Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1474524
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM AUGUST 2022 11 UNDER THE DOME .02 Percent (1,056) of the 5.54 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Forty- eight Notre Dame players have received that exclusive status, more than any other school in the nation. Two more former Irish stars have earned a shot at election, with linebacker Michael Stonebreaker (1986-90) and cornerback Todd Lyght (1987-90) among the 80 FBS players on the ballot for the class of 2023. Lyght was on the ballot in 2016, 2020 and 2022, and this is Stone- breaker's first appearance. Former Notre Dame tight end Mark Bavaro (1981-84) was on last year's ballot and is a multi-time nominee, but he did not appear on this year's. Offensive lineman Aaron Taylor (1990-93) was enshrined in 2021 and is the program's most recent inductee. His election left Stonebreaker and Lyght as the Irish's only two-time consensus All-Americans who have yet to reach the Hall of Fame. 1 School in the country had teams that participated in a New Year's Six bowl game, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and the College World Series this past year: Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish football squad faced Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 1; the men's basketball team put together a three-game run during March Madness; and the baseball program notched its third-ever trip — and its first in 20 years — to the CWS in Omaha, Neb. 3 Five-star prospects, per On3, in Notre Dame's 2023 football recruit- ing class — the most in the country as of July 22. If the Fighting Irish are able to hang on to the trio of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep defensive end Keon Keeley (No. 3 overall player nationally per On3), Rock Island (Ill.) Alleman offensive tackle Charles Jagusah (No. 6) and Denton (Texas) Guyer safety Peyton Bowen (No. 18), and their current rankings hold steady, they will sign at least three players ranked as five-star recruits by any active major recruiting service (On3, Rivals, 247Sports, ESPN) in a single class for the first time since 2013. In 2013, the Fighting Irish signed four players that Rivals ranked as five- stars: linebacker Jaylon Smith (No. 3 overall player nationally), running back Greg Bryant (No. 19), defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes (No. 21) and safety Max Redfield (No. 30). Rivals also graded tight end Kyle Rudolph (No. 20), quarterback Dayne Crist (No. 25) and wide receiver Michael Floyd (No. 27) as five-stars in the 2008 class. 4 Fighting Irish alumnae earned a spot in the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game — more than any other school in the country. Guards Skylar Diggins-Smith (Phoenix Mercury), Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings) and Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces) were all part of Team Stewart, which was named after Storm forward and former UConn star Breanna Stewart. Young was the only starter from Notre Dame and scored 2 points. Loyd, Ogunbowale and Diggins-Smith came off the bench and posted 21, 11 and 3 points, respectively. 5 Players with Notre Dame ties were selected in the 2022 MLB Draft July 17-19. It marks the second straight season the Fighting Irish had at least two players drafted and the 37th consecutive year they had at least one player taken. Irish commit Owen Murphy — a third baseman and right-handed pitcher from Riverside, Ill., who is rated as the nation's No. 25 overall prospect by Perfect Game — was the first player to get the call, going 20th overall in the first round to the Atlanta Braves. (Murphy signed with the Braves July 24.) Junior infielder Jack Brannigan was selected in the third round (No. 83 overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates, junior right-handed pitcher Liam Simon was picked by the San Francisco Giants in the fifth round (No. 166), senior right-handed pitcher Alex Rao was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the eighth round (No. 242) and graduate student John Michael Bertrand was taken in the 10th round (No. 316) by the Giants. Brannigan's third-round selection is the highest pick for a Notre Dame player since third baseman Eric Jagielo was taken with the 26th overall pick in the first round in 2013. 21 Players have been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in the history of Notre Dame men's basketball, after BLAKE WESLEY — the first-ever "one-and-done" for the program — was taken in the first round (25th overall) by the San Antonio Spurs June 23. Wesley, who was given 50-1 odds to be the NBA Rookie of the Year by BetOnline, also was the seventh total NBA Draft selection during head coach Mike Brey's tenure in South Bend (2000-22): Year Name Round Overall Pick Team 2022 Blake Wesley 1st 25th Spurs 2016 Demetrius Jackson 2nd 45th Celtics 2015 Jerian Grant 1st 19th Wizards (traded to Hawks, then Knicks) 2015 Pat Connaughton 2nd 41st Nets (traded to Trail Blazers) 2010 Luke Harangody 2nd 52nd Celtics 2002 Ryan Humphrey 1st 19th Jazz (traded to Magic) 2001 Troy Murphy 1st 14th Warriors ✦ BY THE NUMBERS PHOTO COURTESY SAN ANTONIO SPURS