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Notre Dame Football: 5 bold predictions for the 2017 season

By Jacob Wilson

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and his team wait to head on to the field for the start of the game against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 01: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and his team wait to head on to the field for the start of the game against the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame linebacker Nyles Morgan (5). (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Notre Dame linebacker Nyles Morgan (5). (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

3. Nyles Morgan records 10 sacks

It’s been a while since the Irish have had a player dip into double digit sacks, the last coming in 2012 when Stephon Tuitt recorded 12. Some defenders have come close since Notre Dame’s championship run in 2012, most notably lineman Romeo Okwara when he reached nine in 2015.

Senior Nyles Morgan only has 4.5 sacks over the course of his college career, but looks to build off a solid four sack season of last year. Morgan is certainly capable of achieving a 10-sack season, but it really depends on what new defensive coordinator Mike Elko has planned for him.

Related Story: Notre Dame Football: Top 5 breakout candidates for 2017

Morgan has typically played inside linebacker for the Irish, leading to a higher tackle total opposed to a high sack total. However, Elko has enjoyed a great deal of success in terms of sacks during his time at Wake Forest and should be able to replicate those results with a talented linebacker corps in South Bend.

Morgan, who registered 88 tackles last season, has a good chance of reaching 100 by the end of 2017. Expecting the inside linebacker to reach 10 sacks may be a little farfetched, but a shift in the linebacker dynamic by Elko could certainly shake things up enough for Morgan to make the jump.

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