(Photo by: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
State of the Irish will be a nine-piece miniseries, analyzing Notre Dame football from top to bottom while also predicting what's ahead for the team.
Starters
No. 23 Golden Tate, Junior (5'11", 195)
The leading receiver of the 2008 season had been destined for the Irish since birth with a name like Golden.
After finding his way onto the field as a freshman, he showed flashes of brilliance and athleticism, but looked more like an athlete rather than a wide receiver.
Tate made major strides between his freshman and sophomore year, racking up 1,080 yards receiving while hauling in 10 touchdowns.
Looking forward to the 2009 season, Tate has been named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List as one of the top receivers returning in the nation. He will look to even further increase his statistics this year with another year under his belt and safety-decoy Michael Floyd starting opposite him.
If the production keeps up, Tate could find himself sitting atop the Notre Dame all-time receiving record books.
No. 3 Michael Floyd, Sophomore (6'3", 220)
Charlie Weis showed the critics that he could finish the deal on elite skill-position recruits when he pulled in Michael Floyd out of Minnesota.
Coming in as a freshman last year, Floyd lived up to his high expectations...and then some.
On his first catch of his career, Floyd caught a touchdown pass from Jimmy Clausen. And he didn’t stop there.
Floyd finished the year with 719 receiving yards and seven touchdowns while missing almost three full games. Although pretty decent numbers, Floyd was much more valuable than his stats indicate.
This year, expect Floyd to make a run at the 1,000-yard mark with double digit numbers in touchdowns.
Were looking at a future 1st-rounder in young Mr. Floyd, and the Irish faithful will be lucky to have him around if he stays for his senior year.
No. 18 Duval Kumara, Junior (6'5", 219)
During the 2007 season, Kumara served as the primary target for Irish signal-callers as a true freshman.
However, his success unfortunately did not translate to 2008 which led to a sophomore slump.
The front-runner for the No. 3 receiver slot, Kumara hasn't gotten off to a great start so far.
Recent reports indicate that he will miss at least a few weeks after an MRI revealed damage to knee cartilage. Kumara will be ready for the season-opener against Nevada.
If he is full-go this season, Kumara should be able to hold onto the No. 3 spot. However, he cannot afford another slump because behind him lies a new-found depth at the wideout position.
Backups/Contributors
No. 82 Robby Parris, Senior (6'3", 205)
Physically, Parris can be labeled as the twin of Chicago Cub pitcher, Jeff Samardzija; The prototypical lanky, white wide receiver from Notre Dame.
Skill-wise, Irish fans hope that Parris can catch up to Samardzija in that department.
He has always been somewhat of an unknown commodity to the fans, as he has been on and off the field. When he has been on the field, he hasn't stood out enough to be recognized.
Parris comes into his senior year with a chip on his shoulder. If he can use that motivation and step up his game for his final season on campus, he could be looking at a more important role this year.
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