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Notre Dame gave out more postseason awards, or Echoes, than may have been expected Friday night, a direct reflection of how the Irish got to 12-0. One could easily argue more than the 20 players honored deserved such. That is a result of depth, depth which has pushed Notre Dame into the College Football Playoff, but depth that may not have been enough if not for Monogram Club MVP Ian Book.

Even if this space yesterday argued that honor should go to fifth-year linebacker Drue Tranquill — who won his third consecutive Student-Athlete of the Year Award — Book was certainly worthy. Stepping in as the starting quarterback in week four and leading the way to eight victories while setting multiple program passing records is deserving of recognition, a nod the wisdom of the crowds apparently agrees with.

Who would you consider #NotreDame's MVP this season? — Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) December 7, 2018

The quarterback Book replaced, Brandon Wimbush, was named the Next Man In of the Year, a testament to how well the senior handled becoming the first man out as much as it was a reminder of how crucial his performance was against Florida State when a ribs injury sidelined Book.

Many of the rest of the awards were correctly projected Friday, but to remind of those and acknowledge the rest …

Offensive Player of the Year: Senior receiver Miles Boykin, as expected.

Defensive Player of the Year: Senior linebacker Te’von Coney, also as expected.

Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Junior safety Alohi Gilman, still sticking with the standard script.

Offensive Newcomer of the Year: Dexter Williams needed to take him an Echo of some variety, even if this required a loosening of the definition of newcomer to include the senior running back.

☘️941 rush yds

☘️12 TDs

☘️100 rush yds in 4 games

☘️97-yd TD run at #24 Va. Tech: longest of his career, 2nd longest in ND history & longest in the history of Lane Stadium. Easy to say that @DexterW_22 has earned Offensive Newcomer of the Year.#GoIrish☘️ #NDEchoes18 pic.twitter.com/PTvSJZeF9U — Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 8, 2018

Offensive Lineman of the Year: Fifth-year center Sam Mustipher, perhaps the most obvious result of the evening.

Defensive Lineman of the Year: Senior tackle Jerry Tillery in what was hopefully a toss-up between him and junior end Julian Okwara.

Defensive Impact Player of the Year: A coin flip made easier by recognizing Okwara here, understandably so.

Offensive Impact Player of the Year: To complete the requisite offensive mentions, junior receiver Chase Claypool, who finished second to Boykin in all receiving categories with 48 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensive Back of the Year: Memory does not think this is an annual award, but if it was created simply to be sure junior cornerback Julian Love got a moment on stage, that is understandable. This may have been Love’s last go-round, and the All-American earned every accolade coming his way.

Walk-On Player Union Award: Senior receiver Chris Finke hasn’t been a walk-on for two years, so this may need an emeritus addendum.

Special Teams Player of the Year Award: This may simply come with setting the Notre Dame career points record — senior kicker Justin Yoon.

Pietrosante Award, for leadership, teamwork, etc.: When fifth-year punter Tyler Newsome was voted a captain by the vast majority of the roster, that spoke volumes about his locker room presence.

Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year: Sophomore running back Mick Assaf.

Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year: Freshman linebacker Ovie Oghoufo.

Father Lange Iron Cross Award for weight room presence: Fifth-year left tackle Alex Bars, which speaks to how involved Bars has remained since tearing his ACL in week five.

Humble & Hungry Award: Fifth-year defensive tackle Jonathan Bonner.

Irish Around the Bend Award for community service: Fifth-year tight end Nic Weishar.

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