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 South Bend, Indiana and competed as an independent.[1]
2019 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football | |
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Camping World Bowl champion | |
Camping World Bowl, W 33–9 vs. Iowa State | |
Conference | Independent |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 11 |
AP | No. 12 |
2019 record | 11–2 |
Head coach | Brian Kelly (10th season) |
Offensive coordinator | Chip Long (3rd season) |
Offensive scheme | Spread |
Defensive coordinator | Clark Lea (2nd season) |
Base defense | 4–2–5 |
Captain | Ian Book Chris Finke Julian Okwara Khalid Kareem Jalen Elliott Alohi Gilman Robert Hainsey |
Home stadium | Notre Dame Stadium (Capacity: 77,622) |
Uniform | |
2019 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 12 Notre Dame | – | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Liberty | – | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BYU | – | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Army | – | 5 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico State | – | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UMass | – | 1 | – | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll |
Previous season
The 2018 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team finished 12–1 on the season, with an undefeated regular season followed by a 30–3 loss to the Clemson Tigers in the Cotton Bowl Classic, their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Clemson would go on to defeat Alabama 44–16 in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship.
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 Alize 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.[2] 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.[3]
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[4] | Alohi Gilman | S | SR |
Maxwell Award[5] | Ian Book | QB | SR |
Bednarik Award[6] | Julian Okwara | DE | SR |
Bednarik Award[7] | Khalid Kareem | DE | SR |
Jim Thorpe Award[8] | Alohi Gilman | S | SR |
Wuerffel Trophy[9] | Jalen Elliott | S | SR |
Walter Camp Award[10] | 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.
US college sports recruiting information for 2019 recruits | ||||||
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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 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Litchfield Ajavon DB |
Baltimore, Maryland | Episcopal | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 21, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
J. D. Bertrand LB |
Roswell, Georgia | Blessed Trinity Catholic | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 19, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Jay Bramblett P |
Tuscaloosa, Alabama | Hillcrest | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 30, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Quinn Carroll OL |
Edina, Minnesota | Edina | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | May 1, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Brendon Clark QB |
Midlothian, Virginia | Manchester | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 4, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Zeke Correll OL |
Cincinnati, Ohio | Anderson | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Jun 18, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Howard Cross III DL |
Paramus, New Jersey | Saint Joseph | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Apr 22, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Osita Ekwonu LB |
Charlotte, North Carolina | Providence | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Jun 14, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Isaiah Foskey DL |
Antioch, California | De La Salle | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Feb 6, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Kyle Hamilton DB |
Atlanta, Georgia | Marist | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Apr 24, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Cam Hart WR |
Baltimore, Maryland | Good Counsel | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 4, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Jack Kiser LB |
Royal Center, Indiana | Pioneer | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 12, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Andrew Kristofic OL |
Gibsonia, Pennsylvania | Pine-Richland | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Apr 23, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Jacob Lacey DL |
Bowling Green, Kentucky | South Warren | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | Jul 29, 2017 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Marist Liufau LB |
Kalihi, Hawaii | Punahou | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Nov 14, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
John Olmstead OL |
North Brunswick, New Jersey | St. Joseph | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Apr 20, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
NaNa Osafo-Mensah DL |
Fort Worth, Texas | Nolan Catholic | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | May 19, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Isaiah Rutherford DB |
Sacramento, California | Jesuit | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Oct 13, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Hunter Spears DL |
Garland, Texas | Sachse | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | Feb 20, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
K. J. Wallace DB |
Atlanta, Georgia | The Lovett | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jan 28, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Kyren Williams RB |
St. Louis, Missouri | St. John Vianney | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jun 21, 2018 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources: |
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 2 | 8:00 p.m. | at Louisville | No. 9 | ESPN | W 35–17 | 58,187 | |
September 14 | 2:30 p.m. | New Mexico | No. 7 | NBC | W 66–14 | 77,622 | |
September 21 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Georgia | No. 7 | CBS | L 17–23 | 93,246 | |
September 28 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 18 Virginia | No. 10 |
| NBC | W 35–20 | 77,622 |
October 5 | 3:30 p.m. | Bowling Green | No. 9 |
| NBC | W 52–0 | 77,622 |
October 12 | 7:30 p.m. | USC | No. 9 |
| NBC | W 30–27 | 77,622 |
October 26 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 19 Michigan | No. 8 | ABC | L 14–45 | 111,909 | |
November 2 | 2:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech | No. 16 |
| NBC | W 21–20 | 77,622 |
November 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at Duke | No. 15 | ACCN | W 38–7 | 40,004 | |
November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 23 Navy | No. 16 |
| NBC | W 52–20 | 74,080 |
November 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Boston College | No. 16 |
| NBC | W 40–7 | 71,827 |
November 30 | 4:00 p.m. | at Stanford | No. 15 | Fox | W 45–24 | 37,391 | |
December 28 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Iowa State | No. 14 | ABC | W 33–9 | 46,948 | |
|
Rankings
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 | 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
2019 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Roster | ||||||||||
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
Kickers
Punters
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Cornerbacks
Safeties
Long Snappers
|
Game summaries
at Louisville
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
0–1 | Nov. 22, 2014 | L, 28–31 |
New Mexico
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
First meeting |
Week 4: at #3 Georgia
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 | ||
---|---|---|
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
0–2 | Sep. 9, 2017 | L, 19–20 |
Virginia
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
2–0 | Sep. 12, 2015 | W, 34–27 |
Bowling Green
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
First meeting |
USC
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
46–36–5 | Nov. 24, 2018 | W, 24–17 |
at Michigan
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
17–24–1 | Sep. 1, 2018 | W, 24–17 |
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
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
1–1 | Oct. 6, 2018 | W, 45–23 |
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.[12] 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.[13]
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[14] 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.[15]
at Duke
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
3–2 | Sep. 24, 2016 | L, 35–38 |
Navy
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
76–13–1 | Oct. 27, 2018 | W, 44–22 |
Boston College
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
14–9 | Sep. 16, 2017 | W, 49–20 |
at Stanford
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
19–13 | Sep. 29, 2018 | W, 38–17 |
vs. Iowa State (Camping World Bowl)
|
Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
---|---|---|
First meeting |
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 |
References
- "2019 Notre Dame Football Schedule". Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- Pope, LaMond. "Notre Dame will hire Lance Taylor as new running backs coach: reports". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-04-25. Retrieved 2020-06-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Impact Foundation names 2019 watch list". LottImpactTrophy.org. Pacific Club Impact Foundation. May 17, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
- "2019 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- "Irish Trio Named to Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- "Irish Trio Named to Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- "Alohi Gilman Named to Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List". July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- "Jalen Elliott Named to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List". July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
- "Ian Book Named to the 2019 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List". July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
- Kelley, Kevin (13 April 2019). "Notre Dame sets kickoff times for home football games in 2019". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- Driskell, Bryan (November 4, 2019). "Grades: Notre Dame Defense vs. Virginia Tech". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- Berardino, Mike (November 2, 2019). "No. 16 Notre Dame needs late touchdown to get past Virginia Tech". USA Today. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
- Bonagura, Kyle; Schlabach, Mark (November 3, 2019). "College Football Bowl Projections". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
- Adelson, Andrea (November 3, 2019). "What's next for the new Top 25 (No. 15 Notre Dame)". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2019.