Notre Dame Football: Aaron Lynch's Decision to Transfer Cripples D-Line

Notre Dame had enough question marks heading into next season.

However, the Fighting Irish now have a gaping hole on the defensive line that is going to be difficult to adequately fill after Aaron Lynch declared on Friday that he would be transferring after the spring semester.

Head coach Brian Kelly said in a release on Friday, via CBSSports.com:

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Aaron recently approached me about his desire to leave Notre Dame and return to Florida. I've always known and appreciated the affinity Aaron has for his home in Florida.

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Lynch added:

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I want to thank Coach Kelly for giving me this great opportunity to attend Notre Dame and be part of the Fighting Irish football family. This was one of the toughest decisions I have had to make, but I want to go back home to Florida. I'm grateful to Coach Kelly for understanding and allowing me to return home.

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As one of Notre Dame's prized recruits last season, Lynch totaled 5.5 sacks and 33 tackles in 12 games. He was the Fighting Irish's second-best defensive player behind Manti Te'o, and his departure will leave a lot to be desired in the pass-rushing department next season.

Kelly said that Kapron Lewis-Moore, a fifth-year senior with the most experience, would be the starter for now. However, he's not as talented. Other possibilities include current backup Chase Hounshell and early-enrollee Sheldon Day, but Hounshell has no game experience whatsoever and has missed spring due to injury.

Lewis-Moore has collected a combined 36 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his past two seasons at Notre Dame. He didn't even see the playing field until 2010, and he's coming off a season-ending knee injury.

There's been a lot of debate surrounding who should be the starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish heading into the season, but Lynch's bombshell is now the top story at Notre Dame...a story that could turn into a nightmare.

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