Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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gars' second-leading receiver with 47 catches for 569 yards and three touchdowns. This small Notre Dame harvest will not be heralded among the finest to ever arrive at the school and is the "sandwich class" between the top‑10 rated juniors and incoming 24-man freshman group that was a consensus top-four group. However, with a 12-1 start to their career, it could wind up with the most victories ever posted over a four-year career by an Irish graduating class. The current standard is the 43 wins the 1988 freshman group — led by Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, who turned pro after his junior year — with ledgers of 12‑0, 12‑1, 9‑3 and 10‑3 from 1988‑91. Top Impact Players The three headline performers as 2012 freshmen were Russell, defensive end Sheldon Day and safety/nickel Elijah Shumate. Russell and Shumate (both featured in this issue) are starters in the defensive backfield, while Day steps in for the graduated Kapron Lewis-Moore. Overshadowed by two future projected first-round picks along the line, senior Louis Nix III and junior Stephon Tuitt, Day was praised by Kelly as the best on the team when it comes to shedding blocks. "He plays with such great pad level and leverage, and then his technique is what allows him to get off those blocks," explained defensive line coach Mike Elston. "You recruit a short guy [Day is 6-2], and he's got to compensate in other areas, and he does with his initial quickness and his length — his arm length is very long. When he locks Zack Martin out, it's not a short-guy lockout; it's a big-guy lockout. He's able to get the guy off of him — he can disengage and go make plays. "If you're going to recruit a shorter guy, you've got to measure their arms to make sure they're going to have the length to keep those guys off." Referred to as an "old soul" by defensive coordinator Bob Diaco for his maturity, and nicknamed "The Mayor" for his popularity around school, Day, Nix and Tuitt help make the defensive line the strongest starting unit on the team for the second year in a row. "He's a student of the game," Elston said. "It's important to him, and that's not just in football, it's his whole life. He's just got it all put together, and it starts with his home life. … He just does everything you ask him to do. He's coachable. When he doesn't do it right, you tell him and he fixes it." The Next Wave The top new emerging figure among the sophomores is slot man C.J. Prosise, also featured in this edition. The other wideout in the class expected to be in the rotation is Chris Brown, who started four games last season and had several deep balls thrown his way early, but actually played sparingly. He finished with two receptions, but when he finally made his first catch — game eight at Oklahoma — the 50-yard grab set up the go-ahead touchdown in the Irish victory. He needs better consistency at catch-