Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME CHARTING THE IRISH MASS EARLY EXODUS Four Notre Dame players (Louis Nix III, Stephon Tuitt, Troy Niklas and George Atkinson III) left a year of eligibility behind them to declare for the NFL Draft, more than any previous year in Irish history. That follows a national trend of players jumping to the pro level before their college careers come to an end. A record 96 players with eligibility remaining declared for the NFL Draft this year, shattering the previous mark of 73 set last January. While the Southeastern Conference and the Pac-12 predictably provide the majority of those players (56 percent), the players are spread fairly evenly among individual schools. Only four teams — LSU, Ala- bama, California and USC — lost more players with eligibility left than the Irish this season. Atkinson will have the most competition among the Notre Dame players. He is one of 18 running backs that declared early for the draft. Wide receiver was the only position with more early exits (19). Surpris- ingly, only four underclassman quarterbacks decided to leave school, the fewest of any position group. NUMBER OF PLAYERS WHO DECLARED EARLY FOR THE NFL DRAFT (By Conference) SEC (28) Other (14) ACC (10) Big 12 (2) Big Ten (4) Mountain West (5) Pac-12 (26) AAC (7) (By Position) Position Group Number of Players Quarterbacks 4 Running Backs 18 Wide Receivers 19 Tight Ends 11 Offensive Line 9 Defensive Line 16 Linebackers 5 Defensive Backs 14 Nickname: "Just Steve." Dorm: "Siegfried Hall." Major: "I don't know, some- thing business." Favorite Class: "Vietnam War History Seminar." Favorite Off Campus Spot: "Penn Station." Best Movie You've Seen Lately: "'Wolf of Wall Street.'" TV Show You Always Watch: "'The Sopranos.'" Song You Listen To Most Right Now: "Oooh, 'Made In America' by Toby Keith." Role Model: "My older brother. He's always paved the way for me. Kind of always showed me what to do." Favorite Pro Athlete: "[Philadelphia Phillies second baseman] Chase Utley. He plays for my favorite team." Best Player You've Played Against: "[Duke fresh- man forward] Jabari Parker." Dream Job If Basketball Didn't Exist: "Own an NFL team." Dream Vacation Spot: "Hawaii." If You Had One Last Meal What Would It Be: "Chicken Parmesan." Getting To Know … FRESHMAN GUARD STEVE VASTURIA