Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2017 43 IRISH IN THE PROS BY MATT JONES D aVaris Daniels is making plays at the professional level, just not in the league many expected the former Notre Dame receiver to be in. Daniels — who played for the Irish from 2011-13 — was named the Canadian Football League's Rookie of the Year last month. In 11 games with the Calgary Stampeders, he notched 51 receptions for 885 yards and nine touchdowns. "Over the last couple years a lot of people have doubted me and told me things that made me doubt my- self," Daniels told The Calgary Herald. "That kind of hurt me. I wanted to prove it to myself more than any- body else … I know I deserve to be here. I know I deserve to play on a high level like that." Daniels and the Stampeders made it all the way to the Grey Cup, the CFL's version of the Super Bowl. The Ottawa Redblacks defeated Calgary 39-33 Nov. 27. The 23-year-old Daniels caught passes in 2016 from former SMU and Eastern Washington quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. "When you trust a guy, it's easy to give him the ball," said Mitchell of his bond with Daniels. "That's the big thing for DaVaris — he under- stands the CFL game." Daniels caught 80 passes for 1,235 yards and seven touchdowns in his Notre Dame career. He was academi- cally suspended prior to the 2014 season, part of the infamous "Frozen Five." He left the team and entered the 2015 NFL Draft, going undrafted. He signed free agent deals with the Minnesota Vikings and New Eng- land Patriots, but never made an ac- tive roster. "You want to hope you get an op- portunity in the NFL," Daniels said. "It's your dream, growing up as a kid from the States, [but] you can play that patience game for only so long. Then you have to start weigh- ing your options. "You've got to really commit to moving from your comfort zone to a whole other nation, really." Daniels ignited the Notre Dame fan base after the Irish lost to Duke in September. Following that game, Daniels tweeted the following: "Sad when a head guy looks to place blame on everyone but himself once things go south. Typical for him tho." C.J. PROSISE OUT INDEFINITELY Just as he was starting to hit his stride as a rookie, former Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise went down with an injury. The Seattle Seahawks rookie suf- fered a shoulder injury in the team's 26-15 win over the Philadelphia Ea- gles Nov. 20, an ailment that could sideline him for the rest of the regu- lar season. The injury is a fracture that does not require surgery, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told reporters. In six games as a rookie, Prosise had 30 rushes for 172 yards and one touchdown. He also made 17 catches for 208 yards. He combined for 234 total yards in his last two games be- fore getting hurt. HARRISON SMITH SUFFERS INJURY Former Notre Dame safety Har- rison Smith, one of the top players at his position in the NFL, could miss the remainder of the regular season after sustaining a high ankle sprain in a 17-15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys Dec. 4. According to The St. Paul Pioneer Press, Smith originally suffered the injury Nov. 20 against Arizona and aggravated it against Dallas. "I know Harrison Smith is a pretty tough guy and he plays all the time," Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said. "When he's hurt, he plays. He always plays, so I don't care about reports. I just go by what happens in practice." As usual, Smith has been excel- lent this season for the Vikings. In 12 games, he had 84 tackles, two sacks and two passes defended. ✦ DaVaris Daniels Named CFL Rookie Of The Year Daniels caught 51 passes for 885 yards and nine touchdowns in 11 games during his first season with the Calgary Stampeders. PHOTO COURTESY CALGARY STAMPEDERS NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: HIGHLIGHTS Through Dec. 7 • Tyler Eifert (Played at Notre Dame from 2009-12), TE, Cincinnati Bengals: Had 23 catches for 337 yards and three touchdowns in six games since returning from offseason ankle surgery. • Theo Riddick (2009-12), RB, Detroit Lions: The dual-threat playmaker had 92 rushes for 357 yards and a touchdown, plus 53 catches for 371 yards and five scores, through 12 games. • Golden Tate (2007-09), WR, Detroit Lions: Had eight catches for 145 yards and a touch- down in a 28-13 win over New Orleans Dec. 4 … Had 65 catches for 762 yards and three touchdowns through 12 games.