Notre Dame stars Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams declare for NFL draft, will skip Fiesta Bowl

Notre Dame will be without two of its best players for the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State.

Safety Kyle Hamilton and running back Kyren Williams declared for the NFL draft on Friday and said they wouldn't play in the bowl game. Hamilton is Notre Dame's best defensive player and a potential top-10 pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Yahoo Sports NFL draft analyst Eric Edholm had Hamilton as the No. 4 pick in the draft in his October mock.

Hamilton has missed the last five games of Notre Dame's season due to a knee injury and has 35 tackles and three interceptions. He had 63 tackles in 11 games in 2020.

Williams has been Notre Dame's most productive offensive player in 2021. He has 204 carries for 1,002 yards and 14 touchdowns and 42 catches for 359 yards and three touchdowns.

Williams rushed for 1,125 yards and 13 TDs in 2020 while catching 35 passes for 313 yards. He could be one of the first running backs taken in the draft. Notre Dame will have to count on Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs to replace the void Williams leaves at running back in the bowl game. Tyree has 204 yards and Diggs has 200 yards in 2021.

Notre Dame (11-1) finished the season at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings — a spot outside of the playoff. The Fiesta Bowl will be new coach Marcus Freeman's first game in charge of the Irish after he was promoted from defensive coordinator. Freeman replaces Brian Kelly after Kelly — Notre Dame's winningest coach — left for LSU two days after Notre Dame's season ended.