Notre Dame Football: The 5 Most Underappreciated Players in School History

Notre Dame football lore is filled with legendary coaches and players. However, there is a vast amount who are underappreciated. 

This slideshow only lists five players, but many deserve inclusion on this list. 

So the question begging to be asked is, which players were underappreciated during their careers in South Bend? 

Answers await. 

Enjoy!

5. Vontez Duff

Vontez Duff played cornerback for the Irish in the early 2000's and achieved a profound amount of success. 

Duff also served as a kick and punt returner during his time in South Bend. He remains to this day the only player in program history to return a kick, punt and interception for a touchdown in a single season. 

The Copperas Cove, Tex. native was voted as a third-team All-American following the 2002 season.

4. Jeff Faine

Jeff Faine, currently a free agent in the NFL, is considered as one of the best offensive linemen to ever done the blue and gold. 

Faine's career spanned from 1999 to 2002, a time in which the Irish produced some of the most potent rushing attacks in program history. 

Upon graduating from Notre Dame, Faine was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 21st-overall pick in the 2003 NFL draft. 

3. Allen Rossum

Allen Rossum was a steal for the Fighting Irish after the Dallas native was recruited by every school in the former Southwest Conference. 

Upon his arrival in South Bend, Rossum began to make some serious noise, becoming a star on the football field and the track. 

While at Notre Dame, Rossum set an NCAA career record with nine return touchdowns. Three were punt returns, three were kickoff returns and three were interception returns. 

The versatile athlete also earned All-American honors while competing in the 55-meter dash for the Notre Dame track and field squad. 

Rossum was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 85th-overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft. 

2. Vagas Ferguson

Vagas Ferguson truly came to form during his senior season in 1979, when he was voted as an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. 

He also finished that season fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting. 

Ferguson finished his Notre Dame career ranked third in total yards gained among Irish running backs with 3,472. 

1. Shane Walton

Shane Walton is quite an interesting story. The San Diego native originally attended Notre Dame on a soccer scholarship and led the team in scoring during his freshman season. 

However, Walton was lured to the game of football and walked on during his sophomore year.

Amazingly, Walton was voted as a consensus first-team All-American following his senior season in which he recorded seven interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. 

Walton enjoyed a brief NFL career in which he played for the St. Louis Rams in 2003.