Grading the Career of Every Notre Dame Starter Playing Final Game in BCS Title

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are preparing for the BCS National Championship game with a number of players taking the field for the last time in the blue and gold. 

Two Irish players are underclassmen that are expected to make the leap to the NFL draft, while eight others have completed their eligibility in South Bend. Before they take their final snaps, it is time to look back at the careers that they put together for Notre Dame. 

It has been a roller-coaster ride for these players with a coaching change occurring for most at the beginning of their careers, but the rise of this team has been impressive under Brian Kelly, and these 10 players have been a big part of the rise to No. 1 this season.

Expected early departures for the 2013 NFL draft denoted by asterisk 

Theo Riddick: Running Back

Grade: A

Theo Riddick has been one of the best utility players for Notre Dame since the 2009 season when he served the team as a backup running back and return man. 

Riddick then moved to receiver in 2010, starting eight games and playing in nine before a foot injury sidelined his season. In 2011 he stayed at receiver and started nine games before another injury sidelined him again. 

In 2012 Riddick returned to the running back role and was one of the most dynamic backfield threats in the country because of his ability to play from the running back and receiver position. 

Riddick helped usher in the Everett Golson era for the Irish and has been the primary back for Notre Dame this year. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Riddick as the No. 11 running back in the 2013 NFL draft. 

John Goodman: Receiver

Grade: D

John Goodman has been a solid utility player for Notre Dame over the past four seasons as a reserve receiver. He has only 35 receptions in his career and four total touchdowns—three of which came this season. 

Goodman has been a part of the success that Notre Dame has found on the ground as a solid perimeter blocker, but overall his career has fallen short of the expectations that followed him from high school. He was a U.S. Army All-American selection out of high school. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Goodman as the No. 999 receiver in the 2013 NFL draft. 

Robby Toma: Receiver

Grade: D

Robby Toma has been a shifty slot receiver for Notre Dame that began his career as a true freshman in 2009. He played in three games that season.

In 2010 he took a larger role in the offense after injuries forced him into action, and followed that year playing in all 13 games.

He took over the starting slot position role for the Irish this season and finished as the fifth leading receiver for the Irish. His career has been mostly served as a backup, but this year he was able to pull in 24 catches for 252 yards. 

NFL Draft Scout has Toma listed as the No. 999 receiver in the 2013 NFL draft. 

Mike Golic Jr: Offensive Guard

Grade: B-

Mike Golic Jr. is a Notre Dame legacy—his father Mike Golic also played for the Irish. 

Golic Jr. served as a backup center and was forced into starting action during the 2011 season. In 2012 Golic Jr. became the starting offensive guard for the Irish and has helped usher in the Everett Golson era for the Irish. 

After finding his role as a guard, his stock has risen exponentially. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Golic Jr. as the No. 40 offensive guard in the 2013 NFL draft. 

Zeke Motta: Safety

Grade: A

Zeke Motta has been a force for the Fighting Irish since his freshman season. Motta has played in every game since 2009 when he was one of only three freshmen to play in every game that year. 

He first started at safety during the 2010 season and has been a staple in the Notre Dame secondary ever since. 

Motta is a great run support safety and has used his size and tenacity to become one of the best players on Notre Dame’s stingy 2012 defense. He has been a leader in the secondary and helped Notre Dame overcome injuries and bring along younger defensive backs this season.

NFL Draft Scout lists Motta as the No. 6 free safety in the 2013 NFL draft. 

Manti Te’o: Linebacker

Grade: A+

Manti Te’o has become the premier inside linebacker in college football. He has been an All-American selection two years in a row and finished his senior season as one of three Heisman finalists this year. 

Te’o is a dynamic threat at linebacker, stuffing the run on a regular basis and playing coverage like a secondary player. He finished the 2012 season with seven interceptions.

He wasn’t able to take home the Heisman, but he did win the Walter Camp, Maxwell, Nagurski, Butkus, and Bednarik Awards at the conclusion of his senior season. 

His career has been one of the most consistent and solid performances from any Notre Dame linebacker in Irish history. 

NFL Draft Scout projects Te’o as the No. 1 inside linebacker in the 2013 NFL draft. 

Kapron Lewis-Moore: Defensive End

Grade: B

Lewis-Moore has been a consistent contributor for the Fighting Irish since the 2009 season. He has battled through injuries in his career, but his overall impact on opposing offenses has been impressive.

His 2011 season was cut short after seven games when he sustained a knee injury against USC, but he hit full stride this season when he finished with 8.5 tackles for loss and six sacks this fall. 

Moore also averaged 3.25 tackles a game for the Irish this year. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Lewis-Moore as the No. 16 defensive tackle in the 2013 NFL draft. 

Ben Turk: Punter

Grade: C

Ben Turk has been the starting punter for the Irish for all four seasons at Notre Dame. 

Turk’s career average is 39 yards per punt, but this season he finished with 48 punts and a 40.6 average with a long of 53.

He hasn’t been the best punter in the country, but his consistency for the Irish over the past four years have given Turk a leg up over some of the 2013 NFL draft enrollees. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Turk as the No. 19 punter in the 2013 NFL draft. 

*Cierre Wood: Running Back

Grade: B

Cierre Wood has been one of the most dynamic offensive threats for the Fighting Irish in the past three seasons. In 2011 he had his best year rushing for 1,102 yards and nine touchdowns. He put together 16th 1,000-yard rushing season in Notre Dame history in 2011.

This season he split time with Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III, helping provide Everett Golson with a solid backfield to lean on when he needed playmakers. 

According to Sporting News Wood is leaning toward an early departure for the NFL after the national title game. 

His time at Notre Dame has been special, and without Wood this team would not be No. 1 and playing in Miami to finish the year. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Wood as the No. 8 running back in the 2014 NFL draft. 

*Tyler Eifert: Tight End

Grade: A+

Tyler Eifert was the most dynamic tight end in the country this season, finishing 2012 with the Mackey Award for the country’s best tight end. 

He finished as the Irish’s leading receiver in 2012 and finished second to Michael Floyd in yardage in 2011. Eifert has been an impact player for the Irish since 2010 when he played in 11 games and earned the Offensive Newcomer of the Year award for the Irish. 

Eifert has not declared for the NFL draft as of yet, but the assumption is that he is a shoe-in to land on the draft boards this April. He has become one of the best tight ends in Notre Dame history over the past three seasons. 

NFL Draft Scout lists Eifert as the No. 1 tight end in the 2014 NFL draft

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