They came, they saw, they conquered: Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams

Chris Dailey

Founder, The Sports Court

They came, they saw, the conquered: The legacy of Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams.

Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams walked into South Bend, Indiana as 4 and 3-star recruits, respectively.

    The pair became two of the most explosive players in Notre Dame history, Hamilton lighting up on the defensive side of the game while Williams dominated on offense. The two now leave Notre Dame as potential first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

    Hamilton, who is considered a future top 10 pick and the best safety in the draft, spent his freshman season as a backup to Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliot. Despite being the backup, Hamilton still managed to record 41 tackles, 4 interruptions, and a touchdown.

    It was in his sophomore year when Hamilton made his name known around the college football world. The kid from Atlanta recorded 63 tackles, 1 interception, and impressed Notre Dame fans with his versatility. Hamilton was anywhere and everywhere on the field.

    Although Hamilton’s junior season was cut short due to an ankle injury in October, the highly touted recruit still managed to record 3 interceptions including two against Florida State, including an interception where Hamilton managed to run across the field from side to side to grab the interception.

    Meanwhile, Kyren William’s quickness and consistency have been unmatched in his three years at Notre Dame. In his sophomore and junior season, Williams has tallied over 2,000 combined rushing yards and a total of 27 touchdowns. 

    Williams is also an efficient pass catcher, having 300+ yard receiving seasons the past two years.

    Williams, ranked the fourth-best back in the nation by Mel Kiper, and second by TSC’s NFL Draft Player Rankings, has one of the quickest first steps and the ability to catch passes that NFL scouts crave for.

    The two players, both captains as a junior, have both declared for the 2022 NFL Draft and will forgo the Fiesta Bowl. This also means the two will never have played a game under Marcus Freeman as a head coach.

Hamilton and Williams were integral pieces in Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff Appearance last season and have left their mark in Notre Dame history forever.

Notre Dame has adjusted to life without Kyle Hamilton, as he hasn’t played since October. However, the loss of Kyren Williams will be huge and the former fastest high school player in the nation, Chris Tyree, will have big shoes to fill for the Blue and Gold.

The impact the pair has made on the program is immense and now Marcus Freeman and co will have to adjust to life without two of their stars and the two foregoing the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State will put a dent in Notre Dame’s chances of winning.

CHRIS’ thoughts: As mentioned in the article, Kyle Hamilton has been out with an injury since October, so his impact of leaving won’t be felt as much as Kyren Williams’.

However, Chris Tyree is a star, and he will finally get the chance has been patiently waiting for since coming to South Bend. Tyree has learned from one of the very best to do it in Williams and he will have to have a big game against Oklahoma State.

While Notre Dame’s betting chances of winning will most likely go down, I still favor Notre Dame in this game. I predict the Irish will come away from Glendale with a win, 36-27.