Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly gives injury update on Kyle Hamilton before Virginia game
Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton will not play vs. Virginia on Saturday, coach Brian Kelly has announced.
Hamilton hasn’t played since late October when he suffered an injury vs. USC. Kelly had previously expressed optimism that he could play vs. the Cavaliers this week.
However, that will not be the case. Kelly said Hamilton has not yet been medically cleared to return to the field.
Kelly also seemed to address speculation that Hamilton is sitting out to avoid further injury ahead of this spring’s NFL Draft. Hamilton is currently projected to be a top 10 pick and will likely be the first defensive back off the board.
“Kyle Hamilton is not ready to play,” Kelly told reporters on Thursday. “Kyle is not cleared medically to play. Once he’s cleared medically to play, he has every intention of playing. He just hasn’t been cleared yet.”
Brian Kelly update on Kyle Hamilton:
"Kyle Hamilton is not ready to play. Kyle is not cleared medically to play. Once he's cleared medically to play, he has every intention of playing. He just hasn't been cleared yet."
"This isn't a young man that doesn't want to play."
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) November 11, 2021
So far this season, Hamilton has 34 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions and 4 pass deflections. He has 8 interceptions and 16 pass deflections in his Notre Dame career.
The Fighting Irish enter this week at No. 9 in the College Football Playoff rankings. They still have a chance to make the CFP, with their only loss coming against No. 5 Cincinnati back in September.
Notre Dame faces Virginia at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.