Report: Injury update on Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton

A Thursday report from The Athletic offered an injury update on Notre Dame All-American safety Kyle Hamilton. He still has a chance to return this season, but only on the condition that the team makes the College Football Playoff.

Hamilton has not played since Oct. 23 against USC after suffering a knee injury. Prior to the setback, he had recorded 19 tackles, three interceptions and four passes defended.

The Fighting Irish dropped from No. 5 to No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings following the departure of coach Brian Kelly. As an independent, they do not get the opportunity to play for a conference championship this weekend.

Notre Dame closed its season with a commanding 45-14 victory against Stanford this past week. To find their way into the top four, the Fighting Irish likely need a couple of the five teams ranked ahead of them to lose in their respective conference championships.

However, there is some hope that the return of Hamilton could be enough to sway the committee. Despite missing significant time, he is still labeled as a potential top 10 pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

Kelly, who had been the coach of the Fighting Irish for 12 seasons, was officially introduced as the next LSU coach on Tuesday. He led Notre Dame to two previous appearances in the CFP, as well as the BCS Championship in 2012.

It seems that factored into the committee’s latest rankings, as Oklahoma State jumped the Fighting Irish following a Bedlam victory. The Cowboys will face Baylor at noon ET on Saturday for the Big 12 Championship.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, can only watch, wait and wonder. Will the injury update on Kyle Hamilton be enough to boost them back up the rankings?

The final edition of the 2021 College Football Playoff rankings is set to be released at noon ET on Sunday.