Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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62 OCT. 22, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED I n today's fast-paced society that de- mands instant gratification and up- to-the-millisecond information via social media, it's enriching and exciting to see late bloomers thrive. Senior running back C.J. Prosise serves as such an example. A freshman safety who was redshirted in 2012, there was some brief thought he could be an outside linebacker. He then was shifted to slot receiver as a sophomore (where he caught 6 passes) and alternated there last year while still learning the posi- tion … And then at the one-third mark of 2015 he was on pace to have one of the all-time "where in the heck did that come?" senior campaigns in Fighting Irish lore — at running back. Through his first four games, the man that just six months ago was viewed as perhaps a stop-gap third option in the backfield was ranked No. 4 nationally in rushing yards with 600 (150.0 yards per game), had the highest rushing to- tal in Notre Dame history after the first four games any season, and averaged 8.108 yards per carry — a pace that will challenge the immortal George Gipp's single-season record of 8.107 (102 car- ries for 827 yards) set in 1920. Although it's premature to talk about all-time records and the like, this ef- fort is from someone who entered this season, his senior year, with 126 career rushing yards. To qualify among the best "where did he come from after all this time?" fig- ures in Irish history, one needs to have had a relatively quiet career at his posi- tion prior to his senior (academically) campaign. Over the past 50-plus years, these are the top such players, and all — perhaps not so coincidentally — occurred during championship-style runs or top-five seasons: John Huarte to Jack Snow (1964) — Huarte had one career start to his credit (a 7-6 loss to Purdue) at quarter- back and hadn't even won a monogram. Snow had 10 career catches and had 3 carries as a halfback. As a senior under new head coach Ara Parseghian, Huarte became the first 2,000-yard passer in a season at Notre Dame en route to the Heisman Trophy, while Snow notched 60 catches for 1,114 yards to finish fifth in the voting. Paul Seiler (1966) — From a small town in Iowa, Seiler didn't crack the lineup until his senior year for the na- tional champs — and then the offen- sive tackle was the 12th pick of the NFL Draft, even higher than Alan Page at No. 15. Gary Potempa (1973) — The backup linebacker in 1972 with 13 career tack- les entering his senior year became the starting nose guard/middle linebacker hybrid for the 1973 national champs, and he finished second in tackles before going on to dental school. Joe Montana (1977) — You might have heard of him. Through three sea- sons, he was 1-2 as a starter, had com- pleted 42.4 percent of his 66 attempts and had thrown twice as many in- terceptions (8) than touchdowns (4). Coming off shoulder surgery in 1976, he entered his senior year in 1977 as the third-team QB. In his final year, he passed for 1,604 yards once he took over as the starter in the fourth quarter of the third game and rallied the Irish to a national title. Frank Stams (1988) — Sidelined in 1986 with an injury, the former fullback and reserve linebacker/end on a defen- sively challenged unit had 14 tackles as a senior for an 8-4 team in 1987 before returning for a fifth year. He became a consensus All-American and second- round pick for the national champs. Reggie Brooks (1992) — The se- nior went from 165 career rushing yards (plus a move from cornerback) to fifth in the Heisman balloting with 1,343 yards rushing and 8.04 yards per carry during the regular season. Kevin McDougal (1993) — After at- tempting only 21 career passes his first three seasons and then keeping the seat warm for freshman phenom Ron Powlus (who was injured a week before the sea- son), he became the all-time pass effi- ciency king on an 11-1 team that finished a controversial No. 2 in the country. Sometimes it takes time to become an overnight sensation. ✦ After starting his career at cornerback, Reggie Brooks burst onto the scene as a running back in 1992 with 1,343 yards rushing on 8.04 yards per carry en route to finishing fifth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS BEST OF THE FIFTH QUARTER ✦ LOU SOMOGYI ✦ OCT. 12, 2015 Overnight Sensations Can Take Some Time EDITOR'S NOTE: The late, great Lou Somogyi possessed an unmatched knowledge of Notre Dame football, and it was his mission in life to share it with others. Those of us at Blue & Gold Illustrated would like to continue to provide his wisdom and unique perspective from his more than 37 years covering the Fighting Irish for this publication.