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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.
#7 Derrik Allen, Safety
Derrick Allen is a 6’2 220 lb. safety from Marietta Georgia. Allen came into Irish as a consensus top 10 safety prospect in the country, who looked to push for playing time as a true freshman. This was considered even more likely a the safety position was relatively unproven heading into last year. Allen ended up not seeing the field, mostly due to lack of need as Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott had breakout seasons.
Allen could have been a candidate for special teams, but ended up staying on the bench, and maintained a redshirt in the traditional sense.
Taylor Swift, Chicago, Bon Jovi
For whatever reason, this song reminds me of a training montage. Hopefully this song’s intensity matches his training schedule!
Hey Dog Hey
Coming from a Military family (his father was an officer in the army), I wanted to choose a military dog like the German Shepard. These dogs are incredibly smart and trainable, two qualities you want in a safety.
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2019 Outlook
Allen will look to be a valuable backup behind Gilman and Elliott. He showed promise in the Spring game, and should play on special teams and could provide some much needed relief at safety. A lot of his playing time will be dictated by how ready incoming 5 star freshman Kyle Hamilton is to play. Regardless, Allen should take this year as a opportunity to get some playing time as next year two safety spots will be up for grabs.