Asmar Bilal has had the odds stacked against him for a while. To some degree, that’s the case for most recruits, even the high-profile ones as Bilal was back in 2015. It’s simply a numbers game. When the linebacker arrived at Notre Dame, the Irish boasted a consensus All-American at outside linebacker; Jaylon Smith left no space for a fellow Indianan four-star.
The following year’s debacle of a revolving door of defensive coordinators did not do anyone any favors, and by 2017, Drue Tranquill had finally moved to linebacker from safety. Bilal was once again relegated to backup status.