Notre Dame’s CFB Playoff hopes died in a blowout loss to Michigan a couple of weeks back. (The experts at Overtime Heroics don’t even have them in the discussion.) Even after that loss, though, some guys still had plenty left to prove. One of those guys was senior DE Julian Okwara. Okwara starred for Notre Dame last year during their surprise run the CFB Playoff. After a disastrous leg injury on Saturday, his season is now officially over.

Where Does Okwara Go From Here?

Okwara, the number 4 DE on ESPN’s 2020 draft board, had recorded four sacks, two forced fumbles, and six tackles for loss before the injury. He was supposed to be the critical component of another Irish playoff run. After a really solid season, where does Okwara go from here?

Well, first, he will have surgery on the leg sometime in the near future. The timetable for a return from this injury is a minimum of 4 months. If everything goes according to plan, he may be ready for the Combine and Pro Day, but that seems like a stretch. Rather than rushing to making sure he is prepared for those days, he needs to make sure he is 100% healthy. Any NFL team with their eyes on Okwara knows what he is capable of and will just want to see him healthy.

Where Do the Irish Go From Here?

The Fighting Irish, on the other hand, still have three regular-season games left. They were supposed to prove last year was not a fluke by making another run at the playoff this year. At this point, it seems like a fluke, and they have an outside shot at an NY6 bowl. More realistically, they will have to settle for something less than that like the Pinstripe Bowl.

Notre Dame has been considered a fraud since the inception of the CFB Playoff, and this year is not helping. This year is over, and Brian Kelly and company need to start developing the younger guys for next year. As a lifelong Notre Dame fan, it is championship or bust. So winning these last three games plus a bowl game doesn’t mean much.

After losing your best defensive player to injury, it’s time to start rotating some of the younger guys in. Getting some of those guys like Justin Ademilola and Ovie Oghoufo experience down the stretch will get them ready for next year.

The Irish need to make some serious noise in the playoff at some point over the next 1-3 years. If they don’t, they may be looked at as a group of five team, meaning they will never get in again.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

More

Email

WhatsApp



Pocket

Pinterest



Print

Skype



Telegram

LinkedIn



Reddit

Tumblr





Like this: Like Loading...