Notre Dame Shifts Into Fifth Gear In 2020
By our unofficial count, head coach Brian Kelly in his 10 seasons at Notre Dame has had an average of nearly four fifth-year seniors on his roster per year, but not more than six.
This year, both of those marks will have new standards. Last week we noted that this might be the oldest team in Notre Dame football annals in terms of how many seniors — fourth year, fifth year, graduate transfers and even a sixth-year figure in Shaun Crawford — could start or have a “co-starting” role.
Fifth-year seniors can be both a luxury and a necessity. However, just because you have them doesn’t automatically make a team better, either. Two examples from this century are the 5-7 outfit in 2003 and the 3-9 unit in 2007.
The 2003 edition featured six starters who were fifth-year seniors and future NFL players, including second-round selections with running back Julius Jones and linebacker Courtney Watson.
The 2007 group also had five fifth-year starters: second-round choices with tight end John Carlson and defensive tackle Trevor Laws, 11-year NFL veteran center John Sullivan, standout safety Tom Zbikowski and linebacker Joe Brockington.
Not including Crawford (who started eight games last year as a fifth-year senior), this year Notre Dame will have at least five returning in starting roles.
• Quarterback Ian Book will become the first three-year starter at his position under Kelly, and he already is the lone signal-caller at Notre Dame who has passed for more than 5,000 yards (6,118) and rushed for more than 1,000 (1,032).
• Left tackle Liam Eichenberg and right guard Tommy Kraemer share the most career starts on the 2020 team (26 apiece).
• Defensive ends Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji have 134 career tackles between them, 24.5 for loss and 12 sacks (six apiece).
• Wide receiver Javon McKinley, a top 60 recruit in 2016, could find himself in a major role after projected boundary starter Kevin Austin had surgery on his foot in early August that will sideline him at last into October.
With blessed health and progress, that quintet alone could produce five NFL draft picks next spring, which would be a Notre Dame fifth-year senior record.
That’s also not including two graduate transfers: receiver Bennett Skowronek and cornerback Nick McCloud, who were elected as captains last year at Northwestern and North Carolina State, respectively, but were sidelined with injuries. Skowronek’s 110 career catches with the Wildcats are more than the combination of returning receivers, tight ends and running backs on the 2020 Notre Dame team. (A third such transfer, Ohio State safety Isaiah Pryor, graduated in three years, so he is not in his fifth year.)
Until the late 1980s, fifth-year seniors were seldom relied on at Notre Dame because the football program redshirted only because of an injury or a suspension.
The 1966 national champions had two major fifth-year standouts in running back Nick Eddy (suspended in 1963) and defensive tackle Pete Duranko (injured in 1964), both All-Americans.
The 1977 national champions featured three fifth-year seniors in defensive ends Ross Browner and Willie Fry, and cornerback Luther Bradley, all suspended in 1974. Browner and Bradley became first-round selections, and Fry was taken in the second round. No way a national title is achieved without that trio.
The 1988 national champions also had only three fifth-year seniors — all on defense: All-America and second-round pick Frank Stams, leading tackler Wes Pritchett at middle linebacker, and co-starter Darrell “Flash” Gordon at drop end.
The previous year, four of the five starters along the Notre Dame offensive line were fifth-year seniors (Chuck Lanza, Byron Spruell, Tom Rehder and Tom Freeman), as were two on defense (nose tackle Mike Griffin and cornerback Marv Spence).
That was a school record tied by head coach Tyrone Willingham’s first Irish unit in 2002 that started 8-0 before finishing 10-3, and then his second the following year — which finished 5-7.
That 2002 sextet was led by unanimous All-America cornerback Shane Walton — who began his Notre Dame career on the soccer team. It also included defensive end Ryan Roberts, receiver Arnaz Battle, offensive linemen Jordan Black and Sean Mahan, and fullback Tom Lopienski. All but Roberts played in the NFL.
The next season a school-record seven fifth-year seniors started, led by the aforementioned second-round picks Jones at running back and Watson at linebacker. The others were defensive linemen Darrell Campbell and Cedric Hilliard, offensive lineman Jim Molinaro, safety Glenn Earl (injured at mid-season) and kicker/punter Nicholas Setta. All of them played in the NFL, too … yet Notre Dame finished under .500.
Second-year head coach Charlie Weis had six fifth-year starters on the 2006 team that began the year 10-1 — but had the aforementioned five on the crew that finish 3-9 the next season.
Under Kelly, there has been greater success with fifth-year players during two 12-0 regular seasons.
The 2012 crew had four such starters, led by defensive lineman/captain Kapron Lewis-Moore, plus center Braxston Cave, guard Mike Golic Jr., and receiver John Goodman.
The 2018 edition had five, spearheaded by captains Drue Tranquill at linebacker, center Sam Mustipher and punter Tyler Newsome. Also starting were a fourth captain, guard Alex Bars, who suffered a season-ending injury in game five, and nose tackle Jonathan Bonner.
Can this become the most productive and voluminous fifth- and sixth-year group in Fighting Irish annals?
That will be answered not merely by individual accolades or pro draft status, but how much they contribute to overall team prosperity, most notably vying for a playoff bid and national title hunt.
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