With our final nine states, we reached the point in our countdown where we assembed a full starting unit: 11 on offense, 11 defense, plus special teams. Pennsylvania is No. 3.

Notre Dame's All-Pennsylvania Team: No. 3

Players Who Have Seen Action At Notre Dame: By our count 211, with current junior right tackle Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia) the most recent last season after redshirting in 2013.

Most Recent To Sign Scholarship: Running back Josh Adams (Warrington) this February became the fourth player from The Keystone State to ink with Notre Dame in head coach Brian Kelly's six recruiting seasons. Tight end Ben Koyack (Oil City) was the first in 2011, followed by McGlinchey and receiver Will Fuller (Philadelphia) in 2013, and now Adams.

Top Player(s) From Pennsylvania: Quarterback/defensive back John Lujack (Connellsville, 1942-43, 1946-47) and offensive/defensive end Leon Hart (Turtle Creek, 1946-49) were Heisman Trophy recipients in 1947 and 1949, respectively, and both helped the Irish win three national titles.

Because they also excelled on defense - Lujack made eight interceptions as an NFL rookie for the Chicago Bears and Hart made All-Pro on defense - we put them on that side of the ball to make more room on offense.

Notre Dame also has never had a more electrifying player with the ball in his hands than Raghib "Rocket" Ismail (Wilkes-Barre, 1988-90), who as a junior won the Walter Camp Award and was the Heisman runner-up before turning pro.

Personnel Overview: From 1947 through 1977, four different quarterbacks from Pennsylvania were starters on national title teams at Notre Dame.

[b]Notre Dame's All-Pennsylvania Team [/b]

Ask the average football fan across the country who is Notre Dame's most famous QB and the probable answer will be Montana. His career stats at Notre Dame weren't eye-popping (including 27 TDs compared to 30 interceptions), but his dramatic ascent from third team in 1977 propelled the national title march, and his four Super Bowl rings enhanced the legend.

We wish we could move Tom Clements (McKees Rock, 1972-74) or Terry Hanratty (Butler, 1966-68) to another position, like we did with Lujack, because they would qualify among the best or most memorable 22 from Pennsylvania who played at Notre Dame.

Clements directed the 1973 national title and his Sugar Bowl performance against Alabama as a passer and runner was one of the most clutch ever. He joined Joe Theismann as the second Irish QB to total more than 1,000 career yards on the ground. Injuries sidelined Hanratty in the last part of two of his three seasons, but his debut against Purdue in 1966 was as good as it gets.

Honorable mention to the lone four-year starting QB from Pennsylvania, Ron Powlus (Berwick, 1994-97).

Similar to Montana, Watters had a more polific NFL career than at Notre Dame, but he too brought a swagger that helped the program reach the apex. He played at flanker for the 1988 national champs and began that season with an 81-yard punt return for a score in the 19-17 win over Michigan, the Big Ten and Rose Bowl champ.

It was a coin flip at fullback between Schaefer and Larry Conjar (Harrisburg, 1964-66). Schaefer led the team in rushing in 1954 (766 yards) and 1955 (638) while becoming the 28th pick in the NFL Draft. Conjar was the classic pulverizing blocker that made him a second-round pick (like Watters). He also rushed for more than 500 yards in both 1965 and for the 1966 national champs, highlighted by 118 yards and scoring all four TDs in the 1965 win over USC. A slight edge to Schaefer because he also started on defense.

We are replete with honorable mentions, led by Marty Brill (Philadelphia, 1929-30), who started on two national title winners, and Frank Spaniel (Vandergrift, 1947-49), a top rusher and receiver for the 1949 champions. Bill Gompers (Bridgeville, 1945-47) had his role for the 1940s dynasty, Jeff Zimmerman (Orwigsburg, 1967-68) led the '67 team in rushing, Ron Dushney (Peckville, 1966-68) was second in rushing the next season, and Ray Zellars (Pittsburgh, 1991-94) developed into a second-round selection.

In three-receiver sets, we add Stovall in place of the fullback (plus Watters could split out too in an empty backfield).

Ismail became the first player at Notre Dame to eclipse 1,000 career yards in three different categories: receiving, rushing and returns, and did it in three years. Theo Riddick (2009-12) became the second but he did it in four. Ismail's 22.0 yards per catch are No. 1 in school history, he averaged 7.7 yards per carry and his six TD returns are tied for the school record.

In two-receiver sets, we give the nod to Fuller over Stovall just because of a remarkable sophomore season last year in which he caught 76 passes (Stovall caught 61 his first three years combined) and a school record tying 15 TDs in one season. Stovall exploded into a third-round pick as a senior while helping the Irish to a Top 10 finish. That year his 69 catches averaged 16.7 yards and featured 11 TDs.

Mutscheller played for the 1949 national champs and led the team in receiving in 1950-51, nabbing 35 passes, seven for scores, both school records at the time, as a junior. He and Mike Ditka would become the NFL's first premier pass-catching tight ends during the 1950s.

Special mention to Jim Kelly (Clairton, 1961-63), Raki Nelson (Harrisburg, 1996-99) and Bill "Red" Mack (Allison Park, 1958-60) in the slot. Backup tight ends could include Dewey Poskon (Elizabeth, 1967-69), Joel Williams (Monroeville, 1983-86) and the recently graduated Koyack.

The one "negative" is there are no tackles. Schrader, Ruddy and Brenneman were centers, while Arrington and Mastrangelo were guards. We'll take these five as our top line any day, though.

Schrader started on back-to-back Top 3 teams, was the No. 20 pick in the 1954 NFL Draft and had an 11-year career that included three Pro Bowls. Arrington was an All-American in both football (consensus) and wrestling, and he is the last Notre Dame player to start on both sides of the ball in one season - right guard on offense and defensive tackle in 1965.

Ruddy was another Ironman who shined on the 1992-93 units that won 17 straight games, and then was a 10-year center for the Miami Dophins in which he started all 140 games he played his last nine seasons. Mastrangelo started on the ultra-talented 1946 national champs and was the No. 16 pick in the NFL Draft. Brenneman hiked the ball to Clements for the 1973 national champs and the Orange Bowl champs the next season, and he consistently fared well against many of the premier nose guards.

Our second line is led by another center, Walt Grothaus (Wayne, 1946-49), the starter for the 1949 national champs. Rounding out the unit are tackles Jim Molinaro (Bethlehem, 2000-03) and Mike Turkovich (Bedford, 2007-08) and guards Tim Scannell (State College, 1982-85) and Rick Kaczenski (Erie, 1994-97), who started his last three years at center. Scannell and Molinaro were both captains.

Nobody in college football history had a more perfect career than Hart. Name one other player anywhere in history who 1) never lost a game in his four seasons, 2) won the Heisman Trophy and 3) was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. You can't.

Duranko and Gmitter were on the impregnable 1966 fortress that as a defense allowed only 24 points all year. Duranko, who had the dexterity to walk on his hands, began his career at fullback and moved to linebacker (medical redshirt in 1964) before dominating at tackle. Gmitter started on offense for the Cinderella '64 team before shifting to defense his last two seasons.

Three-year starter McCoy was a daunting physical presence. He finished 6th in the Heisman balloting as a tackle in 1969 and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft.

Our second team featurres 1937 second-team All-American Jim McGoldrick (Philadelphia, 1935-37), Gus Cifelli (Philadelphia, 1946-49) during the dynasty years, 1957 co-captain Ed Sullivan (McKeesport, 1955-57) and Troy Ridgley (Baden, 1988-89, 1991), plus an honorable mention to George Hayduk (Factoryville, 1971-73), a co-starter for the 1973 national champs.

Pottios was the 1960 captain who led the team in tackles while also starting on offense and then was the 19th pick in the 1961 NFL Draft. He made the Pro Bowl three times during his 13-year pro career. Pergine arrived as a quarterback but became an All-American linebacker for the aforementioned dominant 1966 unit before going on to a seven-year pro career. His nine career interceptions are still the Irish record among linebackers. Grimm was a mainstay on the 12-1 team in 1989 with 93 tackles (second most), and his four career interceptions mainly were in crucial situations.

Our second team features Tom Kostelnik (Hiller, 1962-64), Anthony Peterson (Monongahela, 1990-93) and Justin Goheen (Wexford, 1991-94), all of whom were prime figures on national title contending teams.

Lujack first made his mark at Notre Dame as a marvelous tackler and defender, and probably the most famous tackle in school history was his stop of Army's Heisman winner Felix "Doc" Blanchard in the open field to help Notre Dame to the 1946 national title.

The diminutive Dabiero was Notre Dame's top rusher in 1960 and 1961 but also productive on defense, intercepting a team high five passes as a senior, returning one for a score.

Wooden was an effective nickel in 1993, highlighted by breaking up No. 1 Florida State's final pass into the end zone to clinch a 31-24 win. He then made 122 tackles his last two seasons, serving as a captain in 1995, and played 10 years in the NFL. Walls was a three-year starter at corner and is entering his fifth season in the NFL.

Our nickel back in this thin position group is 1956-58 quarterback Bob Williams (Wilkes-Barre), often confused with the 1949-50 starting QB with the same name who also wore No. 9. "Williams II" was a strong field general who also intercepted seven passes during his career - most famously the one near the goal line on Oklahoma's final play to end its NCAA-record 47-game winning streak in 1957.

"Joe The Toe" made the famous 41-yard field goal to defeat Syracuse in 1961. We like the idea of Ismail and Watters as the return men.

Many might have thought this would be the No. 1 state because of the immense star power - Lujack, Hart, Ismail, Montana, Duranko, McCoy, Pottios… However, our top two states have more than double the number of players produced by Pennsylvania, and with even more luminaries, if you can believe that.

Pennsylvania football rivaled any during the 20th century and reflected the blue-collar mentality that ideally suited Notre Dame. The economy and the movement of the nation, and football, more toward the Sun Belt in the 1980s began to be reflected in the sport regressing some in The Keystone State.

This year the Irish are pursuing a couple of safeties in Damar Hamlin (Pittsbrugh) and Andrew Pryts (Hermitage), and are also after 2017 offensive tackle Joshua Lugg (Wexford). The state will always be a factor in Notre Dame's efforts, but just not as much as it used to be, especially during the Baby Boomer era after World War II.