7/25/2021 football Edit

Notre Dame’s Top 25 Most Important Players, No. 1: Kyle Hamilton

Patrick Engel • InsideNDSports

Beat Writer

Throughout July, BlueandGold.com has featured a countdown of the 25 most pivotal figures counted on to help lead Notre Dame back to the College Football Playoff in 2021.

This is not necessarily about who is the best player or the top pro prospect. It’s more along the lines of individuals that need to either emerge, remain a centerpiece or significantly elevate their production to help Irish reach that goal.

Much is based on talent and impact, but a premium is also placed on these questions: 1) If you subtracted this individual from the roster, how much of a setback would it be? 2) If this less proven player emerges and makes an impact, how much does that raise the ceiling (or lower it, if a breakout does not happen as expected)?

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish football junior safety Kyle Hamilton — Hamilton enters his junior season as a projected top-10 NFL Draft pick. (Blue & Gold Illustrated)

The players and their rankings were determined by vote from five BlueandGold.com staff members.

The final player in the countdown is junior safety Kyle Hamilton, who collected 122 points in our poll.

Why Hamilton Is Ranked No. 1

All-American. Potential top-10 pick. Best NFL safety prospect of the last few drafts. The leading tackler on Notre Dame’s 2020 defense. Hamilton has all eyes on him heading into this season. He’s Notre Dame’s best individual talent.

It might be odd for a safety to occupy this spot, but Hamilton’s impact and omnipresence combined with a year of transition at quarterback makes him worthy of the ranking. With linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah now in the NFL, Hamilton is the centerpiece of what looks like another strong defense.

Hamilton has a chance to be the best safety in college football this season and one of the nation’s best defenders. He totaled 63 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and one interception in 2020. His missed tackle rate — one weakness during his freshman season — dropped last year.

The 6-4, 221-pound Hamilton remained an elite coverage safety last year after making a splash in that area as a freshman. PFF has credited him with only three pass plays of 15-plus yards allowed through two years and a 46.5 percent opponent catch rate. He has 17 passes defended in that span and has surrendered zero touchdowns.

Hamilton’s Status Entering The Season

Hamilton did not practice this spring while recovering from winter ankle surgery, meaning first-year defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman must wait until training camp to work with him on the field and decide how to best deploy him. The latter is the only real question surrounding Hamilton.

In 2020, Hamilton played 139 snaps in the box, 111 in the slot, 321 as a free safety and three on the line of scrimmage. He’s versatile and skilled enough to impact the game from all those spots. Hamilton’s 2020 tape shows him shooting through the line and dropping ball carriers, covering slot receivers one-on-one, playing as a traditional box safety and lining up as a center fielder.

If the creative pressures and coverages Freeman used at Cincinnati show up in his Notre Dame defense, Hamilton might find his snap distribution spread out once again. He has enough burst to be an impactful pass-rusher, something he did only 11 times last year. Freeman sent second-level pressure with some frequency at Cincinnati, and Hamilton could fit into that concept.

What Would Be Considered A Successful Season?

Hamilton will begin his junior season as a projected top-10 pick in next year’s draft. If he holds that status at the end and has stayed healthy, it’s hard to see how 2021 won’t be a success for him.

He can, though, help Notre Dame with a production increase in passes defended.

Hamilton was impactful in pass defense last year despite a dip in interceptions from four in 2019 to one in 2020. Notre Dame’s secondary has been adequate the last two seasons, but hasn’t made many plays on the ball. The Irish ranked 93rd nationally in interceptions per game last season and 81st in 2019.

Hamilton is the only member of Notre Dame’s secondary with an interception in his career. That’s partially a function of the inexperience around him, but even if someone emerges, it’s hard to think that player will be a more skilled playmaker than him. Hamilton reaching double-digit passes defended and grabbing multiple interceptions would boost the secondary and the defense overall.

Behind The Ranking

The top 25 was determined in the same manner as the Associated Press top 25. Five BlueandGold.com staff members submitted their ballots, and each position on the ballot was given a point value. The top ranking was worth 25 points, No. 2 was worth 24, No. 3 worth 23 and so on down until No. 25, which was worth one point. The players with the 25 highest point totals made the list.

Individual rankings

Patrick Engel: 1

Tyler Horka: 2

Mike Singer: 2

Todd Burlage: 2

Steve Downey: 1