Notre Dame football’s Mount Rushmore of all-time recruits: the four honorable mentions
Before we get to the actual Mount Rushmore, let’s discuss the close calls who didn’t quite qualify to get their busts carved into the side of a mountain.
Dayne Crist – QB
The 2008 recruit entered Notre Dame and was expected to be the next great in a line of quarterbacks that had been humming from Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen. Crist, a five-star talent, finally got a chance to start in 2010 but lost his job to Tommy Rees by season’s end, something that happened again a year later before Crist ultimately ended his college career with Charlie Weis at Kansas.
Michael Floyd – WR
The consensus five-star recruit debuted with the 2008 class and made an instant impact as he scored seven touchdowns as a freshman. His 3,686 career receiving yards remain a Notre Dame record as do his 37 receiving touchdowns.
Aaron Lynch – DE
Lynch is probably the most-impressive non-linebacker Notre Dame landed in the last 25 years, earning an understandable five-star ranking. His recruitment went back and forth between Florida State and Notre Dame before the Irish won out in 2011. Lynch produced an instant pass rush for the Irish, recording 5.5 sacks as a true freshman. Lynch transferred to South Florida after that season, though, and eventually ended up in the NFL, spending time with the 49ers, Bears and Jaguars.
Sam Young – OT
The massive offensive tackle from Miami came with massive hype, and he started as a true freshman in 2006 for a team that wound up in the Sugar Bowl. Young still ranks as one of the top-150 recruits all-time in 247Sports ratings, and he is still collecting an NFL check. He plays for the Las Vegas Raiders.