Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1055468
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2018 7 BY LOU SOMOGYI W hile the 2018 Notre Dame foot- ball team was staking its claim to the four-team College Football Play- off that would put them in position for a national title, the athletic depart- ment celebrated a 12th straight title it values as even more significant. Fighting Irish athletics posted the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) — which was begun in 2005 — for all of its graduating student- athletes for the 12th consecutive year with a 98 figure. The GSR number for all Notre Dame student-athletes rates the Irish first with Duke and Northwestern among the football-playing institu- tions in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The 2018 NCAA figures, released on Nov. 15, are based on entering classes from 2008-11. • Seventeen of Notre Dame's 22 athletic programs analyzed posted GSR figures of 100 percent, and 10 produced federal rate 100 scores. • For the 13th time in 14 years, Notre Dame ranked No. 1 on a per- centage basis in terms of number of GSR 100 scores among all FBS schools. • Seventeen of Notre Dame's 22 men's and women's programs posted GSR numbers that rank them best in the nation within their sports — and 11 produced federal graduation rates that led all FBS institutions. Overall, Notre Dame finished tied for first among female student-ath- letes at 99, tied for second among male student-athletes at 97 percent and tied for 10th among black stu- dent-athletes at 87 percent. In football, Notre Dame ranked tied for fourth at 95. Here is the data for student-athletes who enrolled between 2008-11: Football Student-Athletes GSR 1. Charlotte, 100; 2. Northwestern, 99, 3. Duke, 96; 4. (tie) Notre Dame, Stanford, Utah, Vander- bilt, 95; 8. South Carolina, 93; 9. Utah State, 92; 10. Virginia Tech, 90 Federal Rate 1. U.S. Naval Academy, 100; 2. Northwestern, 92; 3. Duke, 89; 4. Stanford, 88; 5. Notre Dame 87; 6. Vanderbilt, 84; 7. (tie) Louisville, Missouri, Rice, 77; 10. Boston College, 76 Interestingly, among the Federal rate schools, No. 5 Notre Dame this year played the teams ranked Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 6, and hosted No. 3 in 2016 while playing at No. 10 in 2017. The GSR system was created by the NCAA because the Federal system was considered a little more unfair. For example, if 20 football players signed in a class and all 20 graduated within six years but four transferred to another school to do so, that school would still be listed by Federal with an 80 percent (16 out of 20) gradua- tion rate. The GSR does not include that fac- tor, provided the transferred athlete would have been eligible the next se- mester. Athletes who do leave early for the NFL, however, are counted against the graduation rate. All Student-Athletes GSR 1. (tie) Notre Dame, Duke, Northwestern, 98; 4. (tie) Stanford, Vanderbilt, 97; 6. (tie) Boston College, Utah, 95; 8. South Carolina, 94; 9. (tie) Michigan, Minnesota, Rice, Tulane, 93 Federal Rate 1. U.S. Naval Academy, 100; 2. Stanford, 94; 3. Notre Dame, 93; 4. Northwestern, 91; 5. Duke, 89; 6. Vanderbilt, 85; 7. Boston College, 82; 8. (tie) Michigan, Rice, 81; 10. Minnesota, 80 Male Student-Athletes GSR 1. Duke, 98; 2. (tie) Notre Dame, Northwestern, 97; 4. (tie) Stanford, Vanderbilt, 96; 6. Utah, 95; 7. (tie) Boston College, South Carolina, U.S. Naval Academy, 91; 10. (tie) Clemson, Michigan, Minne- sota, Tulane, Wake Forest, 90 Federal Rate 1. Stanford, 92; 2. (tie) Notre Dame, Northwest- ern, 91; 4. Duke, 86; 5. Vanderbilt, 79; 6. Michigan, 76; 7. Minnesota, 75; 8. (tie) Miami (Ohio), Penn State, 73; 10. (tie) Boston College, Rice, Virginia, 72 Female Student-Athletes GSR 1. (tie) Notre Dame, Wake Forest, 99; 3. (tie) Boston College, Central Florida, Duke, Northwest- ern, Rice, Stanford, Tulane, Vanderbilt, 98 Federal Rate 1. Stanford, 97; 2. Rice, 96, 3. Notre Dame, 95; 4. Duke, 92; 5. (tie) Northwestern, Vanderbilt, 91; 7. Boston College, 89; 8. Illinois, 88; 9. Virginia, 87; 10. (tie) Michigan, Penn State, 86 Black Student-Athletes GSR 1. Vanderbilt, 100; 2. Duke, 95; 3. (tie) North- western, South Carolina, 93; 5. Tulane, 92; 6. Stan- ford, 91; 7. Michigan, 90; 8. Utah, 89; 9. Boise State, 88; 10.(tie) Notre Dame, Bowling Green, Clemson, Wake Forest, 87 Federal Rate 1. Northwestern, 87; 2. Vanderbilt, 86; 3. Stan- ford, 84; 4. Duke, 82; 5. Notre Dame, 80; 6. Rice, 76; 7. Bowling Green, 73; 8. (tie) Georgia Tech, Virginia, 70; 10. (tie) Michigan, Wake Forest, 71 UNDER THE DOME BEYOND THE PLAYING FIELDS Notre Dame continues its excellence in graduation rates From left to right, punter Tyler Newsome, tight end Nic Weishar and linebacker Greer Martini celebrated their graduation from Notre Dame last spring. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME VIA TWITTER