With our final nine states, we reached the point in our countdown where we were able to assemble full starting units: 11 players on offense, 11 on defense, plus special teams. Michigan is No. 5.

Players Who Have Seen Action At Notre Dame: 134 by our count, with Midland offensive lineman Steve Elmer the latest in 2013.

Most Recent To Sign Scholarship: Defensive end Jhonny Williams (Benton Harbor) inked in February 2014 after originally committing to Missouri, but he left Notre Dame this spring after redshirting, and is deciding on his next option.

Top Player From Michigan: The younger crowd wll likely tell you Jerome "The Bus" Bettis, which is understandable. However, there are few sports figures more ingrained into Americana the past century than George Gipp (Laurium). One hundred years from now, "win one for the Gipper" is likely to still be heard.

Personnel Overview: The defense from Michigan ranks among the top five, but a shortage in some areas on offense, especially the line, couldn't put it higher. The running backs corps is the strength.

The first consensus and unanimous All-America selection in Notre Dame history (1920) was a "left halfback," but in pre-T-formation days, the LH did much of the passing. While leading Notre Dame to an 18-0 record in 1919-20, Gipp completed 71 of his 134 passes (53 percent) at an extraordinary 20.2 yards per completion and 10.7 yards per attempt.

He also paced the team in rushing those two years with 1,556 yards while averaging 7.5 yards per carry (his 8.1 yards per attempt in 1920 remains a single season Notre Dame record for players who carried at least 100 times). That is as fine a dual threat as you will find. The only other Fighting Irish quarterback from Michigan with more than two career starts was Terry Andrysiak (1984-87) with seven.

Before finishing his NFL career among the top 5 rushers, Bettis starred at Notre Dame. As a sophomore fullback in 1991 he romped for 972 yards rushing during the regular season with 16 TDs, and added 150 and three more scores in the Sugar Bowl upset of No. 3 Florida. He turned pro after his junior season and finished his Irish career averaging a remarkable 5.7 yards per carry. His 32 catches averaged 13.4 yards and included six scores.

Culver had the power to play fullback and the speed to play tailback. He made an impact for the 1988 national champs, including a TD in the national title game, led the star-studded backfield of 1990 in rushing with 710 yards and was the team's lone captain in 1991. Culver was in his fifth season in the NFL in 1996 when he and his wife died in a plane crash that spring.

Running back is easily the most stocked position from Michigan. It includes "Jumpin' Joe" Savoldi (Three Oaks, 1928-30), the top ground gainer for the 1929 national champs, top 1964 rusher Bill Wolski (Muskegon, 1963-65) with 657 yards and nine TDs, 1969-72 fullback John Cieszkowski (Detroit), 1977 national champion tri-captain Terry Eurick (Saginaw, 1974-77), 1993-96 speedster Randy Kinder (East Lansing), who led the team in rushing in both 1994-95, and Jonas Gray (Beverly Hills, 2008-11).

Seymour earned All-America notice each of his three varsity seasons before becoming the No. 10 overall selection in the 1969 NFL Draft. To open his career versus Rose Bowl champ Purdue, his 276 yards receiving (with three scores) is still a single-game Irish record. He helped clinch the national title that year with 11 catches for 150 yards and two more scores at USC.

A halfback in college where he rushed for 893 yards, Morse would fit well in the slot, where his 52 career catches averaged 21.2 yards.

Honorable mention notice to Javin Hunter (Orchard Lakes, 1998-2001) and David Grimes (Detroit, 2005-08).

Head coach Lou Holtz was often excoriated for not throwing enough to the tight end, but in his 11th and final season with the Irish, Holtz saw Chryplewicz pace the Irish in receiving with 27 catches for 331 yards and four scores before moving on to a three-year NFL career.

Honorable mention to Dom Vairo (Calumet), the captain of Elmer Layden's first Notre Dame team in 1934. His four catches were good for 135 yards and two TDs.

Anderson at guard was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974 and classified by Knute Rockne as the toughest player pound for pound he had ever coached. Right tackle Carollo was a second-round pick who played 12 years in the NFL, making the Pro Bowl in 1968. Goeddeke bore a striking resemblance to "Mr. Clean" and received All-American notice for the 1966 national champs. McKinley was a starting guard in 1967-68. Although the junior Elmer's best days should be ahead of him, he already has made 17 starts.

Kadish and Marx enrolled in 1968 (Marx took a medical redshirt in 1969) with New York end Walt Patulski and Washington end Fred Swendsen to comprise as fine a four-man defensive line haul in one class that has been seen in college football history.

Marx totaled 263 stops, 24 for loss, earning consensus All-America notice in 1972 and becoming a second-round pick. Kadish was a first-round pick after nettting 212 career tackles, 18 for loss.

Three-year starter Hankerd had a productive career at end with 177 stops, 28 for lost yardage. Grasmanis started in 1994-95 before playing 10 years in the NFL.

Like Kadish/Mark on the line, Collins/Mahalic enrolled together in 1971. Collins was also a stellar hockey player, while Mahalic played some at quarterback as a freshman for the JV team.

Collins was a fireball who notched a team high 133 stops in the regular season for the 1973 national champs and captained the top-ranked defense in 1974 (144 stops during the regular season), meriting second-team AP All-America notice and becoming a second-round draft pick. Mahalic netted 253 tackles as a three-year starter and was a third-round selection. Kowalkowski started at OLB for the supremely talented 1989-90 units and was an 11-year stalwart on special teams in the NFL.

Honorable mention to Joe Rudzinski (Farmington, 1979-82), who as a sophomore started on the 1980 defense that set a school record for most consecutive quarters not allowing a TD (23). He had 64 tackles (seven for lost yardage) that season.

All four are corners, but Lyght and Ellis began their careers at safety. None of the states in this Notre Dame countdown can boast a better corner tandem than Lyght and Ellis, both of whom were first-round picks.

Current Irish defensive backs coach Lyght started for the 1988 national champs and was a two-time consensus All-American in 1989-90 before becoming a Pro Bowl performer for the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. Ellis recorded seven interceptions for the No. 2-ranked Irish in 1970 and was the Defensive MVP in the upset win over No. 1 Texas in the Cotton Bowl. He was a consenus All-American the next year and still holds the Notre Dame record for most passes broken up in a career (32).

Three-year starter Stepaniak was a classmate of Ellis and is tied for third on the all-time interception chart with 13. Barnett also was a three-year starter, including the 1973 national champs, and was an Academic-All-American as a senior, when his last play was a game-saving interception in Irish territory to preserve the 13-11 Orange Bowl win over 11-0 Alabama.

Honorable mention to Steve Lawrence (Ypsilanti, 1983-86), who recorded 10 interceptions and recovered nine fumbles (second most in school history) during his career, and as a safety was third in tackles as a junior with 92.

Kicker/Punter: Kyle Brindza (Canton, 2011-present) - Brindza kicked a single season school record 23 field goals in 2012 and his 20 in 2013 are third on the chart. He also was a clutch punter in some close victories.

In the return game, Morse, Ellis, Eurick and Grimes all had such roles at Notre Dame.

Notre Dame's Golden Age of recruiting in the Wolverine state was during the Ara Parseghian era from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Defensive backs coach Paul Shoults was the ace recruiter in the state. Seven of our 11 starters on defense were recruited during that era: Kadish and Marx on the line, Collins and Mahalic at linebacker and Ellis, Stepaniak and Barnett in the secondary. That's not even including players such as Seymour, Wolski, Goeddeke and McKinley on offense.

It's doubtful Notre Dame will ever reach that level again, but as a bordering state - with the state line only several miles from campus - it should always be a factor. Yet Elmer is the lone representative this year who is on scholarship.

This week, Notre Dame was expected to receive a commitment from Walled Leg, Mich., defensive end prospect Ade Ogundeji.