Notre Dame’s list of five greatest receivers in school history is a tale of two versions.
Three-fifths of the list is made up of statistical superstars, some of the highest-slotting players in the Notre Dame receiving record books crack the top five. But the other two-thirds of the list, well, you won’t find them in the top 10 of most Fighting Irish receiving categories.
That sure doesn’t mean they don’t belong, though. The game was simply different then. And if you disagree, so be it.
Either way, these are the five best Notre Dame wideouts in history to our eyes.
Honorable Mentions
- Jim Seymour (1966-1968)
- Tom Gatewood (1969-1971)
- Derrick Mayes (1992-1995)
- Rhema McKnight (2002-2006)
- Will Fuller (2013-2015)
5. Jeff Samardzija (2003-2006)
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Notre Dame teams in the mid-2000s were hard to pin down. But one thing’s for sure: they got better as Samardzija got older.
As a freshman in 2003 and a sophomore in 2004, Samardzija caught just 24 passes for 327 yards as the Fighting Irish went a combined 11-13. Then came the explosion.
Notre Dame went 9-3 Samardzija’s junior year, when he caught 77 passes for 1,239 yards and 15 touchdowns, setting school records in the latter two categories. He followed with a 78-catch year as a senior helping the Irish to the Sugar Bowl and earned Biletnikoff Award finalist honors each season.
Oh, he went ahead and became a Major League Baseball All-Star starting pitcher, too. Not shabby.
4. Golden Tate (2007-2009)
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As Samardzija’s time came to an end, Notre Dame followed him with one even greater in Tate. He played just three years with the Fighting Irish but re-wrote the record books.
From 2007 to 2009, Tate registered 2,707 yards receiving, ranking first in Notre Dame history at the time (more on that in a second). His 26 touchdown receptions rank fourth, too, and he’s the only Irish player ever to have two 200-yard games.
That career earned him the Biletnikoff Award and unanimous All-American status in 2009.
3. Michael Floyd (2008-2011)
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Tate didn’t keep his yards receiving record long as Floyd joined the team the same season Tate was finishing up. And even though he left after 2011, no one’s come close to breaking his records.
Floyd is tops on the Notre Dame list in both yards receiving (3,686), receptions (271), and touchdowns (37).
Somehow, he never earned any All-American recognition or saw his name as a finalist for any major trophy. But that kind of production deserves the No. 3 spot here, anyway.
2. Raghib Ismail (1988-1990)
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Maybe this is cheating a bit as Ismail was more of an all-around star than a true wide receiving star. But his primary position was on the outside, so here we are.
Known more commonly as “Rocket,” Ismail caught just 71 passes and four touchdowns in a Notre Dame uniform. But coach Lou Holtz would do anything with him.
Ismail would most commonly go out wide, but he also ran for more than 1,000 yards in his three-year career and return six punts or kickoffs for scores, too. He was dangerous. Bottom line.
1. Tim Brown (1984-1987)
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Holtz might have been more wary to do that with Ismail had Brown not first set the stage. And while Brown would go on to a Hall of Fame career as an NFL wide receiver, he first made his mark in South Bend.
He won the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Award as a senior in 1987, putting together 1,837 all-purpose yards.
Brown scored 16 touchdowns from scrimmage and another six from returns over the course of his four-year career, leading the Fighting Irish in receiving in the final three.
More Notre Dame Football Rankings
- 10 Greatest Notre Dame Football Players Ever
- 5 Greatest Quarterbacks in Notre Dame History
- 5 Greatest Running Backs in Notre Dame History
- 5 Greatest Defensive Players in Notre Dame History
