The 2020 season will mark the first time since 1945 that the state of California will not be represented on Notre Dame’s schedule.
World War II prevented archrival USC from being on the 1945 slate, but it had been ever since then until this year because of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Stanford had been on the docket every year since 1997. This way, a regular-season ending trip to California remained a vital element to Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts on the West Coast.
Including walk-ons, Notre Dame’s 15 players from California in 2020 are almost double any other state (Ohio). About a half-dozen are projected to start, led by fifth-year senior quarterback Ian Book, senior guard Aaron Banks and junior center Jarrett Patterson on offense, and then junior cornerback TaRiq Bracy, plus possibly senior linebacker Jordan Genmark Heath or junior linebacker Jack Lamb on defense, among others.
That is why in our comprehensive survey California ranks in Notre Dame’s all-time top five when it comes to producing the most talent in the program’s history. It has especially been prominent at quarterback, with eight different figures from the state — from Daryle Lamonica and Heisman Trophy winner John Huarte in the early 1960s to Book currently — having started at least once for the Fighting Irish, and 2021 recruit Tyler Buchner possibly joining that club in the near future.
However, among the more than 150 players from the Golden State who have appeared in game action for Notre Dame, the position that has been toughest to land from there has been the defensive line.
That might be changing. In 2019 Notre Dame signed Antioch, Calif., four-star defensive end Isaiah Foskey from superpower Concord De La Salle. Then, this weekend it received a verbal commitment from Los Gatos, Calif., native and three-star defensive end Will Schweitzer, who had originally pledged to Nebraska in June.
Can Foskey and Schweitzer develop into two of Notre Dame’s top five linemen to hail from California. Here is our current top-five standard:
5. Chris Frome (Saugus, 2003-06)
A starter on the 2005-06 BCS teams, although he missed the second half of ‘05 with a knee injury versus No. 1 USC. He returned to be a regular on the 10-3 unit with the likes of second-round picks Victor Abiamiri and Trevor Laws plus nose guard Derek Landri (more on him later).
4. Brad Williams (Orange, 1996-99)
A USA Today first-team All-American prospect, Williams had a couple of starts on offense as a freshman — and then 33 starts the next three years on defense. Like Frome, he wasn’t drafted, but did have an NFL audition along the offensive line.
3. Bill Wightkin (Santa Monica, 1946-49)
He backed up classmate and Heisman Trophy winner Leon Hart most of his career during the 1946-49 dynasty when Notre Dame never lost a game and won three national titles.
Room was made for him to start as a senior for the national champs when the “other end” — College Football Hall of Fame inductee Jim Martin — was moved to tackle so Wightkin could move to left end. He then went on to play four years in the NFL.
2. Derek Landri (Concord, 2003-06)
Another USA Today All-American on either the offensive or defensive line, Landri overcame a knee injury as a freshman to become a mainstay as a nose guard, recording 108 tackles, 23.5 stops for loss and 10 sacks his last two seasons.
A fifth-round selection, he played seven years in the NFL, starting all 16 games at Carolina in 2010.
1. Kevin Hardy (Oakland, 1963-67)
Signed in the 1963 class that included fellow first-round line picks Alan Page (defense), Tom Regner (offense and defense) and Paul Seiler (offense), Hardy joined Page and Regner as sophomore defensive line starters for the 1964 team under first-year head coach Ara Parseghian that was awarded the MacArthur Bowl, emblematic of a national title.
After a medical redshirt in 1965, Hardy starred for the 1966 consensus national champs and a year later was the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He also played varsity basketball and baseball for the Irish, the last three-sport athlete at the school. He even was Notre Dame’s punter and performed well in the famous 10-10 tie versus No. 2 Michigan State his senior year.
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