Hamilton, an Atlanta native, had to tell his home school that he would be moving on. The school was just coming off of a National Championship appearance. Hamilton was one of three finalists from Georgia.

After visiting Notre Dame it seemed like a good fit for this smart, worldly child whose mother was Korean, who was born in Greece and spent part of his childhood living in Russia. Hamilton, a 2019 freshman, was already homesick despite his upbringing.

The weight room was the first place to face a challenge. Hamilton, a 6’4″ skinny kid, didn’t do much lifting in high school. When he arrived, he couldn’t perform the 225-pound standard bench press test. He had to reduce his weight to 185 pounds.

Hamilton said, “I remember that ‘Lo” was spotting and I got about five or six repetitions of 185.” “He was screaming and trying to encourage. I didn’t think I was made for it. You don’t even sit down during those college lifts. It was a surprise to me. “But thanks to him and the other guys, I learned to grind, to get used to it.

Notre Dame’s fall camp, held at Culver Academy – a college-preparatory boarding and military-school – began with a breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Meetings, a walkthrough and practice lasting at least two-hours followed. After a short nap and lunch, it’s seven hours of meetings and walks-throughs.

“When you’re in Culver, the sprint is on,” said Chris O’Leary. He was Hamilton’s safety coach at Notre Dame and then worked for the Los Angeles Chargers. Now he’s the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan.

It’s a big adjustment, particularly when you are in your fourth night and haven’t had a good sleep and you’re drenching yourself at 2 am on the mattress due to no air conditioning. You have to get up again and repeat the process. It’s tough.”

Hamilton’s biggest problem, at least initially, was the lack of air conditioning. Hamilton also had high expectations of himself.

Hamilton recalls a positive first practice. O’Leary described it as the best day of any player’s career. Hamilton made two of his three interceptions during one-on-1 drills and not against scrubs. Notre Dame was home to future NFL wide receivers Chase Claypool, Cole Kmet and others.

“Extremely gifted, very talented, and super cerebral. Kyle is a kid who walks into a room and you immediately think, “Holy cow.” O’Leary stated that “This kid belongs.” “But he was gone that day and I’m certain he felt he had underachieved.” He expects perfection.”

Hamilton felt like he didn’t belong. O’Leary remembers that Hamilton appeared “heavy” because of the football, academics and change of scenery. Gilman was Hamilton’s roommate, because the coaches were high on the five-star recruit. Gilman was basically told by the coaches to “get him right.”

Gilman, a laid-back Hawaii native who was a Navy transfer with military experience, was the ideal mentor. Hamilton was taught how to work by Gilman, who also helped Hamilton gain confidence and have fun. O’Leary said Gilman was his favorite leader. He also coached Gilman for the Chargers.

“He is a man who does everything right – loves to play football, loves to be a teammate. O’Leary noted that he is a man who speaks few words but, when he does, his words are powerful.

“That’s the way he played at Notre Dame and that’s what he did last year for the Chargers. He is the center of the team, and the defense. He did the same thing with Kyle. He was the same with Kyle.

Gilman noticed a child who was still learning how to make the most of his athletic but lanky physique. He also recalls the first day of training.

Gilman stated that “after the first day, he was struggling.” He was saying to me, “I don’t think I’m going make it. I think I will join another team. I’m moving to another team. I’m playing basketball. He was a hooper. I said, “Nah, brother, you’re staying. You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. Trust me. Over time, his confidence grew and he began to play. Early on, though, he would talk to me at night and cry.