# 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2011 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Brian Kelly and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. They compete as an independent. They finished the season 8–5. They were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they were defeated by Florida State 18–14.

## Preseason
### Coaching changes

Kerry Cooks took over the cornerback position after coaching the outside linebackers the previous season. Defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, who also coaches the inside linebackers, will coach the entire linebacking corps moving forward. Chuck Martin will focus solely on the safeties, while presumably assuming his role as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

### Player changes
#### Departing players

Star tight end Kyle Rudolph chose to forgo his final year of eligibility, and enter the 2011 NFL draft. The Irish also lost a number of important seniors, including four-year starter defensive lineman Ian Williams, linebackers Kerry Neal and Brian Smith, cornerback Darrin Walls, running backs Robert Hughes and Armando Allen, Wide Receiver Duval Kamara, and offensive lineman Matt Romine and Chris Stewart, all to graduation. Redshirt junior quarterback Nate Montana left the program in early February 2011, and transferred to the University of Montana. Junior guard Alex Bullard transferred to his hometown state of Tennessee and will play for the University of Tennessee, citing the desire to be closer to home following the loss of a family member.

#### Recruiting

With his first full recruiting class, Brian Kelly added 23 prospects to the football team, including the addition of five early-enrollees: defensive end Aaron Lynch, outside linebacker Ishaq Williams, offensive lineman Brad Carrico, quarterback Everett Golson, and kicker Kyle Brindza.
US college sports recruiting information for 2011 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| George Atkinson III WR/RB | Livermore, CA | Granada HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.5 | Sep 12, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Josh Atkinson DB | Livermore, CA | Granada HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.4 | Sep 12, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Kyle Brindza K | Canton, OH | Plymouth Canton HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | – | Apr 15, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Jalen Brown DB | Irving, TX | Irving MacArthur HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 4.4 | Jul 31, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Brad Carrico DE | Dublin, OH | Dublin Coffman HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 270 lb (120 kg) | 4.8 | Mar 20, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Ben Councell LB | Asheville, NC | A.C. Reynolds HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.4 | Jun 27, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| DaVaris Daniels WR | Vernon Hills, IL | Vernon Hills HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.5 | Sep 28, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Matthias Farley ATH/CB | Charlotte, NC | Charlotte Christian HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 4.5 | Apr 21, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Everett Golson QB/ATH | Myrtle Beach, SC | Myrtle Beach HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | – | Dec 2, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Jarrett Grace LB | Cincinnati, OH | Colerain HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | 4.6 | Apr 24, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Conor Hanratty OL | New Canaan, CT | New Canaan HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 305 lb (138 kg) | 5.8 | Apr 24, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Eilar Hardy DB | Pickerington, OH | Central HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.5 | Jun 25, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Matthew Hegarty OL | Aztec, NM | Aztec HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | 5.0 | Apr 28, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Chase Hounshell OL | Kirtland, OH | Lake Catholic HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 242 lb (110 kg) | 4.8 | Jan 17, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Ben Koyack TE | Oil City, PA | Oil City Senior HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.6 | Apr 27, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Aaron Lynch DE | Cape Coral, FL | Island Coast HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | 4.7 | Jan 18, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84 |||||||
| Nick Martin OL | Indianapolis, IN | Bishop Chatard HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | – | Jan 11, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Cam McDaniel RB | Coppell, TX | Coppell HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 4.5 | Nov 29, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Troy Niklas OL | Anaheim, CA | Servite HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 243 lb (110 kg) | 4.7 | Feb 2, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Anthony Rabasa DE | Miami, FL | Columbus HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | – | Jul 30, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Tony Springmann DE | Fort Wayne, IN | Bishop Dwenger HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 257 lb (117 kg) | 4.8 | Apr 24, 2010 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Stephon Tuitt DE | Monroe, GA | Monroe Area HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | – | Jan 19, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 81 |||||||
| Ishaq Williams DE | Brooklyn, NY | Abraham Lincoln HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.7 | Jan 14, 2011 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11 Rivals: 10 ESPN: 9 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Notre Dame Commit List 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "2011 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2011. |||||||

### Award candidates

The following players were announced to award watch lists prior to the start of the 2011 season:
* Braxston Cave – Rimington Trophy
* Dayne Crist – Davey O'Brien Award, Maxwell Award
* Tyler Eifert – Mackey Award
* Michael Floyd – Biletnikoff Award, Maxwell Award
* Zack Martin – Outland Trophy
* David ruffer – Groza Award
* Harrison Smith – Nagurski Award, Thorpe Award
* Manti Te'o – Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award, Nagurski Award,
* Cierre Wood – Doak Walker Award

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 3:30 p.m. | South Florida | No. 16 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN | NBC | L 20–23 | 80,795 |
| September 10 | 8:00 p.m. | at Michigan | | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI (rivalry) | ESPN | L 31–35 | 114,804 |
| September 17 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 15 Michigan State | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 31–13 | 80,795 |
| September 24 | 12:00 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | | Heinz FieldPittsburgh, PA (rivalry) | ABC | W 15–12 | 65,050 |
| October 1 | 8:00 p.m. | at Purdue | | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN (rivalry) | ESPN | W 38–10 | 61,555 |
| October 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Air Force | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 59–33 | 80,795 |
| October 22 | 7:30 p.m. | USC | | Notre Dame StadiumSouth Bend, IN (rivalry) | NBC | L 17–31 | 80,795 |
| October 29 | 3:30 p.m. | Navy | | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (rivalry) | NBC | W 56–14 | 80,795 |
| November 5 | 8:00 p.m. | at Wake Forest | | BB&T FieldWinston-Salem, NC | ABC | W 24–17 | 36,307 |
| November 12 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Maryland | | FedExFieldLandover, MD (Shamrock Series) | NBC | W 45–21 | 70,251 |
| November 19 | 4:00 p.m. | Boston College | No. 24 | Notre Dame StadiumNotre Dame, IN (Holy War) | NBC | W 16–14 | 80,795 |
| November 26 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Stanford | No. 22 | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA (rivalry) | ABC | L 14–28 | 50,360 |
| December 29 | 5:30 p.m. | vs. No. 25 Florida State | | Florida Citrus BowlOrlando, FL (Champs Sports Bowl) (rivalry) | ESPN, ESPN 3D | L 14–18 | 68,305 |
| Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at Notre Dame | Alma mater (Year) |
| Brian Kelly | Head coach | 2nd | Assumption (1982) |
| Bob Diaco | Defensive coordinator/linebackers | 2nd | Iowa (1995) |
| Charley Molnar | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks | 2nd | Lock Haven (1984) |
| Chuck Martin | Safeties /recruiting coordinator | 2nd | Millikin (1990) |
| Mike Elston | Defensive line / special teams coordinator | 2nd | Michigan (1998) |
| Ed Warinner | Offensive line | 2nd | Mount Union (1984) |
| Mike Denbrock | Tight ends | 2nd (second stint) | Grand Valley State (1987) |
| Tony Alford | Wide receivers | 3rd | Colorado State (1992) |
| Tim Hinton | Running backs | 2nd | Wilmington (1982) |
| Kerry Cooks | Cornerbacks | 2nd | Iowa (2000) |
| Paul Longo | Strength and conditioning | 2nd | Wayne State University (1981) |

### Roster
## Game summaries
### South Florida

* Game Captains: Trevor Robinson, Robert Blanton
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Bulls | 13 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
| Fighting Irish | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |

### Michigan

* Game Captain: Zach Martin
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Irish | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| • Wolverines | 0 | 7 | 0 | 28 | 35 |

### Michigan State

* Game Captain: Ethan Johnson
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| • Fighting Irish | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |

### Pittsburgh

* Game Captain: Taylor Dever
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Fighting Irish | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 15 |
| Panthers | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 |

### Purdue

* Game Captain: Tyler Eifert
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Notre Dame | 14 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 38 |
| Purdue | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### Air Force

* Game Captain: Jonas Gray
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 13 | 0 | 17 | 33 |
| • Fighting Irish | 21 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 59 |

### USC

* Game Captain: Manti Te'o, Cierre Wood
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Trojans | 14 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Fighting Irish | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |

### Navy

Game Captain: Chris Salvi
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Fighting Irish | 14 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 56 |

### Wake Forest

Game Captain: Robert Blanton
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Fighting Irish | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Demon Deacons | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### Maryland

Game Captain: Darius Fleming
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Terrapins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| • Fighting Irish | 10 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
Despite the game being played only 12 miles from the Maryland campus, both end zones read "Notre Dame" and the majority of the fans in attendance were supporting the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame wore their green jerseys along with large green shamrocks on their side of their gold helmets.

### Boston College

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| • Fighting Irish | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 |

### Stanford

Game Captain: Taylor Dever
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Fighting Irish | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| • Cardinal | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |

### Florida State

Game Captain: Michael Floyd
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Seminoles | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 18 |
| Fighting Irish | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |

### Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 16 | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | RV | |
| Coaches | 18 | — | — | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 24 | RV | |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | RV | 23 | RV | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | Not released |

## Awards

National awards
* Biletnikoff Award
    Michael Floyd (semifinalist)
* John Mackey Award
    Tyler Eifert (finalist)
All-Americans
| Name | AP | WCFF | PFW | Rivals | Scout | SI | Yahoo |
| George Atkinson III, KR | | | | | | Hon. Mention | |
| Tyler Eifert, TE | 2 | 2 | Hon. Mention | 3 | 1 | Hon. Mention | 3 |
| Michael Floyd, WR | | | Hon. Mention | | | Hon. Mention | |
| Manti Te'o, LB | 2 | 2 | | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| †denotes consensus selection. NCAA recognizes AP, AFCA, FWAA, SN and WCFF 1st teams for consensus selections Source: |||||||||||||||