ESPN: Kyle Hamilton Is One Of The Nation's Top Returning Safeties

ESPN named Notre Dame sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton one of the nation's five best returning safeties for 2020

Notre Dame lost a pair of talented and experienced safeties that fueled one of the nation’s best pass defenses in 2018 and 2019, but the Fighting Irish are expected to remain strong at the position due to the presence of rising sophomore Kyle Hamilton.

After an outstanding freshman campaign where the former five-star recruit was able to learn from and play alongside Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott, Hamilton is now in position to become the top player in the Irish secondary. Not only that, many believe he’s poised to become one of the nation's best at his position.

ESPN ranked Hamilton as the fifth best returning safety in the entire country for the 2020 season:

“True freshman safety Hamilton could not have done much more in coverage for the Fighting Irish last season. The 6-foot-4 defensive back finished among the five best safeties in the country in PFF coverage grade and had more interceptions plus pass breakups (nine) than catches allowed (seven). That production paved the way to a 1.3 passer rating allowed. Hamilton read quarterbacks like books and made special plays all season. He'll be a vital piece to the Irish secondary the next couple of seasons.”

Hamilton is a talented young athlete, and talking to sources he’s also a hard worker and a student of the game. That’s the kind of combination that can lead to a player not only becoming a star, but doing so much earlier than most.

I’m hesitant to place too much hype and too great of expectations on Hamilton too early, but the way he played as a true freshman makes that very difficult. Despite not being an every-down player, Hamilton finished his freshman season with 41 tackles and a team leading four interceptions, and his six pass break ups were tied for second on the roster.

Now that he has a full year under his belt and he’s stepping into a full-time role, the expectation is that Hamilton will see a big jump in play and production, which will provide the 2020 defense with a boost in playmaking.

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