Notre Dame Football: Irish stay on track with win over Navy

3. Alohi Gilman has been worth the wait

There was a very good possibility that safety Alohi Gilman could have suited up for the Midshipmen instead of the Irish in this week’s matchup. However, regulations concerning military students and NFL eligibility led Gilman to transfer to Notre Dame. With hopes of eventually playing in the NFL, Gilman considered the switch to Notre Dame to be the right choice for him and his family.

While Gilman hoped to join the Irish for the 2017 season, transfer eligibility restrictions would force him to spend his sophomore season on the scout team. Despite continuously impressing on the scout team, Gilman’s passion would get him kicked out of practice on occasion. Nevertheless, Gilman maintained steadfast in his pursuit for starting status on Notre Dame’s defense.

That time would finally come in 2018 when Gilman was announced as one of the Irish’s two starting safeties. Gilman impressed alongside incumbent starter Jalen Elliott, bringing about a sense of aggressiveness that was dearly missed from a 2017 safety duo that failed to generate a single turnover.

In fact, Gilman came into Week 8 as the third leading tackler on a Notre Dame defense that features standout linebackers Drue Tranquill and Te’von Coney. Gilman was especially impressive against his former team, constantly involving himself on defense while forcing a fumble that was eventually recovered by Navy’s Mychal Cooper.