Notre Dame DBs Max Redfield, Devin Butler out for Fiesta Bowl

The questions marks on Notre Dame’s defense just got a little more plentiful.

Two projected starters for the eighth-ranked Irish (10-2) in their BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl matchup Friday in Glendale, Ariz., with No. 7 Ohio State, have been scratched from the lineup completely.

Junior safety Max Redfield was sent home to Mission Viejo, Calif., for a violation of team rules, per ND head coach Brian Kelly. Presumably, grad senior Matthias Farley would take his place.

Kelly also revealed Tuesday that junior cornerback Devin Butler suffered a broken foot in practice on Monday and is out.

Sophomore Nick Watkins will make his first collegiate start in the Fiesta Bowl, in Butler’s place. True freshman and Ohio product Nick Coleman moves up to No. 2.

Redfield ends a year of extreme peaks and valleys on the sidelines. The former five-star prospect played and started in 11 games for the Irish this season amidst some in-game demotions and constant inconsistency.

He still ended the regular season as ND’s third-leading tackler, with 64, a career-high-tying 14 of them coming against No. 1 Clemson in a 24-22 Irish road loss on Oct. 3. He had two tackles for loss, including a sack, and an interception.

Butler becomes the 17th member of the August training camp two-deeps to miss time because of injury. The Irish took the “next man in” mantra to extremes, as Watkins will become the 38th different player to start for Notre Dame this season.