For entirely different reasons, Notre Dame was shy two players – one of the offensive side and one on the defensive side – for almost all of last season.
Tight end, Alize Mack, missed the entire 2016 campaign because of academic ineligibility. On the defensive side, cornerback, Shaun Crawford, missed most of last season due to an achilles injury.
Well, after a 4-8 year, almost a complete coaching staff change, and many more changes, you can add the return of Mack and Crawford to the list. After serving a year-long suspension, Mack returned to the Irish and proved he hasn’t missed a step.