Top 5 Notre Dame Wide Receivers

A look at the five best Notre Dame wide receivers I've ever seen .... sort of.

Author:
Bryan Driskell
Publish date:
Apr 5, 2020 3:35 PM EDT

Notre Dame has produced a number of truly elite wide receivers over the last three-plus decades. There has been Biletnikoff winner, a Heisman finalist, All-Americans and first round NFL Draft picks.

In my series of top players that I have seen play at Notre Dame, it has been relatively easy to settle on a top five. At wide receiver I couldn’t get all the way down to five, so I have a tie at the No. 5 spot. And there were a number of talented and highly productive players who couldn’t crack the list.

Here’s my top five Notre Dame receivers that I’ve seen play.

1. RAGHIB “ROCKET” ISMAIL (1988-90)

Career Stats: 71 catches, 1,565 yards, 4 TD’s / 1,049 rushing yards, 5 TD’s / 1,607 return yards, 6 TD’s / 4,221 all-purpose yards, 15 TD’s

Ismail is a big reason I first fell in love watching Notre Dame. He is one of the few players I’ve ever seen where whenever the ball went in his direction I’d hold my breath in anticipation of something special happening. More often than not he didn’t disappoint. He scored at least four touchdowns as a receiver, runner and return man.

The most explosive player I’ve ever seen, Ismail could hit a home run from anywhere on the field as a receiver, runner and return man. His overall numbers were held back by the offense he played in. He caught 27 passes as a sophomore and 32 as a junior, but both led the Irish offense by a large margin.

I can’t remember a big game that Ismail didn’t make a big play. He had a long reception against Miami in 1988, had a 94-yard kick return for a score against the Hurricanes in 1990, he hauled in a 29-yard touchdown reception in the Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia, he return two kicks for touchdowns in a win at #2 Michigan in 1989, there was his 50-yard touchdown run in a win at #7 Pittsburgh in 1989, he made huge plays in the Orange Bowl victory over Colorado in 1989.

I often wonder what Ismail would have done in today’s modern offenses. His numbers would have been extraordinary!

2. GOLDEN TATE (2007-09)

Career Stats: 157 catches, 2,707 yards, 17.2 YPC, 26 TD’s / 227 rushing yards, 3 TD’s / 1,196 return yards, 1 TD / 4,190 all-purpose yards, 30 TD’s

Tate could be a frustrating player at times. He was a tremendous talent, but his unwillingness to block and inconsistency from an effort and route running standpoint often frustrated me, but when Tate wanted to dominate he was an incredible force. The reason he is number two on this list is that like Ismail, Tate made plays in a variety of ways. He scored three rushing touchdowns during his career and had 1,196 return yards.

Tate played much bigger than his listed 5-10 frame due to his tremendous leaping ability, focus on the ball and incredibly strong hands. He was built like a running back and if he got in space he could do serious damage.

The native of Tennessee had a brilliant junior season, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top wideout when he hauled in 93 passes for 1,496 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those catch and yard marks were single-season records at Notre Dame at the time and his touchdown mark tied the school record. His receiving yards in 2009 is still the best in a season at Notre Dame. Tate had nine games with at least 100 yards receiving, which is also still a Notre Dame record.

3. MICHAEL FLOYD (2008-11)

Career Stats: 271 catches, 3,686 yards, 13.6 YPC, 37 TD’s / 30 rushing yards, 1 TD

Floyd was arguably a better all-around wide receiver than Tate, at least as a pure offensive player. He was Notre Dame’s best receiver when the two were healthy together, but Floyd struggled to stay on the field his first two seasons. When he was healthy he was outstanding, and we saw him tap into that in his final two seasons.

His catch radius was tremendous, and his ability to out-play defenders for the football was as good as I’ve seen from a Notre Dame wideout. Floyd was a physically imposing player that could block, was willing to do the dirty work and often drew the focus of the defense’s coverage, which opened up opportunities for teammates. Floyd never returned punts until being placed there in the final game of his career, and he responded with a 41-yard return.

Floyd broke Tate’s single-season catch record when he hauled in 100 passes in his final season. His numbers would have been even more impressive if he had better quarterback play in his final two seasons, especially from a yards standpoint. He is Notre Dame’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and the next person isn’t very close. He also has the most 100-yard receiving games in school history.

It’s scary to think what he could have done in his career with better quarterback play in his final two seasons and better health in his first two seasons.

4. WILL FULLER (2013-15)

Career Stats: 144 catches, 2,512 yards, 17.4 YPC, 30 TD’s

The only Notre Dame player that can come close to Ismail from an explosiveness standpoint is Fuller, who showed his 4.32 speed on the field. He didn’t have the return chops that Ismail brought to the table, but like Ismail he was a player that would make you hold your breath a bit when the ball was launched downfield in his direction.

Fuller burst onto the scene as a sophomore, going from six catches for 160 yards as a freshman to a 76-catch, 1,094-yard, 15-touchdown performance in his second season. Fuller could stretch the field and do damage after the catch during that season, and he had at least 75 yards in nine of the 13 games he played in that season.

The Philadelphia native was even better as a junior, going for at least 124 yards in each of the first three games that season, and his seven games with at least 100 yards is the third best single season mark in school history. Fuller was clutch that season, coming down with big grabs in big moments, and his speed impacted the entire offense.

Fuller’s 1,258 yards from 2015 are the second best in a season at Notre Dame, and no Notre Dame receiver has ever had a better two-year stretch when it comes to producing touchdowns than the 29 Fuller scored in 2014-15. Fuller would have likely broken the school’s career touchdown and receiving yards numbers had he returned for a final season.

T-5. JEFF SAMARDZIJA (2003-06)

Career Stats: 179 catches, 2,593 yards, 14.5 YPC, 27 TD’s

Samardzija and Brady Quinn did a lot of damage together, and the Samardzija/Maurice Stovall tandem in 2005 was arguably the best I’ve seen at Notre Dame. Samardzija was a fun player to watch due to his production and the swagger he brought to the game. Samardzija had a great deal of confidence in himself, and he wasn’t afraid to let everyone know about it.

Samardzija was an intriguing player in that he could use his size to make plays, but he was also a quality athlete and fluid runner that could do damage after the catch, which Stanford saw in 2005 and Michigan State and UCLA found out in 2006.

Most of his damage came in his final two seasons after Charlie Weis was hired to coach the Irish. He caught 77 passes in 2005 and 78 in 2006, and at that time those numbers ranked first and second in a season in Notre Dame history. His 1,249 yards in 2005 were a school record at the time, and Stovall’s 1,149 yards were second best. His 15 touchdown receptions in 2005 were also a school record that has since been tied, but never surpassed.

Football News named him a first-team All-American after both the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and the Associated Press and Walter Camp Football Foundation named him a second-team All-American after both seasons. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award after both seasons.

T-5. DERRICK MAYES (1993-96)

Career Stats: 129 catches, 2,512 yards, 19.5 YPC, 22 TD’s

Mayes had receiving numbers at Notre Dame that were only topped by Tim Brown during the Lou Holtz era. He was an outstanding player, and if he played in a more traditional offense his numbers could have matched anyone else on this list. Mayes had arguably the strongest and best hands of any other receiver on this list, and his production is actually outstanding considering the offense he played in.

Mayes wasn’t a burner by any means, but his route running was precise and his ball skills were truly special. He could make grabs even when everyone in the stadium knew he was getting the football. His 11 touchdown receptions in 1994 were a school record at the time, and his 2,512 career receiving yards were a school record at the time, as were his 22 touchdowns.