Friday morning Notre Dame learned that defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola was returning for a 5th year. Friday night, the Irish learned that another key defender from the 2021 squad was returning for a 5th year when safety DJ Brown announced his return.
Brown’s 2021 season was bookended by a pair of poor outings that mare an otherwise strong senior campaign. First, against Florida State in the opener, Brown missed an open-field tackle that resulted in an 89-yard touchdown. Then, he ended the season with a missed open-field tackle in the Fiesta Bowl, leading to a touchdown. In between, Brown tied for the team lead in interceptions with Kyle Hamilton (3) though we all know Hamilton really had four since he was robbed of one against Toledo by the replay booth.