Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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Top Storylines 1 What Should Have Been When you sign the third-best class in the country, it is expected that what follows will be numerous wins and a plenty of production with that group serving as the foundation for future elite classes. Notre Dame's 2013 class had plenty of pro- duction, but it was condensed in a smaller num- ber of players than expected and overall failed to meet expectations. The first disappointment came a few months after National Signing Day, when five-star de- fensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes got out of his letter of intent and chose to enroll at UCLA. Even without Vanderdoes, the Irish still added three five-star players, five Rivals100 prospects and 12 Rivals250 signees. The offensive line class and the running back haul were considered among the nation's best, but neither lived up to expectations. Running back Tarean Folston had an excellent start to his career, rushing for 1,359 yards in his first two seasons before suffering a knee injury three carries into his junior campaign. Folston totaled only 353 yards in his final two seasons. Five-star running back Greg Bryant rushed for just 303 yards in his first two seasons. He was suspended for the 2015 season and chose to transfer to UAB. His life was cut tragically short on May 8, 2016, after he was shot in Florida. The five-man offensive line harvest produced two three-year starters, but the unit collectively had too many setbacks. Safety Max Redfield was a multi-year starter, but he never played like the five-star that he was ranked as by Rivals, and prior to his senior season he was dismissed from the team after an August arrest. 2 Several Stars Emerged While the class was a disappoint- ment when viewed in context of its high ranking, several stars emerged. Three five-star players signed with Notre Dame, but only linebacker Jaylon Smith lived up to that hype. Despite playing his final two seasons in a defense that failed to utilize his immense gifts, Smith was a three-year starter that earned consensus All- America honors and won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker following the 2015 season. Wide receiver Will Fuller caught just six passes as a freshman in 2013, but over the next two seasons he would emerge as one of the top wideouts in college football. Fuller caught 138 passes for 2,352 yards and 29 touchdowns as a soph- omore (2014) and junior (2015). He finished his career fourth on Notre Dame's all-time receiv- ing yards list (2,512 yards) and second in career touch- down receptions (30). Notre Dame signed a pair of Rivals100 offensive linemen in the 2013 class and an- other that was ranked as the nation's No. 162 overall player. Mike McGlinchey, though, was an unranked four-star player. That didn't keep McGlinchey from having a brilliant stint with the Irish. The Philadel- phia native started the final 39 games of his career and was a two-time All-American, earning consensus honors following the 2017 season. McGlinchey and Fuller were both first- round NFL Draft picks, while Smith fell to No. 34 overall (second round) because of a knee injury he suffered in the final game of his Notre Dame career. 3 Added Leadership A number of leaders emerged from the 2013 class, which is one of several posi- tives from the group. Going back to 2006, only Notre Dame's 2014 class has produced more team captains. McGlinchey was a two-time captain (2016 and 2017), while Smith, linebacker James Onwualu, defensive lineman Isaac Rochell and wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. all earned the honor for one season. Wide receiver Corey Robinson was never named a team captain, but he was elected as Notre Dame's senior class president for the 2016-17 school year. Five-Year Record Overall: 41-23 ACC: 13-8 Bowl Games: 3-1 Versus USC: 3-2 Versus Stanford: 1-4 Versus Navy: 4-1 Top-20 Finishes: 3 TOP HEAVY Notre Dame's No. 3-ranked 2013 recruiting class produced some all-time great players, but came up short of expectations BY BRYAN DRISKELL O ptimism was through the roof when the 2013 class signed with Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were coming off a 12-1 season and had just inked the nation's No. 3 class according to Rivals. This was the group that was going to build on the 2012 season and lead Notre Dame back to prominence, but it never came close to materializing in that fashion. While there were some strong performances from the class, only 13 of the 24 signees played four years or more at Notre Dame.