# 2019 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2019 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by Brian Kelly, in his tenth season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana and competed as an independent.

## Offseason
### Departures

* QB Brandon Wimbush (graduate transferred to UCF)
* RB Dexter Williams (drafted by the Green Bay Packers)
* WR Miles Boykin (drafted by the Baltimore Ravens)
* TE Alizé Mack (drafted by the New Orleans Saints)
* OL Luke Jones (transferred to Arkansas)
* DT Micah Dew-Treadway (graduate transferred to Minnesota)
* LB D.J. Morgan (transferred to UConn)
* CB Julian Love (drafted by New York Giants)
* DB Noah Boykin (transferred to UMass)
* DB Devin Studstill (transferred to USF)
* LB Drue Tranquill (drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers)
* LB Te'von Coney (signed by the Oakland Raiders)
* DT Jerry Tillery (drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers)
* S Derrik Allen (transferred to Georgia Tech)
* P Tyler Newsome (signed by the Los Angeles Chargers)
* K Justin Yoon (graduated)

### Coaching changes

Departures
Autry Denson, the former running backs coach of the Fighting Irish, accepted the head coaching position at Charleston Southern University.
Additions
Lance Taylor was hired to replace Denson as running backs coach. Taylor previously spent time with the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, coaching wide receivers, and at Stanford University, coaching running backs.

### The Shirt 2019

The 30-year-old tradition of "The Shirt Project" continued with the unveiling of the 2019 edition student t-shirt. For the first time, there is a sweatshirt to go with the traditional tee.
The project has sold more than 2.5 million shirts and raised more than $11 million over its 30 years of existence. Each year, a committee of students designs a shirt to raise money for Notre Dame student clubs and organizations. Actor Patrick Warburton was on hand for the ceremony, as was Coach Kelly.
This year's t-shirt features 'Notre Dame' in 1930's Art Deco lettering to mirror the style that is found all throughout the Stadium. It is set on a faded blue background and includes a very traditional white football and a clover in the middle.

### Blue–Gold Game

The 90th edition of The Blue–Gold Game, an annual spring exhibition game, was played on April 13, 2019 at Notre Dame Stadium and was broadcast on NBCSN. It served as the 15th and final spring practice for the Irish. The Gold Team (defense) beat the Blue Team (offense) by the score of 58–45.

### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Lott Trophy | Alohi Gilman | S | SR |
| Maxwell Award | Ian Book | QB | SR |
| Bednarik Award | Julian Okwara | DE | SR |
| Bednarik Award | Khalid Kareem | DE | SR |
| Jim Thorpe Award | Alohi Gilman | S | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Jalen Elliott | S | SR |
| Walter Camp Award | Ian Book | QB | SR |

### Training camp

The Irish officially kicked off the 2019 season as they do every season, traveling just under an hour south of campus to Culver Academies in Culver, IN, for an intense five-day training camp. The first practice of the season began in Culver on Sunday, August 4, and the team continued to practice in Culver until Thursday, August 8, at which point the Irish returned to campus to continue its training camp until fall classes begin on Tuesday, August 27.

### Team captains

On Saturday, August 10, the day of Notre Dame's first practice of the season on campus, Brian Kelly publicly announced the captains for the 2019 Irish football team captains. These captains are Ian Book, Chris Finke, Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, Jalen Elliott, Alohi Gilman, and Robert Hainsey. Six of these seven captains are seniors or older, with Hainsey being the lone junior captain this season.

## 2019 recruiting class

Notre Dame received 22 signed letters of intent, including 21 during the early signing period. The Class of 2019 includes 10 early enrollees, the most ever for the program, who opted to graduate high school early so that they could train and practice with the team during the 2018 spring semester.
College recruiting information (2019) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kendall Abdur-Rahman WR | Edwardsville, Illinois | Edwardsville | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 9, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Litchfield Ajavon DB | Baltimore, Maryland | Episcopal | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 21, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| JD Bertrand LB | Roswell, Georgia | Blessed Trinity Catholic | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 19, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jay Bramblett P | Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Hillcrest | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 30, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Quinn Carroll OL | Edina, Minnesota | Edina | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | May 1, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brendon Clark QB | Midlothian, Virginia | Manchester | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 4, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Zeke Correll OL | Cincinnati, Ohio | Anderson | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Jun 18, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Howard Cross III DL | Paramus, New Jersey | Saint Joseph | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Apr 22, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Osita Ekwonu LB | Charlotte, North Carolina | Providence | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Jun 14, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Isaiah Foskey DL | Antioch, California | De La Salle | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Feb 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kyle Hamilton DB | Atlanta, Georgia | Marist | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Apr 24, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Cam Hart WR | Baltimore, Maryland | Good Counsel | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 4, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jack Kiser LB | Royal Center, Indiana | Pioneer | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 12, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Andrew Kristofic OL | Gibsonia, Pennsylvania | Pine-Richland | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Apr 23, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jacob Lacey DL | Bowling Green, Kentucky | South Warren | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | Jul 29, 2017 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Marist Liufau LB | Kalihi, Hawaii | Punahou | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Nov 14, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| John Olmstead OL | North Brunswick, New Jersey | St. Joseph | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Apr 20, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| NaNa Osafo-Mensah DL | Fort Worth, Texas | Nolan Catholic | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | May 19, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Isaiah Rutherford DB | Sacramento, California | Jesuit | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Oct 13, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Hunter Spears DL | Garland, Texas | Sachse | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | Feb 20, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| K. J. Wallace DB | Atlanta, Georgia | The Lovett | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jan 28, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kyren Williams RB | St. Louis, Missouri | St. John Vianney | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jun 21, 2018 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 8:00 p.m. | at Louisville | No. 9 | Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | W 35–17 | 58,187 |
| September 14 | 2:30 p.m. | New Mexico | No. 7 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 66–14 | 77,622 |
| September 21 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Georgia | No. 7 | Sanford StadiumAthens, GA (College GameDay) | CBS | L 17–23 | 93,246 |
| September 28 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 18 Virginia | No. 10 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 35–20 | 77,622 |
| October 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Bowling Green | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 52–0 | 77,622 |
| October 12 | 7:30 p.m. | USC | No. 9 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 30–27 | 77,622 |
| October 26 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 19 Michigan | No. 8 | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 14–45 | 111,909 |
| November 2 | 2:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech | No. 16 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | W 21–20 | 77,622 |
| November 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at Duke | No. 15 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ACCN | W 38–7 | 40,004 |
| November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 23 Navy | No. 16 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 52–20 | 74,080 |
| November 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Boston College | No. 16 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Holy War) | NBC | W 40–7 | 71,827 |
| November 30 | 4:00 p.m. | at Stanford | No. 16 | Stanford StadiumPalo Alto, CA (rivalry) | FOX | W 45–24 | 37,391 |
| December 28 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Iowa State | No. 15 | Camping World StadiumOrlando, FL (Camping World Bowl) | ABC | W 33–9 | 46,948 |
| Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| Coaches | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | Not released |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Notre Dame | Alma Mater (Year) |
| Brian Kelly | Head Football Coach | 10th | Assumption (1982) |
| Mike Elston | Associate head coach/defensive line | 10th | Michigan (1998) |
| Brian Polian | Recruiting coordinator/Special teams coordinator | 8th | John Carroll (1997) |
| Clark Lea | Defensive coordinator/linebackers | 3rd | Vanderbilt (2004) |
| Chip Long | Offensive coordinator/tight ends | 3rd | North Alabama (2005) |
| Jeff Quinn | Offensive line | 5th (2nd in position) | Elmhurst (1984) |
| Todd Lyght | Defensive backs | 4th | Notre Dame (1991) |
| Del Alexander | Wide receivers | 3rd | USC (1995) |
| Tom Rees | Quarterbacks | 3rd | Notre Dame (2013) |
| Terry Joseph | Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/safeties | 2nd | Northwestern State (1996) |
| Lance Taylor | Running backs | 1st | Alabama (2003) |
| Matt Balis | Director of Football Performance | 3rd | Northern Illinois (1996) |
| Bill Rees | Director of Scouting | 3rd | Ohio Wesleyan (1976) |
| Clay Bignell | Senior Defensive analyst | 4th | Montana State (2011) |
| Tyler Plantz | Special teams analyst | 5th (3rd in position) | Notre Dame (2014) |
| Jacob Flint | Co-Director of Football Strength & Conditioning | 10th | Central Michigan (2007) |
| Robert Stiner | Assistant Director of Football Strength & Conditioning | 2nd | Belhaven (2008) |
| David Grimes | Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach | 9th | Notre Dame (2009) |

### Roster
## Game summaries
### At Louisville

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 9 Fighting Irish | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Cardinals | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |

### New Mexico

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lobos | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • No. 7 Fighting Irish | 7 | 31 | 14 | 14 | 66 |

### At Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #7 Notre Dame | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| #3 Georgia | 0 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 |
at Sanford Stadium, Athens, Georgia
* Date: September 21, 2019
* Game time: 8:00 pm
* Game attendance: 93,246
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson
* Recap, Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
ND – Cole Kmet 1-yard pass from Ian Book (Jonathan Doerer kick), 10:39. #7 Notre Dame 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 8 yards, 1:43.
UGA – D'Andre Swift 3-yard run (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 2:27. Tied 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 8:12.
ND – Jonathan Doerer 27-yard field goal, 0:00. #7 Notre Dame 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 2:27.
Third quarter
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 40-yard field goal, 8:31. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, -1 yard, 1:27.
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 31-yard field goal, 4:21. #3 Georgia 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:36.
Fourth quarter
UGA – Lawrence Cager 15-yard pass from Jake Fromm (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 13:19. #3 Georgia 20–10. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 3:59.
UGA – Rodrigo Blankenship 43-yard field goal, 6:54. #3 Georgia 23–10. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 4:17.
ND – Chase Claypool 4-yard pass from Ian Book (Jonathan Doerer kick), 3:12. #3 Georgia 23–17. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:42.
Top passers
ND – Ian Book – 29/47, 275 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
UGA – Jake Fromm – 20/26, 187 yards, TD
Top rushers
ND – Tony Jones Jr. – 9 rushes, 21 yards
UGA – D'Andre Swift – 18 rushes, 98 yards, TD
Top receivers
ND – Cole Kmet – 9 receptions, 108 yards, TD
UGA – Lawrence Cager – 5 receptions, 82 yards, TD :

### Virginia

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Cavaliers | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| • No. 10 Fighting Irish | 14 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 35 |

### Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • No. 9 Fighting Irish | 21 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 52 |

### USC

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 3 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 27 |
| • No. 9 Fighting Irish | 0 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 30 |

### At Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 8 Fighting Irish | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| • No. 19 Wolverines | 3 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
Notre Dame was routed by No. 19 Michigan 45-14, snapping an 8-game losing streak to top 10 teams for the Wolverines. The loss, combined with the loss to Georgia earlier in the season, ended Notre Dame's hopes to qualify for the playoffs.

### Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hokies | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| • No. 16 Fighting Irish | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
After poor performances against USC and Michigan, Notre Dame stepped up defensively against Virginia Tech. The hokies were held to their lowest total yards game since 2015 and lowest yards per play since 2016 in what was billed as "one of the best group effort performances" ever seen by Sports Illustrated sportswriter Bryan Driskell. Yet, Notre Dame still needed a late touchdown to win the game by a final score 21–20 and Notre Dame extended their home winning streak to 16 games.
After this win, ESPN analysts Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach both projected that Notre Dame will play Kansas State in the Camping World Bowl on December 28 in Orlando, Florida as a part of their Week 10 predictions Notre Dame (ranked #15 after this week) "did not exactly play an inspired game in a come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech" according to ESPN Analyst Andrea Adelson. However, Notre Dame is projected for a ten-win season.

### At Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 15 Fighting Irish | 14 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
| Blue Devils | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Midshipmen | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
| • No. 16 Fighting Irish | 14 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 52 |

### Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| • No. 16 Fighting Irish | 3 | 13 | 17 | 7 | 40 |

### At Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 16 Fighting Irish | 7 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 45 |
| Cardinal | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |

### Vs. Iowa State (Camping World Bowl)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • No. 14 Fighting Irish | 10 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 33 |
| Cyclones | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 2 | 43 | Cole Kmet | TE | Chicago Bears |
| 2 | 49 | Chase Claypool | WR | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 3 | 67 | Julian Okwara | DE | Detroit Lions |
| 4 | 113 | Troy Pride | CB | Carolina Panthers |
| 5 | 147 | Khalid Kareem | DE | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 6 | 186 | Alohi Gilman | S | Los Angeles Chargers |