Kolin Hill to Transfer from Notre Dame: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

Notre Dame lost more depth across its defensive line Wednesday with the announcement that sophomore defensive end Kolin Hill will transfer and not report to fall camp.

Andrew Owens of Blue & Gold Illustrated passed along the news and noted that “it is not known where Hill is expected to transfer.”

Hill was not a defensive star during his freshman campaign in 2014, but he did see playing time as part of the rotation and managed seven tackles and two sacks. His best game came against archrival Michigan when he tallied 1.5 sacks.

This represents yet another blow to the defensive line before the 2015 season even begins. Defensive end Jhonny Williams transferred, while recruit Bo Wallace ultimately spurned the Fighting Irish and joined the Arizona State Sun Devils. 

Mike Vorel of Notre Dame Insider put the personnel losses in perspective based on last year’s struggles:

Pete Sampson of Scout.com noted that Notre Dame will only have “six sure-fire eligible defensive ends this season” after the Hill news. Of that group, only Romeo Okwara, Isaac Rochell, Andrew Trumbetti and Grant Blankenship boast tangible experience.

The defensive line could receive a boost, though, if Ishaq Williams is reinstated by the NCAA. Williams was one of the players suspended during Notre Dame's academic dishonesty investigation in 2014 and is awaiting word on his status as of Wednesday.

The Fighting Irish have College Football Playoff aspirations for the 2015 campaign and were ranked No. 11 in the initial Amway coaches poll. The pass rush was inconsistent at best last season and a major reason why Notre Dame lost five of its final six regular-season contests and fell all the way to the Music City Bowl after a promising 6-0 start.

The only way Notre Dame will avoid that fate and cash in on its elevated expectations this year is with a better performance from its defense. It will not be able to survive efforts that fans saw last season when the defense allowed 43 points to Northwestern, 55 to Arizona State and 49 to USC, especially with games against Texas, Clemson, Georgia Tech, USC and Stanford on the schedule.

With Hill’s departure, it puts even more pressure on the defensive line to stay healthy and productive. Look for opponents to utilize the running game and force the Fighting Irish to rotate their thin group of linemen in an effort to wear down the defense.

The Fighting Irish offense may have to score plenty of points if a trip to the College Football Playoff resides in Notre Dame’s future.