Notre Dame's All-America Void In 2019
For the 14th time in history, a Notre Dame football team reached the 10-victory mark during the regular season when the 2019 unit posted a 10-2 result.
However, this season also marked the first time a double-digit output in victories — even prior to playing a bowl game — did not result in any Fighting Irish player receiving first-team All-America recognition, beyond just freshman teams.
In fact, none received recognition even on the second and third teams of long-standing outlets such as the Associated Press or Walter Camp All-America teams.
That is only the second time in head coach Brian Kelly’s 10 seasons with the Fighting Irish it occurred.
The first was following the 8-4 regular season in 2013, despite the presence of offensive tackle Zack Martin, who received Walter Camp Foundation third-team honors the year prior when Notre Dame produced a 12-0 regular season and No. 1 ranking.
The Fighting Irish offensive line coach back then, Harry Hiestand (2012‑17), was baffled by Martin’s omission in 2013, stating to Blue & Gold Illustratesd that a better offensive lineman than Martin in college football did not exist.
Since then, the first-round draft pick Martin has been a Pro Bowl selection every year since his rookie campaign in 2014, and he even received NFL “All Decade” recognition from The Athletic.
One could make the argument that voters will overlook someone on a four-loss team, especially at Notre Dame.
Interestingly, though, despite a 4-8 record in 2016, both guard Quenton Nelson and tackle Mike McGlinchey, also mentored by Hiestand, received second-team AP All-America notice, and a year later on a 9-3 Nelson would be a unanimous All-American and McGlinchey a consensus before they became the No. 6 and No. 9 picks, respectively, in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Maybe at times voters might also feel compelled to get a new name or new school into the mix. For example, the Walter Camp Foundation named Duke's Noah Gray as a second-team All-American.
Gray did nab 51 passes this year — but for only 392 yards, which averages out to 7.7 yards per catch, with three touchdowns, on a 5-7 team. Maybe in days of yore, Notre Dame's Cole Kmet, who had more yards receiving (482), four yards more per catch (11.8) and twice as many touchdowns (six), would have received the nod, especially on a 10-2 Fighting Irish team.
In years past, maybe for a one-loss Irish team defensive end Khalid Kareem might have received some notice. But just one awful game like the 45-14 fiasco at Michigan on Oct. 26 will do much harm. It's a double-edged sword at a place like Notre Dame where the highs will be more visible but the lows also more magnified.
This season, safety Kyle Hamilton did earn first-team Freshman All-America notice from both The Athletic and Pro Football Focus, but that is specific to a class group.
Meanwhile, senior John Shannon was honored with the inaugural Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation’s top long snapper, but that position is not recognized on All-American teams.
No one on Notre Dame’s 2019 roster had jaw-dropping stats, and the lack of a defining performance in a marquee setting that grabbed the nation’s attention are at least a couple of reasons that could be attributed to the omissions.
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