Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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150 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW November of that season, requiring heart sur- gery and causing him to miss the remainder of the season … Bounced back and served as a backup center the first 11 games of the 2013 season before starting in place of injured starter Nick Martin the final two games … Made 11 starts in 2014, one at guard and 10 at center … Graduated from Notre Dame and transferred to Oregon for his final season. Final Review: Was chosen by the Pac-12 coaches as an honorable mention all-confer- ence performer in 2015. CHASE HOUNSHELL • DT/TE Kirtland, Ohio (Lake Catholic) Prep Ranking: Consensus three-star recruit … Listed as the No. 32 strongside end nationally and No. 21 player in Ohio by 247Sports. Career Summary: Played seven games as a freshman in 2011 and made four tackles, all against Air Force … Only played four games from 2012-14 due to multiple shoulder inju- ries … Moved to tight end in 2015, playing all 13 games and making three starts … Made his lone career catch, a six-yard gain, in Notre Dame's 28-7 win over Wake Forest. Final Review: Hounshell showed promise as a freshman, but injuries kept him from mak- ing an impact … He earned a sixth year of eligibility, but will play his final season at Ohio State. BEN KOYACK • TE Oil City, Pa. (Oil City) Prep Ranking: Selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game … Scout graded Koyack as a five-star recruit, and the nation's top tight end and No. 25 overall player … Ranked as the No. 82 overall player nation- ally by Rivals … Listed as the top player in Pennsylvania by ESPN and 247Sports. Career Summary: Made one start during his first season, and caught four passes for 44 yards … Started five games in 2013, hauling in 10 passes for 171 yards and three scores … Had season highs with four receptions for 76 yards and a career-long 38-yard grab in a 28- 21 loss to Pittsburgh … Set career highs with 30 catches for 317 yards in 2014 … Ended his career with 44 catches for 532 yards and five touchdowns. Final Review: Koyack proved to be a solid player for the Irish, starting 19 games and be- ing a four-year rotation player … Never lived up to his prep billing, but was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. AARON LYNCH • DE Cape Coral, Fla. (Island Coast) Prep Ranking: Picked to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl … 247Sports listed him as a five-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 6 overall player in the country … Rated as a four-star recruit and the No. 28 overall player in the land by Rivals. Career Summary: Started six games as a true freshman, and led the team with 5.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries … Had a career- high six tackles in Notre Dame's 28-14 loss to Stanford … Earned first-team Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America. Final Review: Lynch epitomized the 2011 class, showing tremendous promise early only to never reach his full potential … Transferred to South Florida after 2011 and registered 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks in 2013 … Was chosen first-team all-conference by the American Athletic Conference coaches … Picked by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. NICK MARTIN • OL Indianapolis (Bishop Chatard) Prep Ranking: Was a consensus three-star re- cruit … Ranked as the No. 23 offensive guard in the country by 247Sports … Listed as the No. 8 best player in Indiana by Rivals. Career Summary: Martin had a redshirt season in 2011 and was a backup tackle in 2012 … Won the starting center position for 2013 campaign and started the first 11 games be- fore missing the final two with a knee in- jury … Key figure in a line that finished the 2013 season ranked second in the country in sacks allowed (eight) … Started the first three games of 2014 at center, but shifted to guard for the final 10 … Moved back to center in 2015, starting all 13 games and being ranked by Pro Football Focus as the fifth-best center in the country … Helped lead a ground attack that rushed for 207.6 yards per game, Notre Dame's best mark since 2000. Final Review: Martin was one of the lowest ranked recruits in the class, but by the time his career was over he was arguably its most accomplished player, registering the most starts (37) of the group … Named a two-time captain … The Houston Texans picked Martin in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. CAM MCDANIEL • RB Coppell, Texas (Coppell) Prep Ranking: Consensus three-star recruit … Listed as the nation's No. 33 running back by Scout. Career Summary: Spent the first two years primarily as a special teams player, with nine kickoff returns for 159 yards (17.7 average) and seven tackles … Added 125 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry) and a score in 2012 … During the 2013 season, rushed for a team-high 705 yards (4.6 average) and three touchdowns, with a career-high 117 yards in a 23-13 win over BYU … Rushed for 278 yards (3.6 average) and four touchdowns as the primary backup to Tarean Folston in 2014 … Finished his career with 1,117 rushing yards (4.4 average) and eight touchdowns. Final Review: A vital special teams player and complementary running back, he made his Class Of 2011's Best Players 1. DE Stephon Tuitt — Coming in as a Rivals' five-star recruit, Tuitt certainly did not disappoint. He finished his Irish career with 21.5 career sacks, tying him with Victor Abiamiri (2003-06) for third all time in Notre Dame history. Tuitt was the dominant force up front for the 2012 defense, and his 12-sack season was the second-best single-season mark in school history, earning him first-team All-America honors from ESPN, Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports. Following the 2013 season, Tuitt was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. 2. C Nick Martin — Known more as the younger brother of Zack Martin (2009-13) rather than for his own ability, Nick Martin finished his career as a two-time captain and a 37-game starter. Martin anchored a line that paved the way for an offense that set a program record with 7.0 yards per play. The Houston Texans selected Mar - tin with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. 3. QB Everett Golson — Despite the turnovers and struggles of his final season, Golson ended his Notre Dame career as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in school history. He set school re- cords in total yards per game (257.2) and points responsible for per game (13.4), while also rank- ing second all time in passing yards per game (234.0). Golson posted a 17-6 record as a starter. Despite being one of the least heralded players in the class, Nick Martin started 37 games and was a two-time captain for the Irish. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA