games (if any).
That doesn’t mean all 19 will return for a fifth season with the Fighting Irish in 2023.
Chances are the total won’t even reach half that, with Notre Dame generally carrying four to eight fifth-year players on scholarship per season. This year it was slot Chris Finke, offensive lineman Trevor Ruhland, linebacker Asmar Bilal and cornerback Shaun Crawford.
Here is the breakdown of the 22-man class in 2019 prior to the game at Stanford Nov. 30.