Four Notre Dame Players Named PFF Preseason All-Americans
Pro Football Focus released its preseason All-American squads for the 2020 season, and there was a strong Notre Dame flavor. Four different Notre Dame players were named to either the second or third-team by PFF, with three being named to the second team and one to the third team.
Senior linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was named a second-team linebacker as he heads into his second season in the starting lineup. Owusu-Koramoah tied for the team lead with 80 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season, and he led the Irish defense with 13.5 tackles for loss.
The first team linebacker at that spot is Penn State's Micah Parsons, who recently announced he would bypass the season and head to the NFL after the Big Ten announced it would not be playing football in the fall.
Notre Dame had two defenders on the second team, with sophomore safety Kyle Hamilton joining Owusu-Koramoah. Hamilton heads into his first season in the starting lineup after serving as the third safety as a true freshman. Hamilton had an outstanding first season, earning Freshman All-American honors after racking up 41 tackles, six pass break ups and a team-leading four interceptions.
Senior left guard Aaron Banks was named a second-team All-American by PFF. Banks was inconsistent as a junior in 2019, but Pro Football Focus is quite high on the California native. Banks gave up just two sacks last season, and his three best run blocking grades (by PFF) came in the last four games.
Fifth-year senior Liam Eichenberg was named to the third-team squad. Eichenberg is one of the nation's best returning tackles, and I was surprised to see him on the third-team. He should be higher even if you only use the PFF grades. Eichenberg did not allow a single sack last season and had one of the nation's best pass blocking efficiency grades among returners.
Notre Dame and Air Force were the only two teams with a pair of offensive linemen on the All-American squads.
Notre Dame's four All-Americans tied for fifth. Oregon, Alabama and Georgia all had six and Ohio State had five players selected.
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