Heading into the 2021 season, most people probably weren’t expecting to see a lot of true freshmen make an impact. The prevailing and at least somewhat incorrect talking point tossed around was that Brian Kelly’s program rarely got freshmen on the field fast enough, and even though the Irish lost a ton of talent from the 2020 team, depth was considered the best it’d been in years as veterans looked to step into starting roles almost across the board.
Thus, it was pretty exciting and surprising to see how many class of 2021 guys ended up playing SUBSTANTIAL roles in this current Fiesta Bowl season for the Irish.