Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1302940
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com OCT. 31, 2020 53 included leading the team in interceptions (four), tying for second in passes broken up (six) and plac- ing seventh in tackles (41). 14. Jamoris Slaughter (Stone Mountain, 2008-12) Part of the No. 2-ranked class in 2008, the safety/ cornerback recorded 98 career tackles before his final season was cut way short by an injury. 13. Ivory Covington (Decatur, 1994-97) Although only 5-10, 169 pounds, this diminutive cornerback was tenacious (156 career stops) and made the memorable game-saving stop of a two- point conversion attempt inches short of the goal line in the closing seconds to preserve a 28-27 win over Army in 1995. 12. Mike Richardson (Warner Robins, 2002-06) Our defensive back onslaught in this countdown concludes with the two-year starting corner who had 170 stops, 15 passes broken up and eight interceptions during his career, and had a strong senior campaign for the 10-3 Irish in 2006 to be- come a sixth-round pick. 11. Tyler Newsome (Carrollton, 2014-18) The four-year starting punter not only posted the second-highest career average at the school (44.1), but became the first strictly kicking special- ist at Notre Dame to be named a captain by his teammates. 10. Adrian Jarrell (Athens, 1989-93) Ravaged by injuries a good part of his career, Jarrell still caught the game-winning touchdown in traffic with 1:40 left to defeat Michigan in 1990, and followed the next week with the "Immaculate Deflection" in the final minute to set up the 20-19 win at Michigan State. In the 1993 victory versus No. 1 Florida State, he scored on a 32-yard reverse and also booted a 58- yard punt, another area where he helped. 9. Dusty Zeigler (Rincon, 1992-95) A starter at center his junior year and then guard as a senior captain, he went on to a seven-year ca- reer in the NFL, the longest so far by a Notre Dame player from Georgia — although No. 5 on this list tied it this year. 8. Jabari Holloway (Riverdale, 1997-2000) Another captain, the engineering major 's 37 career starts at tight end netted 41 receptions that averaged 16.9 yards per catch and included seven touchdowns. The fourth-round pick was on the roster but an inactive member on New England's 2002 Super Bowl champs. 7. Ken Adamson (Atlanta, 1957-59) A starter at center and on defense, he was the first of seven Notre Dame players from Georgia to hold a captaincy position, serving as the lone one for first-year coach Joe Kuharich's 1959 team that finished No. 17 in the Associated Press poll. He was third in tackles as a junior (53) and second as a senior (84). 6. Isaac Rochell (McDonough, 2013-16) Now in his fourth NFL season, the Iron Man in the interior of a depth-depleted Notre Dame line recorded 166 career tackles (21 for loss) and was a senior captain. He also blocked a field goal attempt by LSU to help preserve a 31-28 Music City Bowl win in 2014. 5. Stephon Tuitt (Monroe, 2011-13) The first Notre Dame defensive lineman to earn first-team All-America recognition as a sophomore from at least two outlets (ESPN and Sports Illus- trated), Tuitt also was a second-team AP pick in 2012. Drafted in the second round after his junior year, he might have topped this list with a knockout senior campaign. 4. TJ Jones (Gainesville, 2010-13) The 2013 Team MVP (70 catches, 15.8 yards per catch and nine touchdowns, plus two other scores off runs) finished his career second on Notre Dame's all-time receiving chart with 181 grabs. He tied Tyler Eifert for the team lead in recep- tions (50) during the 2012 campaign that resulted in a berth to the BCS Championship, and it earned him a captaincy in 2013. 3. Wes Pritchett (Atlanta, 1984-88) Although overshadowed on defense by fellow "Amigos" and first-team All-Americans Frank Stams and Michael Stonebreaker, the middle linebacker Pritchett paced the 1988 national champs in tack- les with 112 while providing toughness and physi- cal prowess with his 6-6, 251-pound frame. T1. Jim Carroll (Atlanta, 1962-64) and Darius Walker (Lawrenceville, 2004-06) There's a tie at the top with one on offense and another on defense. The lone captain and Team MVP of the "Resur- rection" campaign in 1964 under first-year head coach Ara Parseghian, All-American Carroll's 140 tackles at linebacker that year were 52 more than anyone else. As a sophomore and junior, he started at both offensive guard and linebacker, recording 59 tackles each season. As for Walker, after setting the freshman rushing record at Notre Dame with 786 yards (since broken by Josh Adams in 2015), he was a centerpiece of new head coach Charlie Weis' prolific offenses in 2005-06 that helped lead the Irish to back-to-back BCS bids. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards each year — one of four Irish backs to accomplish that in con- secutive years — and his 109 career receptions are the second most by a Notre Dame back. He turned pro after his junior year but was not drafted. ✦ Vintage Notre Dame Memorabilia Augie's Locker Room ND Stadium Items, Jerseys, Helmets, Autographs and One-of-a-Kind Rockne Items. COME INTO THE STORE TO SEE OUR RARE NOTRE DAME HELMET DISPLAY, 1900 - PRESENT!! Voted Best Notre Dame Collectibles in the Country! 1811 South Bend Ave. South Bend , I n 46637 574-277-NDND (6363) www.augieslockerroom.com FACEBOOK.COM/AUGIESLOCKERROOM NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL GAMES on VHS or DVD for sale, from 1928 to present. Contact Peter Rahas at 7700 Golden Filly St., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call 1-702-395-2974 M A R K E T P L A C E Call 877-630-8768 to advertise in Blue & Gold Illustrated! Want a prayer published? Call 800-421-7751 Running back Darius Walker rushed for more than 1,000 yards each of his last two years with the Irish, and his 109 career receptions are the second-most by a Notre Dame back. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS