'Coach Hamilton' aiding Notre Dame secondary after PRP therapy
It's been a new role this week for Notre Dame All-American Kyle Hamilton – after a new medical procedure also was performed on the junior safety.
Hamilton, injured early last week in Notre Dame's 31-16 win against visiting University of Southern California, underwent platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy this week on his right knee.
Sidelined for the No. 11 Irish (6-1) as they prepare to host North Carolina (4-3) Saturday inside Notre Dame Stadium (7:30 p.m., NBC), Hamilton has instead shifted into a hands-on coaching role in an effort to help Notre Dame get its secondary readied for the Tar Heels' aerial attack.
“It's been a coaching week for him,” Brian Kelly told reporters of Hamilton. “He's done a really good job. He's working with the safeties and totally engaged, being a captain and doing a great job.
"He had PRP earlier in the week. We'll see where he is moving around. Not practicing. He's been weight training, and training around the injury right now."
UNC is averaging 272 yards passing per game, and star quarterback Sam Howell now has amassed more than 9,000 career passing yards in less than three full seasons as the starter.
In the absence of Hamilton, Notre Dame will rely on veteran Houston Griffith at strong safety and DJ Brown in Hamilton's traditional free safety post. Third-year sophomore KJ Wallace and Ohio State graduate-transfer Isaiah Pryor, who also has played regularly this season as a Rover in the Irish defense, will back up Griffith and Brown.
Kelly, who reiterated he's bullish on the future of Xavier Watts, said that the second-year player and converted wideout could be a fifth option in the back-end.
"He's ready to go this weekend,” Kelly said of Watts. “He would be a fifth for us at the safety position if we were called to go that far down.
“He's been cross-training both at safety and the nickel position. Kyle has been working with him directly, 1-on-1 this week, so that's been his student. Really like (Watts') upside."
FISHER PROGRESSING WELL
Blake Fisher generated considerable intrigue earlier this week when he tweeted a picture and indicated his time was soon to come.
Kelly confirmed the freshman offensive tackle has recovered ahead of schedule since the knee injury Fisher suffered in the season-opening game at Florida State, but Kelly pumped the brakes on Fisher's return as imminent.
“Blake is ahead of schedule,” Kelly said, “but that doesn't necessarily mean that's going to put him on the field this year. He's doing really well. Healing extremely well.
"You don't know really how people respond to surgery, and how their tissue heals and how all those things come together. He's one of those guys that things have come together really quickly for him; moving around already, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to put him on the field any quicker. He is ahead of our rehabilitation schedule in the training room."
MORE PRAISE FOR THE RECRUITING STAFF
Notre Dame's addition of Marcus Freeman to replace the departed Clark Lea was a signal of the Irish's commitment from the top down to get the best possible coaches that could help Notre Dame lift its 33-year national championship drought.
A big part of that element also is recruiting, and Kelly continues to praise the Notre Dame additions of Chad Bowden and Dre Brown into analyst roles that specialize in assisting the Irish's recruiting efforts.
“It's an incredible bridge to the coaches relative to constant communication with the recruits,” Kelly said of Bowden and Brown. “With Chad on defense and Dre on offense, all of those recruits are hearing from us every single day and not by text, but by verbal communication.
“Both of those guys have done a great job of maintaining that communication on day-to-day basis."
