Two years we ago we debuted the 18 Stripes Hall of Fame Pyramid for Notre Dame football and its extensive history of wonderful talent. You can read the final rankings from 2019 HERE with links to the previous levels of the pyramid linked therein.

We’re now adding players who have left Notre Dame since the conclusion of the 2019 season. Next up to be inducted are a pair of defensive ends who would be selected in the 3rd and 5th rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.

190. Julian Okwara, DE, Charlotte, North Carolina (2016-19)
171. Khalid Kareem, DE, Detroit, Michigan (2016-19)
167. Bertrand Berry, DE, Humble, Texas (1993-96)
154. Renaldo Wynn, DE, Chicago, Illinois (1992-96)
144. Frank Stams, DE, Akron, Ohio (1984-88)
141. Anthony Weaver, DE, Saratoga Springs, New York (1998-2001)
112. Stephon Tuitt, DE, Monroe, Georgia (2011-13)
108. Willie Fry, DE, Memphis, Tennessee (1973, 1975-77)
69. Victor Abiamiri, DE, Baltimore, Maryland (2003-06)
59. Justin Tuck, DE, Rockford, Alabama (2001-04)
31. Walt Patulski, DE, Liverpool, New York (1969-71)
11. Alan Page, DE, Canton, Ohio (1964-66)
3. Ross Browner, DE, Warren, Ohio (1973, 1975-77)

Our update to the Hall of Fame continues with a couple of players just sneaking into the now enlarging Pyramid. We’ll start with Julian Okwara first who infamously took the field as a super young freshman and burned a year of eligibility while playing just a tiny amount and totaling 4 tackles.

As a sophomore, Okwara started to make an impact by book-ending his season with sacks against Temple in the opener and in the bowl game against LSU. It wasn’t until 2018 when Okwara overtook Daelin Hayes as starter and exploded for 8 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss that he started to make a name for himself nationally. Those sacks in 2018 tied Okwara for 41st nationally but it was his senior year that seemed to offer so much promise.

Unfortunately, he never quite got there. Okwara did manage 5 sacks, however, 3 came in a dominant performance against Virginia and he didn’t produce any over his final 4 games before injury ended his career at Notre Dame. In total, Okwara’s career was very good his last 2 years and his totals of 24 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks while being a feared pass rusher just do enough to get him enshrined.

The career of Khalid Kareem was far more steadier even if he didn’t quite reach a singular peak like Okwara’s 2018 season. We saw him redshirt in 2016 then put together 3 consecutive very good seasons, with the last 2 being a few notches better than his debut. I’ve personally always been a big fan of Kareem’s role and impact at Notre Dame and truly believe he was one of the most important defensive ends in the country for 2018-19. His versatility was tough to beat.

At the close of his career, Kareem totaled 108 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks with also defending 8 passes. Those numbers are good enough to get him in on merit although I think he gets a little bit of  bump for playing through a lot of injuries and being one of the best leaders of the Kelly era.