Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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nickel and also lining up as an out- side linebacker (in place of Prince Shembo) against option teams made him highly valuable, filling a role played by cornerback Robert Blan- ton last season. A high ankle sprain slowed Slaughter in 2010, but the 6-0, 198-pounder powered to 40 tackles during the regular season in 2011. "He's a playmaker," Kelly said. "If you want to run the ball, he's physi- cal enough to stick his nose in there." 2. TROY NIKLAS — Like Slaughter, the 6-6, 250-pound freshman with the "Hercules" moniker did a little of everything. He started in a pinch at Dog linebacker in the 31-13 victory versus Michigan State when Prince Shembo had to attend to his father's health. Later he lined up along the center of the line in pass-rushing sit- uations. Oh, and on special teams, he made 10 tackles (second most on the team) on kickoff returns. He finished with 20 tackles overall in the regular season and a wealth of immense promise for the future. 3. ROBBY TOMA — The diminutive junior receiver won the team's Next Man In Award after starting the fi- nal three games of the season for in- jured slot man Theo Riddick. Toma caught just 17 passes from 2009-10, but hauled in 15 for 173 yards and his first career touchdown in the regular season. SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF YEAR GEORGE ATKINSON III — The fresh- man's game-changing ability was rewarded by a number of national honors for his work on special teams, including a SI.com All- America honorable mention nod. He returned two kickoffs for touch- downs (Michigan State and USC) and finished the regular season with a return average of 27.4 yards and a total of 822 yards, which is tied for second all time at Notre Dame. What was overshadowed — while SWORTH — The sophomore safety and special teams stalwart was recog- nized as the team's most effective player in this category after claim- www.BLUEANDGOLD.com joining Raghib "Rocket" Ismail as the only two Irish freshmen to re- turn two kickoffs in a season — is that he also recorded eight tackles on kick returns, tied for third best on the team. That's a rare combina- tion to have. HONORABLE MENTION: AUSTIN COLLIN- Freshman defensive end Aaron Lynch made an instant impact with his pass-rushing skills, highlighted by six QB hurries and a forced fumble in the 31-13 win against Michigan State. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND ing 15 tackles (13 on kicks, two on punts). BGI named him the Special Teams Player of the Game versus Michigan, Purdue, Navy and Wake Forest. FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR 1. AARON LYNCH — The dynamic de- fensive end was a Phil Steele first- team Freshman All-American selec- tion after bursting onto the scene with 28 total tackles (5.5 for loss) and four sacks during the regu- lar season. He notched five stops against Michigan State and a sea- son-best six tackles versus Stanford. Especially notable is he led the team in quarterback hurries with 13, or nearly one-third of the team's 41. The team leaders in that category last year had five. 2. STEPHON TUITT— The Phil Steele third-team Freshman All-American honoree started three games at de- fensive end and registered 27 tack- les (two for loss) and a sack. Had he not missed the contests against Purdue (suspension) and then Bos- ton College and Stanford (illness), he easily could have shared the top spot with Lynch. Amazingly advanced physically for his age, the 6-6, 295-pound Tuitt has the agility to line up at end but also was stationed at nose guard in nickel or passing situations to give a strong push up the middle. ✦ Captains Of The Ship Senior wide receiver Michael Floyd and fifth- year senior safety Harrison Smith were originally named co-captains for the 2011 season. Because of Floyd's alcohol-related arrest before the start of spring practices, he was stripped of his cap- tainship. Smith played the solo role as Notre Dame named game-day captains each week. Head coach Brian Kelly said that Floyd would not be named a game-day captain because of his probationary status. However, on Dec. 28, just a day before the Irish took on Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl, Kelly announced that Floyd would join Smith for the coin toss in both players' final game in ND uniforms. Here is a review of the staff's weekly selections: South Florida: Robert Blanton, Trevor Robinson Michigan: Zack Martin Michigan State: Ethan Johnson Pittsburgh: Taylor Dever Purdue: Tyler Eifert Air Force: Jonas Gray USC: Manti Te'o, Cierre Wood Navy: Chris Salvi Wake Forest: Robert Blanton Maryland: Darius Fleming Boston College: None Stanford: Taylor Dever Florida State: Michael Floyd, Harrison Smith Taylor Dever's and Robert Blanton's two se- lections were the most. Walk-on senior safety Chris Salvi was the feel-good pick of the year. He had nine total tackles, primarily on spe- cial teams, in the 12 games leading up to the Champs Sports Bowl. — Wes Morgan FEBRUARY 2012 17