Brian Kelly has mentioned how vital getting “6-star” recruits (players with eligibility who otherwise might leave for the NFL or other options) are each year. On Friday, the Irish got one of their biggest such players for 2020 when cornerback Shaun Crawford announced he would be back next year. The return of Crawford means the Irish will not be as reliant on true freshmen at a critical position like corner.
Notre Dame is still going to be remaking its secondary in 2020 with Alohi Gilman headed to the NFL despite having a 5th year of eligibility along with Troy Pride and Jalen Elliott, who both exhausted their eligibility this year.