This is Commencement Day at Notre Dame, the final rite in the four years of college helping guide you through the ensuing days of your professional and personal life.
The watershed event in one's life can be a time of reflection on how quickly four years pass, but especially thanksgiving for the blessings of remarkable achievement in a life that begins a brand new exciting chapter.
In college football, it can also be a reminder of how fragile a recruiting class can be. On Signing Day 2013, Notre Dame achieved something seldom seen in college football: The 24-man haul inked a complete class on offense and defense. The momentum of reaching the BCS Championship a month earlier (a 42-14 loss to Alabama) in one of the jaw-dropping “where did that come?” regular seasons ostensibly set the table for continued prosperity.
The group was ranked No. 3 in the land by Rivals.com, to this day the highest rating of head coach Brian Kelly’s eight recruiting harvests at Notre Dame. Furthermore, seldom will one see the Fighting Irish land a five-star prospect on each of the three position groups on defense as it did in 2013 with Eddie Vanderdoes (line), Jaylon Smith (linebacker) and Max Redfield (secondary).
Who in their right mind in February 2013 could have envisioned that as Fighting Irish seniors they would be 4-8? Alas, much can happen over four years, as evident by the 2013 recruiting haul:
Quarterback: Malik Zaire
A fractured ankle in game 2 of 2015 set back plans from what had the makings of a superb college career. Relegated to a backup role thereafter, Zaire did pick up his degree this past December — and Harvard reportedly has been among the schools he is contemplating to use as a graduate transfer for his fifth season of eligibility.
Running Backs: Greg Bryant, Tarean Folston
Five-star prospect Bryant, who left the University in August 2016 when he was declared academically ineligible, tragically died on May 8, 2016 in a Florida shooting.
Folston had only three carries in the 2015 opener before tearing his ACL. Like Zaire, a once promising football career was sidetracked — but he finished up his classwork this spring.
Receivers: Will Fuller, Torii Hunter Jr., Corey Robinson
Graduation will wait for Fuller, who as a 2016 junior became an NFL first-round pick.
Hunter shattered his leg in an all-star game practice before enrolling at Notre Dame, forcing a medical redshirt season as a freshman. A vicious hit to the head in the 2017 opener also helped him realize to pursue his career in sports in baseball instead, despite some moments of glory on the gridiron.
Concussions/head trauma likewise forced Robinson — Notre Dame’s student body president during the 2016-17 school year — to call it a career after nabbing 65 passes his first three seasons.
Tight Ends: Mike Heuerman, Jacob Matuska (moved from the defensive line this spring), Durham Smythe
Two hernia surgeries severely hampered Heuerman’s progress, and in August 2015 he was not cleared medically to play football again.
Smythe missed the final 10 regular season games in 2015 because of knee and shoulder surgery, but he is returning for a fifth season in 2017.
Matuska was on the defensive line his first three years before shifting to tight end last spring and moving on with his life despite having a fifth season.
Offensive Line: Hunter Bivin, Steve Elmer, Mike McGlinchey, Colin McGovern, John Montelus
Elmer enrolled early with Robinson in January 2013, roomed with him and joined him on the Dean’s List. Despite 30 career starts, the right guard opted to graduate in May 2016 — foregoing his senior year and proceeding to a life beyond football because “my heart is no longer in it.”
Bivin and McGovern, were both hampered during their careers by various health ailments, but have opted to play a fifth season — Bivin at Notre Dame and McGovern at Virginia. Montelus battled a shoulder problem early in his career, had a brief audition at nose guard, and is joining McGovern at Virginia for a last hurrah after picking up his degree.
Left tackle McGlinchey, who received the least fanfare among the quintet when he enrolled, is projected as Notre Dame’s next first-round draft pick after using his fifth season in 2017.
Defensive Line: Doug Randolph (moved from OLB to end), Isaac Rochell, Eddie Vanderdoes (never ended up enrolling)
Randolph’s career ended in the winter of 2016 because of a spinal condition that made him a medical hardship case. He was a student assistant for the team, a role Robinson also had with the receivers.
Three-year starter Rochell became a seventh-round selection this spring after distinguishing himself on the field and off it as a model citizen and student-athlete.
Linebackers: James Onwualu (moved from receiver after his freshman year), Michael Deeb, Jaylon Smith
Deeb’s football career ended in August 2016 because of elbow ligament reconstruction that involved the nerve.
Butkus Award winner Smith departed for the NFL after his junior year — but he would have been unavailable to play in 2016 at Notre Dame anyway because of a severe knee injury suffered in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.
Onwualu had to overcome wrist surgery performed in the winter of 2015, but like Rochell became a captain and distinguished leader on and off the field.
Cornerbacks: Devin Butler, Rashad Kinlaw, Cole Luke
Kinlaw was kicked off the team in the spring of his freshman season for a violation of team rules and transferred to ASA College in Brooklyn.
Butler, who suffered two foot fractures over a seventh-month period will use his fifth season at Syracuse.
Luke recorded 38 consecutive starts. At the end of his sophomore year he was one of the nation’s top corner prospects, yet he never ended up getting drafted — making the degree all the more treasured.
Safety: Max Redfield
An off-campus arrest last August prompted quick dismissal from the team and school.
Much can occur between Signing Day and Commencement Day. That is why it is referred to as a 40-year decision, not merely a four-year “ride.” It is a tremendous education in life that goes far beyond any study halls, class lectures or tutorials. The ability to still walk out with a degree is a testament to resilience and character.
It’s time to make a living, but even more important, knowing how to live after all that was learned on and off the field.
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