Im not comparing injuries. Kyle protected himself. Thats it. I will never blame him for prtecting his future.
And no one is saying he was wrong for doing that.
If we're talking about the "Notre Dame Man/Loyal Son" title, it generally goes towards a player that went above and beyond for the university, or someone that had to clear obstacles or faced struggles that normal players did not. In cases like Avery Davis and Xavier Watts, they're players that clearly could have transferred out of the program and gone somewhere where they would see playing time at the positions they were recruited for. Instead hung around, were asked to changed positions (sometimes multiple times) and then helped the team to succeed. Team first mentality, hence Notre Dame Man. Theo was in that same vein I think and that's why he got it.
Looking at some other past players that got the title, for Jaylon he could have shut it down, but obviously played in the bowl game for the team and paid for it. Manti is self explanatory I think. I'm not sure with Zach Martin, because he stuck around another year and gave it all? Rees faced adversity from fans, getting death threats and probably some undue criticism that should have been directed towards the players that failed to live up to their potential to beat him out. Danny Spond had to shut down his career early because of health issues, but stuck around to help coach his replacements. Big Lou self explanatory too I think. Tranquil obviously came back from multiple major injuries to help the team and make his mark. I don't remember the stories on Sheldon Day and Chris Brown other than they were good guys that represented the university well? There haven't been too many players to get the moniker in recent years, just X and AD which were already discussed.
I'd consider adding Tyler Buchner to the list. Yeah, he left (understandably so), but the way he's come back and has done whatever has been asked of him to help the team without getting anything in return...pretty special. Howard Cross could be another maybe for coming back when he could have left. I would nominate Alohi Gilman too. Not only was he forced to sit out a year after transferring (In an era where everybody and their grandmother was getting exemptions to play right away), but he also received hate mail and anger from veterans and Navy fans for transferring.
