Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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146 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL I t was supposed to be the class that returned Notre Dame to prominence, and for a brief time it did just that. Notre Dame's 2011 recruiting class served a pivotal role in the undefeated 2012 regular season that ended with a berth to the BCS National Cham- pionship Game, which the Irish lost to Alabama. Five members from the 2011 class started on offense or defense in that contest, while kicker Kyle Brindza and return man George Atkinson III were special teams main- stays. Quarterback Everett Golson threw for 270 yards in the title game, and wide receiver DaVaris Daniels caught six passes for 115 yards. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and his staff had built a class loaded with potential impact players on both sides of the ball. • The 2011 haul was a consensus top-10 group accord- ing to all the major recruiting services. • Four members of the class were graded as five stars by at least one service, and 10 were ranked in the Ri- vals250 (including six Rivals100 prospects). • Thirteen of the 23 signees were ranked as a top-250 recruit by at least one service. Just as quickly as the class rose to prominence, it had a massive fall. Injuries, academic suspensions, early de- partures to the NFL and the transfer of arguably the best player in the class — defensive end Aaron Lynch — deci- mated the class and kept it from getting anywhere close to its full potential. GEORGE ATKINSON III • RB Livermore, Calif. (Granada) Prep Ranking: Chosen to play in the U.S. Army All- American Bowl … Listed as a four-star recruit by Rivals and 247Sports … Ranked as the nation's No. 7 athlete and No. 126 overall player by Rivals. Career Summary: As a freshman, set a Notre Dame single- season record with 915 kickoff return yards and tied a school record with two returns for scores … Returned a kick 89 yards for a touchdown in a 31-13 win over Michigan State and ran another kick back 96 yards for a score in a 31-17 loss to USC … Sports Illustrated named him an honorable mention All-American … Made three starts at running back in 2012, finishing the season with 361 yards (7.1 yards per carry) and five touchdowns … In 2013, rushed for 555 yards (6.0 average) and three scores with a career-long 80-yard touchdown run in a 35-21 loss to Oklahoma … Finished that season with 780 kickoff return yards, the third-best single-season mark Fast Rise, Hard Fall Defensive end Stephon Tuitt anchored the 2012 defensive line and finished his Irish tenure tied for third in career sacks (21.5) in school history. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Notre Dame's 2011 class showed immense promise its first two years but incurred numerous setbacks thereafter