Hamilton, Flemister out indefinitely; Buchner continues to impress
Brian Kelly on Thursday revealed that Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton both will not play Saturday night at Virginia and also has not been medically cleared to return to action.
Hamilton was injured early in the Irish's Oct. 23 win against University of Southern California, and Kelly had initially expressed optimism that Hamilton might not miss any games with what Kelly initially termed was a “pinched fat-pad.”
But Hamilton has not returned to practice nor been medically cleared to do, even after he has received multiple platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
“Kyle Hamilton is not ready to play, and let me just be really clear on this, because I think there's a bunch of narratives out there about Kyle: Kyle is not cleared medically to play,” Kelly emphasized during a 15-minute Zoom session with reporters. “Once he's cleared medically to play, he has every intention of playing. He just hasn't been cleared yet. Once our doctors give him the clearance, he's done everything we've asked him to do.”
Kelly staunchly defended Hamilton as he doubled-down on Hamilton's inability to return at this time and praised the work of Hamilton as a consummate leader and teammate during his absence due to the injury.
“This isn't a young man who doesn't want to play or is protecting himself for the NFL Draft,” Kelly said. “He's in the weight room and doing all the things an engaged captain of our football team would do.
“He's dealing with injury that takes time and it's taken more time. When our medical people clear him, he'll be back. That just hasn't been the case. I wanted to be really clear so we don't have false narratives out there about what his intention is. He is a great teammate, great captain, and we're really pleased with his engagement.”
On the offensive side of the ball, tailback C'Bo Flemister – mostly a non-factor this season for the Irish – also is going to be out this game after suffering an injury this week in practice. Sources told Irish Sports Daily that Flemister is dealing with an injury to his ribs.
“He got banged up in practice,” Kelly said. “It looks like he's not going to be able to answer the bell.”
The Irish in recent weeks have settled into mostly a three-man rotation at tailback, with starter Kyren Williams spelled by freshman Logan Diggs and Chris Tyree, who's working back in from a foot/toe injury that's limited his availability the past three games.
Drew White, despite playing on a torn PCL, is expected to start again at linebacker for the Irish, Kelly said.
BUCHNER'S STEADY IMPROVEMENT
Tyler Buchner, Notre Dame's freshman quarterback, doesn't play a heavy volume of snaps each week, but he's making the most of his opportunities.
Appearing in seven of the Irish's nine games, Buchner is responsible for a combined five touchdowns via rushing and passing, plus he ranks as the team's second-leading rusher with more than 200 yards.
Buchner's role, and the coaches' trust in the freshman, continues to grow because of Buchner's everyday performance.
“Retention. The ability to repeat things. Retain information and repeat and go out and do that on the field,” Kelly said. “I think it's pretty clear that most of the quarterbacks here have to be able to protect themselves first when it comes to protections. Accuracy in terms of throwing the football, which he's shown. Good decision-making. He's been able to do that and show it in consistent fashion.
“Obviously, there's a confidence that this is not just a good day or a good practice. This is something that's habit-forming and we can expect to see this whether it's practice or gameday.”