Notre Dame Football: Top 10 Greatest Recruiting Classes of All Time
Notre Dame football is the third-winningest college football program in history and has been around since 1887. Over those 113 years, Notre Dame has seen quite a few talented players pass through South Bend.
Notre Dame owns 11 National Championships, has had nearly 100 consensus All-Americans, and seven Heisman Trophy winners.
Clearly the Irish don't lack a rich history and football tradition. Though there are an incredible amount of gifted recruiting classes in Notre Dame's history, these are ten of the greatest ever.
No. 10) 1965
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Notre Dame's 1965 recruiting class included the likes of quarterback Terry Hanratty and wide receiver Jim Seymour. The two formed an excellent combination and led the Irish to a National Championship in 1966.
Hanratty never won the Heisman Trophy but finished in the top 10 in voting three consecutive seasons (1966-68).
No. 9) 1950
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1950's recruiting class saw 1953 Heisman Trophy-winning half back Johnny Lattner commit to Notre Dame. Lattner and his teammates were coached by Frank Leahy.
Lattner won the Maxwell Award in both 1952 and 1953 as well. The recruiting class would tie Iowa in 1953 however, thus denying them a National Championship.
No. 8) 1961
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1961's recruiting class included quarterback John Huarte. Huarte and the Irish lost just one game during his senior season in 1964. Huarte also won the Heisman Trophy in 1964 before being drafted by the New York Jets in 1965.
Wide receiver Jack Snow finished eighth in Heisman voting also in 1964. Snow was a consensus All-American his senior year with the Irish.
No. 7) 1984
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The Irish's 1984 recruiting class included 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown. Brown was a wide receiver at Notre Dame for four seasons and became the first receiver to ever win the coveted award.
Recruited by Gerry Faust, the 1984 recruiting class finished under head coach Lou Holtz, who went 100-30 in 11 seasons at Notre Dame.
No. 6) 1940
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In 1940 Notre Dame brought in a talented recruiting class headlined by quarterback Angelo Bertelli. Bertelli became the first Heisman Trophy winner in Notre Dame's history when he won the award in 1943.
The 1940 recruiting class lost only three games for the Irish.
No. 5) 1974
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The face of Notre Dame's 1974 recruiting class is no doubt quarterback Joe Montana. Montana would go on to have one of the most successful NFL careers ever by a quarterback.
The 74' class helped the Irish to a four-bowl game winning streak. Montana was fantastic in Notre Dame's 1979 Cotton Bowl win over Houston, 35-34.
No. 4) 1967
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Notre Dame's 1967 recruiting class included a quarterback named Joe Theismann. Theismann and the 67' recruiting class lead the Irish to back to back Cotton Bowl appearances against the University of Texas.
Notre Dame lost the first meeting in 1970, but won the rematch the following year in 1971, by 13 points. The two bowl games were Notre Dame's first since the 1925 Rose Bowl.
No. 3) 1953
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1953 marked the last class of players recruited by the legendary Frank Leahy. The most notable player of that 1953 class was half back Paul Hornung.
Hornung won the Heisman Trophy in 1956 before moving on to a successful career with the Green Bay Packers. Hornung was originally recruited by Kentucky's Bear Bryant, but decided to go to Notre Dame instead.
No. 2) 2003
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The Irish's 2003 recruiting class went to two BCS Bowl Games, both losses however. This class included names like Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Tom Zbikowski and Chinedum Ndukwe.
Quinn is a back up for the Denver Broncos, Zbikowski is a member of the Baltimore Ravens, and Ndukwe is a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals. However Samardzija went on to pursue a different athletic career, as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
The 2003 class had very little postseason success, but they were talked about nonetheless and will not soon be forgotten.
No. 1) 1946
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Notre Dame's 1946 recruiting class was one of the most successful classes in college football history. Head coach Frank Leahy was the engine that drove the class to three National Championships in four years.
Talented end Leon Hart won the Heisman Trophy in 1949. Full back Emil Sitko finished eighth in Heisman voting that same year. Both were a part of the 1946 recruiting class which went 36-0-2 over four years.
Patrick Clarke is a student at Towson University and a writing intern for Bleacher Report.
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