Last year’s set of Notre Dame captains had to help the Irish navigate a pandemic, speaking out against systemic racism and the only season of conference membership in 133 years of program history. It was no coincidence four of the five were graduate students and the fifth was a four-year starter.
There should be more variety in 2021, but the driving sentiment expressed when selected as a captain will not change. Daelin Hayes was never at a shortage for words in his five years at Notre Dame — part of why he was voted a captain after leading the Irish march on Juneteenth — but he stumbled with repetition when asked what it meant to lead his team.