Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

JD Bertrand Named Academic All-American

University of Notre Dame senior linebacker JD Bertrand has been named a First-Team Academic All-American, as selected by the College Sports Communicators. Bertrand, who boasts a 3.62/3.74 grade point average, is one of 27 selections to the first team, becomes the 37th Fighting Irish student-athlete to earn first-team honors (the 37 players have combined to earn the honor 45 times) and the first since linebacker Drue Tranquill was a first-team selection in 2017. 

The 27th two-time team captain in program history, Bertrand served as one the heartbeats for Notre Dame’s 2023 defense that finished as the fifth-rated overall group in the NCAA. He is just the fourth Notre Dame player to lead the team in tackles for three-consecutive seasons, piling up 76 stops in 2023. He had two double-digit tackle performances in 2023 with 11 in the victory at No. 17 Duke and 11 more in the win over No. 10 Southern Cal. Bertrand also was a finalist for both the Campbell and Wuerffel trophies in 2023 and he was named the Notre Dame Father Ted Man of the Year at Notre Dame’s annual Echoes Awards banquet.

Bertrand is a member of the Alpha Mu Alpha Marketing Honor Society and was selected by the Notre Dame faculty for the 2022 Paul D. Gilbert Award for Leadership, given to a marketing student who has excelled in various extracurricular activities. 

Finishing his second year as a president for Uplifting Athletes, which provides experiences for children with rare diseases and their families, Bertrand helped the Notre Dame chapter raise over $80,000. For his work in the community and leadership on the field, Bertrand was named to the 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Bertrand was a CSC Academic All-District Team selection along with teammates tight end Davis Sherwood and fellow linebacker Jack Kiser. 

Kiser, who graduated summa cum laude (3.968) with a degree in cumulative business analytics, will return for a fifth-year of eligibility in 2024 after a highly productive 2023 season. Appearing on all of Notre Dame’s special teams, Kiser piled up 62 tackles in 13 games, including a 10-tackle performance when he started for an injured Bertrand at Mike linebacker against Central Michigan. Kiser will make a run for the Notre Dame career games-played record next year and assume a key leadership role on the Irish defense. 

Kiser also has earned a master’s of science in accountancy with a 4.0 grade-point average and was a faculty selection for the Tom Frecka Academic Achievement Award which is presented to a student for leadership and commitment in the classroom. 

A ‘glue guy’ in the Irish offense, Sherwood has played fullback and tight end during his career at Notre Dame. Appearing in 38 career games, he caught his first career touchdown on a key third down play at NC State this season while continuing to play a key role on the Irish special teams units. Sherwood has compiled a 3.892 grade-point average with a science-business major. 

Notre Dame Football – Academic All-America First-Team Selections

1952 HB Joe Heap

1953 HB Joe Heap

1954 HB Joe Heap

1954 TE Dan Shannon

1955 FB Don Schaefer

1958 E Bob Wetoska

1959 G Ken Adamson

1963 OG Bob Lehmann

1966 OG Tom Regner

1966 LB Jim Lynch

1967 DHB Jim Smithberger

1968 OT George Kunz

1969 OT Jim Reilly

1970 QB Joe Theismann

1970 OG Larry DiNardo

1970 SE Thom Gatewood

1971 SE Thom Gatewood

1971 DT Greg Marx

1972 DT Greg Marx

1973 TE Dave Casper

1973 K Bob Thomas

1973 LB Gary Potempa

1974 SE Pete Demmerle

1974 CB Reggie Barnett

1977 TE Ken MacAfee

1977 OG Dave Vinson

1977 FS Joe Restic

1978 FS Joe Restic

1980 OG Bob Burger

1980 FS Tom Gibbons

1981 CB John Krimm

1984 DT Greg Dingens

1985 DT Greg Dingens

1987 P Vince Phelan

1987 K Ted Gradel

1992 C Tim Ruddy

1993 C Tim Ruddy

2006 TE John Carlson

2010 PK David Ruffer

2012 LB Manti Te’o

2012 OG Mike Golic Jr.

2014 WR Corey Robinson

2016 S Drue Tranquill

2017 LB Drue Tranquill

2023 LB JD Bertrand