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Rover Drue Tranquill: 'It's In My Heart To Come Back'

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During the later part of the regular season, Notre Dame senior rover Drue Tranquill was asked if he would return for a fifth season.

The 6-foot-2, 231-pounder left his status for 2018 up in the air at the time to the public as he was still going through the process of making a decision.

During Echoes 2017, the program's awards banquet, the Fort Wayne product announced his intentions: he will be part of the Irish program in 2018.

“I’m really excited about it,” Tranquill said of his decision. “Just did a lot of prayer and talked to my family. I think it’s in my heart to come back and it was what I believed. That’s what I’ve always done: follow my heart.”

Losing Tranquill would have created a hole at the rover position in terms of the production and leadership the senior would leave behind after racking up 74 total tackles including 8.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries.

With senior linebackers Greer Martini and Nyles Morgan exhausting their eligibility, having a leader on the second level will be huge for the Irish in 2018.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy decision for Tranquill. The end result wasn’t the one that was on his mind entering this season.

“I came into this year I was definitely going to declare,” Tranquill admitted. “Getting married, it seemed like the best decision. There was something uneasy in my heart. I think it started after the Miami game on the bus realizing we probably weren’t going to make the college playoffs anymore and realizing everything everybody put into this.

“I felt in my heart I owed it to this team to come back and finish what we started. Nothing is guaranteed and we have a lot of work ahead of us. I’m excited for the opportunity.”

“First and foremost, I love every single guy in that locker room. That’s probably what planted that seed in my heart and the feeling I got … I’ve seen all the work they’ve put in and it’s an incredible group of guys.”

Tranquill did not tell many people of his decision before the awards ceremony just informing his fiancée, his parents and even junior rover Asmar Bilal. The senior wanted to ensure everyone heard it from him and not from another source.

“No one knew,” Tranquill stated. “… I didn’t want it to be I told someone and didn’t tell another. I wanted to tell them at the same time … Coach Kelly was glad to have me back and slapped me on the back. Coach Santucci walked off the stage and said ‘alright, back to work.’”

There are other players on the Irish roster debating their futures and whether or not to return to Notre Dame or pursue other opportunities at the next level including defensive tackle Jerry Tillery and linebacker Te’von Coney.

Though Tranquill hopes the duo makes the same decision, Tranquill won’t be forcing the issue.

“I’m not going to get in their ear,” Tranquill said. “I think I owe that to them to just allow them to make their own decisions … They’ve poured their heart and souls out for this program. I don’t think they owe us anything. Obviously, they are incredible players and we’d love to have them back. I think if they all came back our defense would be pretty stout.”

If Coney were to follow Tranquill, the Irish would have two of its top three tacklers from this season returning for 2018.

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