Jack Kiser Is A State Champion Once Again

Jack Kiser is a state champion once again. 

The 2018 Mr. Indiana reclaimed his crown Friday night after Notre Dame knocked off Indiana 27-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Irish also took down Purdue earlier this season. 

“To be able to play Purdue earlier in the year and get a win against them than Indiana as an Indiana guy that's a big deal to feel like you own the state,” Kiser said.

With all eyes of the college football world looking in at Indiana, Kiser recognized the importance of the matchup — beyond even advancing in the playoff. 

“That's pretty cool, so certainly an important win for me,”  Kiser said. 

But what may be even more important to the linebacker is the experience Friday provided. This group of Irish won the first playoff game in South Bend in school history, and it’s not often you can be the first to do something as a member of the Fighting Irish. 

“I think you look at the state of the program right now, and it's a first of hopefully a lot more to come,” Kiser said. “This program is elevating. I think that's evident in the buy-in, in the university, and the facilities, the recruiting, the coaching staff, and so it's just a lot of excitement. To be part of that first in program history is a big deal.” 

Kiser also made sure to recognize the special environment that the Irish faithful created for the playoff matchup. It’s an environment he can see becoming a regular occurrence in South Bend.  

“When you walk onto that field and a snap hasn't taken place yet, and the crowds going crazy, you're able to capture that momentum right off the bat,” Kiser said. “Really awesome environment to be in. Hopefully that can be the standard here at Notre Dame for forever, but that was truly an incredible environment to be in.” 

But the momentum wasn’t an avalanche from the start as an early Riley Leonard interception put the Notre Dame defense on its heels. Kiser knew his defense would hold steady — and that’s just what they did. 

“I think if you look around the sideline, no one was concerned or anything,” Kiser said. “Everybody just knew, we got to do our job. Certainly big plays were made and the momentum really shifts, and it is huge when you can get an interception in your red zone, and then take one to the crib, like (Jeremiyah) Love did, and so certainly that was a huge turning point in the game.” 

From there on out Kiser’s defense was dominant, only allowing three points before a couple of garbage time touchdowns by the Hoosiers. The Royal Center, Indiana native finished the night with five tackles. 

“We're competing,” Kiser said. “We're out there going good-on-good you know, we're going against the offense, making sure, you know that's not Indiana's true scheme, but we're still getting good reps in and just trying to get better. And so I don't think that changes just because the opponent changes or you're one step farther than playoffs. It's just that mentality, what's important now? It's the moment. It's the moment you're in. And so that's kind of the mentality we're going to have going forward.” 

As the clock hit zero and South Bend erupted in celebration, Kiser’s season wasn't over, but his career at Notre Dame Stadium was. He made sure to soak in every moment with his teammates. 

“When we were coming up the tunnel into the staircase, I kind of turned around, took one last look of what that scene was like,” Kiser said. “I made sure Ryllie Mills and Riley Leonard got that view too. 

“When we were singing the Alma Mater at the end, just understanding how much people love this university, and what this university has done for me over a quarter of my life. It was pretty special to be able to be in an environment like that and walk out of here satisfied and happy and ready to keep playing.”