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
Camping World Bowl champion
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
APNo. 12
2019 record11–2
Head coachBrian Kelly (10th season)
Offensive coordinatorChip Long (3rd season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Defensive coordinatorClark Lea (2nd season)
Base defense4–2–5
CaptainIan Book
Chris Finke
Julian Okwara
Khalid Kareem
Jalen Elliott
Alohi Gilman
Robert Hainsey
Home stadiumNotre Dame Stadium
(Capacity: 77,622)
Uniform
2019 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records
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

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.

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 28:00 p.m.at LouisvilleNo. 9
ESPNW 35–1758,187
September 142:30 p.m.New MexicoNo. 7
NBCW 66–1477,622
September 218:00 p.m.at No. 3 GeorgiaNo. 7
CBSL 17–2393,246
September 283:30 p.m.No. 18 VirginiaNo. 10
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN
NBCW 35–2077,622
October 53:30 p.m.Bowling GreenNo. 9
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN
NBCW 52–077,622
October 127:30 p.m.USCNo. 9
NBCW 30–2777,622
October 267:30 p.m.at No. 19 MichiganNo. 8
ABCL 14–45111,909
November 22:30 p.m.Virginia TechNo. 16
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN
NBCW 21–2077,622
November 97:30 p.m.at DukeNo. 15
ACCNW 38–740,004
November 162:30 p.m.No. 23 NavyNo. 16
NBCW 52–2074,080
November 232:30 p.m.Boston CollegeNo. 16
  • Notre Dame Stadium
  • South Bend, IN (Holy War)
NBCW 40–771,827
November 304:00 p.m.at StanfordNo. 15
FoxW 45–2437,391
December 2812:00 p.m.vs. Iowa StateNo. 14
ABCW 33–946,948

[11]

Rankings
Further information: 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
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
NamePositionYear at Notre DameAlma Mater (Year)
Brian KellyHead Football Coach10thAssumption (1982)
Mike ElstonAssociate Head Coach/Defensive Line10thMichigan (1998)
Brian PolianRecruiting Coordinator/Special Teams Coordinator8thJohn Carroll (1997)
Clark LeaDefensive Coordinator/Linebackers3rdVanderbilt (2004)
Chip LongOffensive Coordinator/Tight Ends3rdNorth Alabama (2005)
Jeff QuinnOffensive Line5th (2nd in position)Elmhurst (1984)
Todd LyghtDefensive Backs4thNotre Dame (1991)
Del AlexanderWide Receivers3rdUSC (1995)
Tom ReesQuarterbacks3rdNotre Dame (2013)
Terry JosephDefensive Pass Game Coordinator/Safeties2ndNorthwestern State (1996)
Lance TaylorRunning Backs1stAlabama (2003)
Matt BalisDirector of Football Performance3rdNorthern Illinois (1996)
Bill ReesDirector of Scouting3rdOhio Wesleyan (1976)
Clay BignellSenior Defensive Analyst4thMontana State (2011)
Tyler PlantzSpecial Teams Analyst5th (3rd in position)Notre Dame (2014)
Jacob FlintCo-Director of Football Strength & Conditioning10thCentral Michigan (2007)
Robert StinerAssistant Director of Football Strength & Conditioning2ndBelhaven (2008)
David GrimesAssistant Strength & Conditioning Coach9thNotre Dame (2009)

Roster
2019 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Roster

Quarterbacks

  •  7 Brendan Clark – Freshman
  • 12 Ian Book – Senior (6'0, 208)
  • 14 J.D. Carney – Junior (5'10, 180)
  • 15 Phil Jurkovec – Sophomore (6'5, 225)
  • 17 Nolan Henry – Graduate Student (6'1, 195)

Running Backs

  •  6 Tony Jones, Jr. – Senior (5'11, 227)
  •  8 Jafar Armstrong – Junior (6'1, 220)
  • 16 Cameron Ekanayake – Junior (6'2, 202)
  • 20 C'Bo Flemister – Sophomore (5'11, 195)
  • 23 Kyren Williams — Freshman (5'9, 209)
  • 32 Mick Assaf – Senior (5'11, 215)
  • 34 Jahmir Smith – Sophomore (5'11, 207)
  •  4 Avery Davis — Junior (5'11, 200)

Wide Receivers

  •  4 Kevin Austin, Jr. – Sophomore (6'2, 210)
  •  9 Cam Hart – Freshman
  • 10 Chris Finke – Graduate Student (5'9, 175)
  • 13 Lawrence Keys III – Sophomore (5'10, 172)
  • 17 Isaiah Robertson – Junior (6'2, 202)
  • 18 Joe Wilkins, Jr. – Sophomore (6'2, 190)
  • 22 Kendall Abdur-Rahman – Freshman
  • 25 Braden Lenzy – Sophomore (5'11, 184)
  • 26 Leo Albano – Sophomore (6'1, 212)
  • 27 Arion Shinaver – Senior (6'1, 184)
  • 29 Matt Salerno – Sophomore (6'1, 188)
  • 43 Greg Mailey – Sophomore (6'1, 200)
  • 80 Micah Jones – Sophomore (6'5, 215)
  • 83 Chase Claypool – Senior (6'4, 229)
  • 87 Michael Young, Jr. – Junior (5'10, 190)
  • 88 Javon McKinley – Senior (6'2, 215)

Tight Ends

  • 24 Tommy Tremble – Sophomore (6'3, 237)
  • 48 Xavier Lezynski – Junior (6'2, 205)
  • 49 Jack Henige – Junior (6'5, 235)
  • 81 John Lager – Graduate Student
  • 84 Cole Kmet – Junior (6'6, 255)
  • 85 George Takacs – Sophomore (6'6, 255)
  • 89 Brock Wright – Junior (6’5, 250)
  

Offensive Linemen

  • 53 Zeke Correll – Freshman (6'3, 275)
  • 55 Jarrett Patterson – Sophomore (6'5, 300)
  • 56 John Dirksen – Sophomore (6'5, 310)
  • 57 Trevor Ruhland – Graduate Student (6'4, 293)
  • 60 Cole Mabry – Sophomore (6'5, 273)
  • 61 Colin Grunhard – Junior (6'1, 282)
  • 62 Logan Plantz – Graduate Student (6'2, 310)
  • 64 Max Siegel – Sophomore (6'2, 305)
  • 69 Aaron Banks – Junior (6'6, 325)
  • 71 John Olmstead — Freshman (6'5, 280)
  • 72 Robert Hainsey – Junior (6'5, 298)
  • 73 Andrew Kristofic — Freshman (6'5, 275)
  • 74 Liam Eichenberg – Senior (6'6, 305)
  • 75 Josh Lugg – Junior (6'7, 310)
  • 76 Dillan Gibbons – Junior (6'4, 308)
  • 77 Quinn Carroll — Freshman (6'7, 285)
  • 78 Tommy Kraemer – Senior (6'6, 319)

Defensive Linemen

  •  9 Daelin Hayes – Senior (6'4, 268)
  • 18 NaNa Osafo-Mensah – Freshman (6'3, 235)
  • 19 Justin Ademilola – Sophomore (6'2, 250)
  • 29 Ovie Oghoufo — Sophomore (6'3, 230)
  • 41 Kurt Hinish – Junior (6'2, 295)
  • 42 Julian Okwara – Senior (6'5, 240)
  • 44 Jamir Jones – Senior (6'3, 257)
  • 47 Kofi Wardlow – Junior (6'2, 245)
  • 53 Khalid Kareem – Senior (6'4, 262)
  • 54 Jacob Lacey — Freshman (6'2, 295)
  • 55 Ja’Mion Franklin — Sophomore (6'1, 308)
  • 57 Jayson Ademilola – Sophomore (6'3, 285)
  • 62 Logan Plantz — Graduate Student (6'2, 292)
  • 90 Hunter Spears — Freshman (6'4, 290)
  • 91 Adetokunbo Ogundeji – Senior (6'4, 250)
  • 93 Zane Heemsoth – Freshman
  • 95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa – Junior (6'3, 286)

Kickers

  • 39 Jonathan Doerer – Sophomore (6'3, 200)
  • 98 Harrison Leonard – Freshman

Punters

  • 19 Jay Bramblett — Freshman (6'2, 189)
  • 30 Jake Rittman — Sophomore (6'3, 205)
  

Linebackers

  •  2 Jordan Genmark-Heath – Junior (6'1, 231)
  • 13 Paul Moala — Sophomore (6'0, 210)
  • 22 Asmar Bilal – Graduate Student (6'2, 227)
  • 24 Jack Kiser — Freshman (6'2, 212)
  • 27 JD Bertrand – Freshman
  • 30 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah – Junior (6'2, 215)
  • 31 Jack Lamb – Sophomore (6'4, 227)
  • 33 Shayne Simon – Sophomore (6'3, 230)
  • 35 Marist Liufau – Freshman
  • 40 Drew White – Junior (6'0, 225)
  • 45 Jonathan Jones – Senior (6'0 227)
  • 50 Reed Gregory — Junior (6'0, 210)
  • 52 Bo Bauer – Sophomore (6'3, 230)

Defensive Backs

  • 12 D. J. Brown – Sophomore (6'0, 192)
  • 25 John Mahoney – Junior (6'0, 205)
  • 37 Chase Love — Sophomore (6'0, 190)
  • 39 Brandon Garcia — Senior (5'8, 197)
  • 43 Marcus Thorne — Sophomore (6'1, 204)

Cornerbacks

  •  3 Houston Griffith – Sophomore (6'0, 205)
  •  5 Troy Pride Jr. – Senior (6'0, 194)
  •  8 Donte Vaughn – Senior (6’3, 210)
  • 15 Isaiah Rutherford – Freshman
  • 16 KJ Wallace – Freshman
  • 20 Shaun Crawford – Graduate Student (5'9, 186)
  • 26 Temitope Agoro – Senior (6'1, 203)
  • 28 Tariq Bracy – Sophomore (5'10, 172)

Safeties

  •  7 Derrik Allen – Sophomore (6'2, 220)
  • 11 Alohi Gilman – Senior (5'11, 201)
  • 14 Kyle Hamilton – Freshman
  • 21 Jalen Elliott – Senior (6'1, 210)
  • 32 Patrick Pelini – Junior (6'1, 188)
  • 38 Christopher Schilling – Senior (5'11, 204)

Long Snappers

  • 46 Axel Raarup — Sophomore (6'0, 195)
  • 54 John Shannon – Senior (6'2, 238)
  • 65 Michael Vinson — Sophomore (6'2, 221)

Game summaries

at Louisville
Notre Dame at Louisville
1 234Total
• No. 9 Fighting Irish 14 777 35
Cardinals 14 003 17
See also: 2019 Louisville Cardinals football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
0–1 Nov. 22, 2014 L, 28–31

New Mexico
New Mexico at Notre Dame
1 234Total
Lobos 0 707 14
• No. 7 Fighting Irish 7 311414 66
See also: 2019 New Mexico Lobos football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting

at Georgia
Notre Dame at Georgia
(College GameDay)
1 234Total
No. 7 Fighting Irish 0 1007 17
• No. 3 Bulldogs 0 7610 23
  • Date: September 21, 2019
  • Location: Sanford Stadium
    Athens, GA
  • Game start: 8:11 p.m. EDT
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 28 minutes
  • Game attendance: 93,246
  • Game weather: Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Fair and 62% Humidity • Wind: Calm
  • Referee: Jeff Flanagan
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jamie Erdahl (sideline)
See also: 2019 Georgia Bulldogs football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
0–2 Sep. 9, 2017 L, 19–20

Virginia
Virginia at Notre Dame
1 234Total
No. 18 Cavaliers 7 1003 20
• No. 10 Fighting Irish 14 0147 35
See also: 2019 Virginia Cavaliers football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
2–0 Sep. 12, 2015 W, 34–27

Bowling Green
Bowling Green at Notre Dame
1 234Total
Falcons 0 000 0
• No. 9 Fighting Irish 21 14107 52
See also: 2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting

USC
USC at Notre Dame
(Jeweled Shillelagh)
1 234Total
Trojans 3 01014 27
• No. 9 Fighting Irish 0 17310 30
See also: 2019 USC Trojans football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
46–36–5 Nov. 24, 2018 W, 24–17

at Michigan
Notre Dame at Michigan
(rivalry)
1 234Total
No. 8 Fighting Irish 0 077 14
• No. 19 Wolverines 3 14721 45
See also: 2019 Michigan Wolverines football team
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
Virginia Tech at Notre Dame
1 234Total
Hokies 7 733 20
• No. 16 Fighting Irish 7 707 21
See also: 2019 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
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
Notre Dame at Duke
1 234Total
• No. 15 Fighting Irish 14 7710 38
Blue Devils 0 700 7
See also: 2019 Duke Blue Devils football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
3–2 Sep. 24, 2016 L, 35–38
Navy at Notre Dame
(Rip Miller Trophy)
1 234Total
No. 23 Midshipmen 0 3710 20
• No. 16 Fighting Irish 14 2477 52
See also: 2019 Navy Midshipmen football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
76–13–1 Oct. 27, 2018 W, 44–22

Boston College
Boston College at Notre Dame
(Holy War)
1 234Total
Eagles 0 700 7
• No. 16 Fighting Irish 3 13177 40
See also: 2019 Boston College Eagles football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
14–9 Sep. 16, 2017 W, 49–20

at Stanford
Notre Dame at Stanford
(Legends Trophy)
1 234Total
• No. 16 Fighting Irish 7 14717 45
Cardinal 10 707 24
  • Date: November 30, 2019
  • Location: Stanford Stadium
    Palo Alto, CA
  • Game start: 1:04 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3 hours and 29 minutes
  • Game attendance: 37,391
  • Game weather: Temperature: 48 °F (9 °C) • Weather: Cloudy and Showers • Wind: SE 20 MPH
  • Referee: Gary Patterson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman and Coley Harvey (sideline)
See also: 2019 Stanford Cardinal football team
Overall record Last meeting Result
19–13 Sep. 29, 2018 W, 38–17

vs. Iowa State (Camping World Bowl)
Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
(Camping World Bowl)
1 234Total
• No. 14 Fighting Irish 10 10103 33
Cyclones 0 630 9
See also: 2019 Iowa State Cyclones football team and 2019 Camping World Bowl
Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting

Players drafted into the NFL
See also: 2020 NFL Draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
243Cole KmetTEChicago Bears
249Chase ClaypoolWRPittsburgh Steelers
367Julian OkwaraDEDetroit Lions
4113Troy PrideCBCarolina Panthers
5147Khalid KareemDECincinnati Bengals
6186Alohi GilmanSLos Angeles Chargers

References
  1. "2019 Notre Dame Football Schedule". Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  2. Pope, LaMond. "Notre Dame will hire Lance Taylor as new running backs coach: reports". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-04-25. Retrieved 2020-06-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Impact Foundation names 2019 watch list". LottImpactTrophy.org. Pacific Club Impact Foundation. May 17, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  5. "2019 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  6. "Irish Trio Named to Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  7. "Irish Trio Named to Maxwell, Bednarik Watch Lists". July 15, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  8. "Alohi Gilman Named to Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Watch List". July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  9. "Jalen Elliott Named to Wuerffel Trophy Watch List". July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  10. "Ian Book Named to the 2019 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List". July 26, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  11. Kelley, Kevin (13 April 2019). "Notre Dame sets kickoff times for home football games in 2019". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  12. Driskell, Bryan (November 4, 2019). "Grades: Notre Dame Defense vs. Virginia Tech". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  13. Berardino, Mike (November 2, 2019). "No. 16 Notre Dame needs late touchdown to get past Virginia Tech". USA Today. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  14. Bonagura, Kyle; Schlabach, Mark (November 3, 2019). "College Football Bowl Projections". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  15. Adelson, Andrea (November 3, 2019). "What's next for the new Top 25 (No. 15 Notre Dame)". ESPN. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
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