Counting Down the Irish: 25 to 21

With 48 players receiving at least one vote among 12 ballots creating 2017’s Counting Down the Irish, marking the top 25 is an arbitrary cutoff, but one has to exist at some level, and that is a typical sporting convention.

That dividing line leaves out sophomore right tackle Tommy Kraemer (see: Others Receiving Votes), starting this annual countdown with sophomore cornerback Donte Vaughn.

25: Donte Vaughn, sophomore cornerback, 30 points

High ranking: No. 15

Low ranking: No. 22

Four votes total.

Vaughn’s ranking here underscores his talent, but that is the side effect of actually having talented depth at a position. At this point, Vaughn projects as the fourth of Notre Dame’s cornerbacks, behind…