First, he wasn’t even supposed to play at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
Next, it looked like he would get lost in the shuffle on defense.
Then, there was no way he could already earn a scholarship as a sophomore at Notre Dame after redshirting his freshman season — and even score touchdowns in the final two games that year.
And this season was supposed to be perhaps the dreaded plateau. With rangy 6-4-to-6-5 targets in Chase Claypool and Citrus Bowl MVP Miles Boykin combined with five highly recruited incoming wideouts joining the rotation, it might be the end of the run for senior Chris Finke as a regular in the lineup, other than punt returns.
In fact, it’s just the beginning. Finke just may have fooled everyone again — except himself, teammates and family.
His team high three catches for 55 yards in the 24-17 conquest of Michigan were highlighted by his sensational, leaping 43-yard touchdown catch in traffic (see photo above) to provide a 14-0 cushion. A jump-ball that had the look of a potential interception in the end zone instead was reeled in by the 5-9 11/2, 180-pound Finke.
“If you go up for a ball with the thought in your head that I’m going to get it, I think more often than not it’s going to happen, in my experience,” he said casually about the play.
How peculiar that in a marquee Notre Dame-Michigan college football matchup replete with four-star players — and even a few five-star figures (namely Michigan’s Rashan Gary and Shea Patterson) — a two-star and zero-star would help make the difference for the Fighting Irish.
The two-star was junior Irish safety Alohi Gilman, whose offers came from the likes of Weber State and South Dakota before opting to enroll in the Naval Prep Academy in 2015 and then start for the Midshipmen as a freshman in 2016. He recorded a career high 12 tackles in a win over Notre Dame before his aspirations to play football at a higher level brought him to the University.
Similar objectives also morphed for Finke, who was offered walk-on spots at in-state Miami (Ohio), Wisconsin or Pitt, if not maybe star at either Dayton University or Division III power Mount Union.
“Heading into my senior year [of high school], I didn’t really expect that I’d be playing college football,” admitted the now more physically matured Finke. “I didn’t have anybody knocking on my door asking me to do it.”
Fortunately, Archbishop Alter (Kettering, Ohio) classmate Nick Coleman did possess the skills to attract the attention of the Notre Dame coaching staff, who had also signed quarterback Malik Zaire from the same school in 2013. Then, when Finke scored six of his 10 touchdowns on punt returns as a senior, a surprise awaited one day when long-time Archbishop Alter head coach Ed Domsitz introduced Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly to Finke — and then was informed by Kelly that the staff would like him to walk on to the program with a chance to earn a scholarship.
A stunned Finke did not know how to answer, which took Kelly aback to the point where he wondered if the prospect’s heart was into it.
“That’s one of the biggest regrets of my life — that I didn’t respond with the enthusiasm that I should have,” Finke noted. “I thought it was just going to be a hello type thing and all of a sudden he said, ‘How do you feel about walking on?’ I was just kind of shocked and a little speechless. You could tell he was a little underwhelmed with my answer. Afterwards I was like, ‘Oh, man.’
“He had an in-home visit with Nick that night, so at basketball practice I said, ‘Nick, I blew it! You’ve got to tell Coach that I’m excited about this.’ ”
In his first preseason camp that August, Finke began to believe his nonchalance to Kelly’s offer would become his second biggest regret. When fellow freshman Shaun Crawford, the designated starting nickel back, suffered a torn ACL during one of those preseason practices, Finke was shifted to defense to provide an extra body.
“I’m not a comfortable defensive player at all,” Finke said. “I didn’t think I had the skill set to play defense at the college level, especially as a freshman. I just got inside my head thinking about it. Will I ever go back to receiver? You start projecting the future like maybe I’ll get buried on defense. That was one time in particular that was really hard for me.
“It was a couple of weeks I did defensive work, and then once the season started I played scout offense, but I was still unsure if they would move me back to receiver officially after the season.”
He craved to plea a return to offense but “I didn’t feel like I was in a place to tell them what to do, especially as a freshman.”
When asked what prompted his return to offense, Finke was succinct.
“Probably because I wasn’t any good at defense,” he deadpanned.
Once he saw during his freshman season (2015) on scout team that he could hold his own against top college athletes, his confidence soared, and by the start of his sophomore year Finke had earned a scholarship.
“Even when other people don’t recognize it, you feel it in yourself,” said Finke of beginning to recognize his potential still to be tapped. “You have to pay your dues, but it’s also frustrating when you know you’re capable of more.”
By the end of the calamitous 4-8 season, Finke was among the bright spots, concluding the year with a 31-yard touchdown reception in the home finale versus Virginia Tech and then four catches for 53 yards and another score at USC. Earlier that season, Finke’s 23-yard punt return against Miami set up the game-winning field goal in a 30-27 victory.
After finishing the vastly improved 2017 campaign with a modest six catches for 102 yards, the writing appeared to be on the wall that a highly gifted incoming five-man freshman receiving corps would complement Boykin and Claypool, but Finke remained a mainstay throughout the spring and August.
“I always want more, I never want to plateau,” said Finke, whose goal is to someday play in the NFL as well. “I want to keep climbing. I’m never satisfied with where I’m at.”
What he especially cherishes is being one of the leaders in the receivers room.
“I love to have that responsibility on my shoulders,” he said. “We have a great group of young guys who bring attitude every day. Knowing they look up to older guys, we have to set the example.”
There isn’t a better one to emulate in dedication and reaching maximum skills. When Kelly indicated after the game that the touchdown play was a play the less strong Finke wouldn’t have made last year, Finke naturally took umbrage.
“That’s his opinion,” Finke said. “I guess it speaks a lot to just kind of the improvements that we made as a team in the off-season and just kind of the mentality going into games. …
“I’ve never wanted to say that I don’t think I would make a play. Whether that’s true or not, I always try to tell myself I think I would make it.”
Bet against him at your own risk.
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