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Roundtable Sports
Notre Dame's Top 10 Offensive Players Of The Last 25 Years
- Story byRoundtable Sports
- Notre Dame's Top 10 Offensive Players Of The Last 25 Years
(Matt Cashore, USA TODAY Sports)
Last week, we did a show here at Irish Breakdown where we ranked our Top 10 offensive players from 2000 to 2025. It was definitely one of the harder rankings that we've had to do, and it was fun to take a trip down memory lane and rethink through some really impactful seasons so many great players had in South Bend. Bryan and I had separate lists but with some similarities, so here's my Top 10 offensive players of the last 25 years.
1. Brady Quinn , Quarterback
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It's hard to imagine anyone else than Notre Dame 's all-time leading passer being atop of this list. Quinn played a major role in the revival of the Fighting Irish from 2005-2006. Simply put, he made Notre Dame cool again and did it in resounding fashion. He shattered every program passing record from career passing yards, career passing touchdowns, etc. The Ohio native is still regarded as the most prolific signal caller of this century; every quarterback that has taken over from 2007 to 2025 always gets posed the same question: will they be the next Brady Quinn? His legacy on and off the field puts him at No. 1 overall on this list.
2. Jeremiyah Love , Running Back
Can you make a Top 10 offensive players of the last 25 years without putting on the program's one and only Doak Walker Award winner? I don't believe you can. Some might say it's recency bias, but Love is the best running back that I've seen come through South Bend in my lifetime. There are certain players that you know are difference makers while you're watching them play. With Love, there was no hindsight needed. He was a Top 10 player at Notre Dame since 2000 while he was still playing at Notre Dame. His overall draft selection and post-season accolades were just icing on the cake.
3. Quenton Nelson , Offensive Guard
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When you have a ranking like this, at least one player from 'O-Line U' has to make an appearance, and Nelson cracks the Top 3. He was the most dominant offensive lineman I've seen come through Notre Dame, and in my life time, I don't think it's overly close. You think of the highlight reel play he made against Georgia in 2017, but his level of dominance was spread throughout three years from 2015 to 2017. He was one of the lone bright spots on the 4-8 2016 team and his dominant play solidified the standard of Notre Dame being 'O-Line U'. Similar to Quinn, he set the modern day standard for offensive line play at Notre Dame and set the bar exceptionally high.
4. Michael Floyd , Wide Receiver
Despite their national reputation, Notre Dame has had some prolific wide receivers come through their program over the last 25 years. Floyd is at the top of that list for his consistent and dominant production during that time. He finished his Fighting Irish career as the program's all-time leader in receiving yards (3,686), receiving touchdowns (37) and receptions (271) and is the runaway leader in all three categories. There have been some receivers that have come through the program that have had more statistically impressive singular seasons, one player we'll talk about later in this article. But over the course of their careers, nobody was as dominant as Floyd.
5. Joe Alt , Offensive Tackle
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Nelson was the most dominant overall offensive lineman I've seen come through Notre Dame. Alt is the best left tackle I've seen come through Notre Dame in my lifetime. The unfortunate piece for Alt was the team's he played on, but that still didn't prevent him from becoming a Top 5 NFL Draft pick. I couldn't imagine was the 2021, 2022 and 2023 offensive lines would have looked like if you remove the 6-8, 322-pound tackle from the conversation. Thankfully, we don't live in a world where I have to do that. In his final two seasons, Alt went on to only allow one sack and was dominant in both phases of the game, but he exceled as a pass blocker. When we have conversations around 'what offensive lineman would you add to this roster' it's hard not to vault Alt's name to the top of the discussion.
6. Tyler Eifert , Tight End
Eifert was Notre Dame's first John Mackey Award winner and there has been some exceptional tight end play in South Bend since 2000. But that's not the only reason the Fort Wayne, Indiana native made this list. He was Notre Dame's entire offensive passing attack in 2012, the year they went undefeated for the first time since 1988, and played for a national championship. Eifert's impact as a pass catcher and as a run blocker in 2012 played a major role in the team overall going undefeated and having the regular season they achieved. He's the best pure pass-catching tight end I've seen at Notre Dame.
7. Michael Mayer , Tight End
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Right behind Eifert in this conversation is Mayer, the second best tight end I've seen come through South Bend. Mayer, similar to Eifert, was the team's sole passing attack weapon in 2022. He ended his career as Notre Dame's all-time leader amongst tight ends as a receiver. Mayer was an exceptional talent, and one of the most memorable tight ends to come to Notre Dame and quickly adopted the nickname 'Baby Gronk ' for his play style. Unfortunately the teams he played on in 2021 and 2022 underperformed, but that doesn't take away from his individual impact on this list.
8. Golden Tate , Wide Receiver
Notre Dame has had one receiver in program history win the Biletnikoff Award, and that's Tate from his absolutely dominant 2009 season. He has a strong argument to be higher on this list, and I won't disagree with whoever wants to make that argument. At the end of the day, one of Notre Dame's most electric playmakers with the football in his hands since 2000 needed a spot on this list. Tate had highlight play after highlight play. His one year in 2009 was more dominant than any other receiver on this list, but his lack of production across his first two years in college keep him behind Floyd on this list.
9. Jeff Samardzija, Wide Receiver
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When you talk about the revival of Notre Dame Football , you can't leave 'the Shark' out of the discussion. Samardzija played with a level of swagger that I hadn't seen in my lifetime up to that point in South Bend. He, along with Quinn and a smattering of others, helped Notre Dame get back into the national discussion and killed the narrative that they were a middle-tier program in 2005 and 2006. He's 3rd all time in receiving yards (2,593), 3rd all time in receiving touchdowns (27) and 4th all time in receptions (179). His impact on the field speaks for itself and he became one of the most dominant receivers in the country from 2005 to 2006.
10. Will Fuller , Wide Receiver
It's crazy to think that a player as impactful as Fuller came in at No. 10 on this list, but that's more a testament to the other players on this list than it is an indictment of his impact in South Bend. Fuller was the best receiver in the Brian Kelly-era and it's not overly close. His level of dominance on the field between 2014 and 2015 was truly spectacular. He set the standard in the modern era for what a deep weapon should look like in a gold helmet. Fuller was also one of the most clutch receivers to come through South Bend. I think of his plays against Virginia and USC in 2015 and his performance on the road against Florida State in 2014.
Honorable Mention
QB - Jimmy Clausen
RB - Josh Adams
RB - Darius Walker
RB - Julius Jones
OL - Jeff Faine
OL - Zack Martin
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