Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 26, 2020 53 Best (1972), but Hunter in 1973 was the fleetest of them all on paper. In 1976, Hunter also became the first Notre Dame player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. RAGHIB "ROCKET" ISMAIL (1988-90) Fast-forward 15 years, and another "fastest ever" freshman enrolled at Notre Dame and provided a crucial game-breaking element to the attack on a national title unit. Like the freshman Hunter in a one- point win versus No. 1 Alabama in 1973, freshman Ismail was a vital cog in the one-point win over No. 1 Miami in 1988, helping set up multiple scores with his four catches for 96 yards (24.0 per grab). Ismail also snared a 29-yard touchdown in the national title vic- tory over West Virginia. He turned pro following his junior year after winning the Walter Camp Award and finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up. RANDY KINDER (1993-96) The USA Today first-team All-Amer- ican back won Michigan individual state championships in the 200- and 400-meter dashes as a junior, and fin- ished second in the 100. A pulled ham- string as a senior prevented him from pulling off the "triple play" that year. Like Hunter and Ismail, Kinder made an immediate impact wearing No. 25 as a freshman, rushing for 537 yards and 6.0 yards per carry on an 11-1 team that finished No. 2 despite defeating No. 1 Florida State. Kinder, who would finish with 2,295 rushing yards for the Fighting Irish, ran track in only his freshman year — and set the school record in the 200-meter dash with a 21.1 time to earn All-America honors at the Indoor National Championships. TONY DRIVER (1997-2000) Like Kinder, the USA Today first- team All-American running back was also a state-champion sprinter, win- ning the 100 meters in Kentucky's 3-A Class at the famous Male High in Louisville. Driver began his career at running back before shifting to free safety, highlighted by two crucial intercep- tions of Drew Brees passes late in a 31-30 victory versus Purdue his sophomore season in 1998. MUNIR PRINCE (2006-07) The Missouri product was so fast, including a reported 10.4 clocking in the 100 meters, that it left even Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis in awe despite the mentor having coached in the NFL for nearly two decades. "I'm not used to seeing that type of speed at running back," Weis marveled on the opening week of 2006 camp re- garding Prince, who was naturally is- sued No. 25. "When I'm talking speed, I'm talking about, 'Whooooosh.' I can't describe that sound but you know what I'm talking about." Alas, it didn't work out for Prince at Notre Dame, as his 15 carries his freshman season netted only 21 yards. He was shifted to defense, where Weis said Prince possessed "corner feet," but after his sophomore year he trans- ferred to home-state Missouri, where he remained on defense and overcame what almost was a paralyzing injury. JONAS GRAY (2008-11) The U.S. Army All-American run- ning back placed fourth in the 200-me- ter dash at Michigan's state meet and third in the 100 as a high school junior. It wasn't until his senior year at Notre Dame he blossomed as a run- ning back, highlighted by a 79-yard touchdown scamper in a hard-fought 15-12 victory at Pitt. BRADEN LENZY (2018-19, AND NO. 0 AT PRESENT) The two-time Oregon Class 6A state champion in the 400 meters also ran the sixth-fastest 200 meters in state history with a 21.34. Although a lack of size prevented him from playing as a freshman, the sophomore wideout in 2019 had 51- and 61-yard touchdown runs versus USC and Boston College while fin- ishing as the third-leading ground gainer for the season. He also aver- aged 23.1 yards on his 11 catches. ✦ Notre Dame's Top Rushing Debuts By True Freshmen Since 1972, when the NCAA permitted freshman eligibility for good, seldom has a rookie running back at Notre Dame made an impact in the first game of his college career. Last year, Kyren Williams made an appearance in the season opener at Louisville but had no carries. This year, as a sophomore starter in the opener versus Duke, his 19 rushes totaled 112 yards. The second-most carries against the Blue Devils, though, came from freshman Chris Tyree, who had six for 20 yards, highlighted by a 25-yard scamper. Believe it or not, that was the fifth-most carries by a Notre Dame freshman running back in a season opener. Here are the top five rushing totals by an Irish rookie running back in the first game of a season. Interestingly, the top two later moved to the defensive backfield. Player (Year) Att.-Yards Opponent 1. Jim Browner (1975) 24-95 Boston College 2. Hiawatha Francisco (1983) 9-81 Purdue 3. Chris Smith (1981) 8-61 LSU 4. Josh Adams (2015) 5-49 Texas 5. Randy Kinder (1993) 4-26 Northwestern Note: Under current 11th-year head coach Brian Kelly, Dexter Williams also had seven carries for 24 yards versus Texas in 2015, meaning he and fellow rookie Adams combined for 12 carries for 73 yards, with two scores by Adams. — Lou Somogyi Al Hunter was billed as the fastest player to ever enroll at Notre Dame when he arrived prior to the 1973 season, and he became the first Irish rusher to gain more than 1,000 yards in a season in 1976. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS