Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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"It's been great," Russell said of his career. "I've been through so many ups and downs. It's so fun to play at Notre Dame and see yourself grow. That's what it is. "To know my ceiling is high and I'm still young at the position — this is only my third year starting, I had to sit out last year — I think it's really excit- ing to see where the future could go for me and what I've learned through two different [defensive] coaching staffs, different coaches, learning dif- ferent kinds of techniques. … I'm ex- cited to see what the future holds." Prosise was not even on the radar for the NFL Draft one year ago at this time, but he transitioned from slot re- ceiver to running back with great suc- cess. He participated in spring ball as the No. 3 running back, but eventually started after a suspension (Greg Bry- ant) and season-ending injury (Tarean Folston) cleared the way on the depth chart. He responded with 1,032 rush- ing yards (6.6 yards per carry) and 12 total touchdowns before injuries lim- ited him in the final five games. "Thank you to Notre Dame, the coaches, staff, faculty and fans," Pro- sise wrote in a statement. "I couldn't have asked for a better university to play for, it's been an honor to have played with team 127 and I'm glad to have had the opportunity. I look forward to what lies ahead." Notre Dame appears poised for College Football Playoff contention in 2016, and keeping these five players would have gone a long way toward the program claiming its first national championship since 1988. But, at the same time, those around Notre Dame know that churning out professional talent is the sign of a healthy pro- gram. ✦ Past Irish Early Entrants With Will Fuller and Jaylon Smith headed to the NFL Draft following their junior seasons, Notre Dame has now sent 13 underclassmen to the professional ranks early. For this exercise, we include only those who depart following their junior seasons and not those passing up a fifth year of eligibility, such as Ronnie Stanley, KeiVarae Russell and C.J. Prosise. Here is a rundown of the previous 11 and how they fared in the NFL: Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (1991) — Ismail signed a four-year, $18.2 million contract with the CFL's Toronto Argonauts rather than wait for the NFL Draft, where he was expected to go No. 1 overall. He helped lead Toronto to a championship in his first season, but left a couple years later for the NFL. He caught 313 passes for 5,295 yards and 30 touchdowns in eight seasons with the Raiders, Panthers and Cowboys before retir- ing in 2001. Jerome Bettis (1993) — Bettis, the No. 10 overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams, reached the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 14-year career with the Rams and Steelers that included six Pro Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl victory. He ranks sixth on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 13,662 yards and finished with 94 touchdowns. Tom Carter (1993) — Carter, the No. 17 overall selection by the Washington Redskins, played in the NFL for nine seasons and started 98 times while registering 360 tackles and 27 interceptions. Six of the 27 came in his rookie season.