2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Pinstripe Bowl, W 29–16 (vacated) vs. Rutgers
Conference	Independent
Ranking
Coaches	No. 24
AP	No. 20
Record	0–4, 9 wins vacated
Head coach	Brian Kelly (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Chuck Martin (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Bob Diaco (4th season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Kerry Cooks (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
MVP	T. J. Jones
Captains	Zack Martin Bennett Jackson T. J. Jones
Home stadium	Notre Dame Stadium

2013 NCAA Division I FBS independents football records

	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 20 Notre Dame*			–						9	–	4
Navy			–						9	–	4
BYU			–						8	–	5
Army			–						3	–	9
New Mexico State			–						2	–	10
Idaho			–						1	–	11
*All wins for Notre Dame (9–4) in the 2013 season were later vacated Rankings from AP Poll

The 2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team was an American football team that represented the University of Notre Dame as an independent during the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. In their fourth year under head coach Brian Kelly, the Irish compiled a 9–4 record, outscored opponents by a total of 354 to 291, and were ranked No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 24 in the Coaches Poll. They lost to No. 17 Michigan, No. 14 Oklahoma, unranked Pittsburgh, and No. 8 Stanford, and finished the season with a victory over unranked Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Tommy Rees (3,257 passing yards), running back Cam McDaniel (705 rushing yards), wide receiver T.J. Jones (70 receptions for 1,108 yards), linebacker Dan Fox (95 total tackles), and kicker Kyle Brindza (98 points scored, 38 of 38 PAT, 20 of 26 field goals).

In November 2016, the NCAA infractions panel vacated all wins from Notre Dame's 2012 and 2013 seasons based on its finding that ineligible students had played for the 2012 and 2013 teams. A student athletic trainer committed academic misconduct, including completing coursework, for two players and provided impermissible academic extra benefits to six other players. Another player was found to have committed academic misconduct on his own in a total of eight courses. The penalties were upheld after an appeal by Notre Dame.

The team played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	3:30 p.m.	Temple	No. 14	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 28–6 (vacated)	80,795
September 7	8:00 p.m.	at No. 17 Michigan	No. 14	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (rivalry)	ESPN	L 30–41	115,109‡
September 14	8:00 p.m.	at Purdue	No. 21	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN (rivalry)	ABC	W 31–24 (vacated)	61,127
September 21	3:30 p.m.	Michigan State	No. 22	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 17–13 (vacated)	80,795
September 28	3:30 p.m.	No. 14 Oklahoma	No. 22	Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	L 21–35	80,795
October 5	7:30 p.m.	vs. No. 22 Arizona State		AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX (Shamrock Series)	NBC	W 37–34 (vacated)	66,690
October 19	7:30 p.m.	USC		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 14–10 (vacated)	80,795
October 26	5:00 p.m.	at Air Force		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (rivalry)	CBSSN	W 45–10 (vacated)	44,672
November 2	3:30 p.m.	Navy		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN (rivalry)	NBC	W 38–34 (vacated)	80,795
November 9	8:00 p.m.	at Pittsburgh	No. 24	Heinz Field Pittsburgh, PA (rivalry)	ABC	L 21–28	65,500
November 23	3:30 p.m.	BYU		Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, IN	NBC	W 23–13 (vacated)	80,795
November 30	7:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Stanford	No. 25	Stanford Stadium Stanford, CA (rivalry)	FOX	L 20–27	50,537
December 28	12:15 p.m.	vs. Rutgers	No. 25	Yankee Stadium Bronx, NY (Pinstripe Bowl)	ESPN	W 29–16 (vacated)	47,122
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^‡Former NCAA Attendance Record (September 7, 2013 – September 10, 2016)

Rankings

See also: 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	14	14	21	22	22	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	24	RV	RV	25	25	20
Coaches	11	13	21	21	22	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	25	RV	RV	RV	RV	24
Harris	Not released							RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	25	RV	Not released
BCS	Not released								—	25	23	—	—	25	—	Not released

Before the season

From the 2012 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team that advanced to the national championship game, the Irish lost multiple key players to the 2013 NFL draft, including tight end Tyler Eifert (first round), linebacker Manti Te'o (second round), safety Jamoris Slaughter (sixth round), running back Theo Riddick (sixth round), defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, and safety Zeke Motta (seventh round).

Starting quarterback Everett Golson also left the program after being suspended due to an academic violation. Several Notre Dame players also transferred out of the program, including reserve quarterback Gunner Kiel, wide receivers Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson. and Chris Badger.

Incoming transfers for the 2014 season included Alex Wulfeck.

The only "change" in the coaching staff after the 2012 season was that Brian Kelly turned over play-calling duties to offensive coordinators Chuck Martin.

Game summaries

Temple

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Owls	0	6	0	0	6
• #11 Fighting Irish	14	7	7	0	28

• Date: August 31
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  South Bend, IN
• Game start: 3:42pm
• Elapsed time: 3:10
• Game attendance: 80,795
• Game weather: Temp: 75 • Wind: NW 5 • Weather: Partly cloudy
• Referee: Jeff Heaser
• TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

See also: 2013 Temple Owls football team

Michigan

Rivalry Game

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#13 Fighting Irish	7	6	7	10	30
• #17 Wolverines	10	17	7	7	41

• Date: September 7
• Location: Michigan Stadium
  Ann Arbor, MI
• Game start: 8:12pm
• Elapsed time: 3:30
• Game attendance: 115,109
• Game weather: Temp: 75 • Wind: SW 5 • Weather: Partly cloudy
• Referee: David Epperley, ACC
• TV announcers (ESPN): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox

See also: 2013 Michigan Wolverines football team

Following its game against Temple, Notre Dame played the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor. Notre Dame won the previous meeting 13–6. Billed as "Under the Lights II", this was the second night game in Michigan Stadium's history; the previous game also featured Notre Dame. Tom Harmon was honored as a Michigan Football Legends, and his #98 jersey was unretired and given to quarterback Devin Gardner.

Michigan won the game, 41–30. The game attendance of 115,109 was the largest crowd ever to watch a college football game. Quarterback Devin Gardner completed 21 of 33 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns while throwing one interception. Gardner has also rushed for 134 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the first two games of the season. Gardner contributed 376 yards of total offense against Notre Dame ranks as the tenth best performance in Michigan history, as reflected in the following list. The only two Michigan players to contribute more total yards in a single game are Denard Robinson and John Navarre. Wide receiver Jeremy Gallon caught eight passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 14 yards. Gallon's 184 receiving yards against Notre Dame is tied for the sixth highest single-game performance in Michigan history. On defense, cornerback Blake Countess had two interceptions for Michigan.

References to chickens were a widely reported side story to the game. After Notre Dame announced one year earlier that it would terminate the rivalry after the 2014 season, Michigan head coach Brady Hoke said Notre Dame was "chickening out". When ESPN commentator Lee Corso made his pick for the game during the College GameDay show (which was in Ann Arbor for the game), he brought out a live chicken, and fans in the background carried signs with poultry references, including "Cluck of the Irish." At the end Michigan's 41–30 victory, in what Chantel Jennings of ESPN.com called the "Dig of the Day", the speakers at Michigan Stadium loudly played the "Chicken Dance" as Michigan fans "danced in the stands."

The win made Michigan favorites in the Big Ten Conference.

Purdue

Shillelagh Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #21 Fighting Irish	0	3	7	21	31
Boilermakers	7	3	7	7	24

• Date: September 14
• Location: Ross–Ade Stadium
  West Lafayette, IN
• Game start: 8:12pm
• Elapsed time: 3:18
• Game attendance: 61,127
• Game weather: Temp: 68 F • Wind: E 4 • Weather: Dry
• Referee: Ron Cherry
• TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit & Heather Cox

See also: 2013 Purdue Boilermakers football team

Michigan State

Megaphone Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#24 Spartans	0	7	3	3	13
• #21 Fighting Irish	3	7	0	7	17

• Date: September 21
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  South Bend, IN
• Game start: 3:43pm
• Elapsed time: 3:29
• Game attendance: 80,795
• Game weather: Temp: 65 • Wind: 14 NW • Weather: Partly sunny
• Referee: Dave Witvoe
• TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

See also: 2013 Michigan State Spartans football team

Oklahoma

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• #12 Sooners	14	7	6	8	35
#22 Fighting Irish	7	0	7	7	21

• Date: September 28
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  South Bend, IN
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock & Alex Flanagan

See also: 2013 Oklahoma Sooners football team

Arizona State

Shamrock Series

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#24 Sun Devils	0	13	0	21	34
• Fighting Irish	0	14	10	13	37

• Date: October 5
• Location: AT&T Stadium
  Arlington, TX
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• Referee: Brad Allen
• Television network: NBC

See also: 2013 Arizona State Sun Devils football team

USC

Jeweled Shillelagh

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Trojans	7	3	0	0	10
• Fighting Irish	7	7	0	0	14

• Date: October 19
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  South Bend, IN
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• Television network: NBC

See also: 2013 USC Trojans football team

1st quarter scoring: USC – Silas Redd 1-yard run (Andre Heidari kick); ND – Troy Niklas 7-yard pass from Tommy Rees (Kyle Brindza kick)

2nd quarter scoring: USC – Heidari 22-yard field goal; ND – TJ Jones 11-yard pass from Rees (Brindza kick)

Air Force

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• Fighting Irish	7	17	14	7	45
Falcons	7	3	0	0	10

• Date: October 26
• Location: Falcon Stadium
  Colorado Springs, CO
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• Television network: CBSSN

See also: 2013 Air Force Falcons football team

Navy

Rivalry Game

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Midshipmen	7	13	0	14	34
• #25 Fighting Irish	10	7	7	14	38

• Date: November 2
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  South Bend, IN
• Game attendance: 80,795
• Game weather: Temp: 45 • Wind: 7 N • Weather: Cloudy
• Television network: NBC

See also: 2013 Navy Midshipmen football team

Pittsburgh

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#23 Fighting Irish	7	7	7	0	21
• Panthers	0	7	14	7	28

• Date: November 9
• Location: Heinz Field
  Pittsburgh, PA
• Game start: 8pm ET
• Game attendance: 65,500
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• Television network: ABC/ESPN

See also: 2013 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Although Notre Dame's sports teams have joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (which Pittsburgh has also joined), the Panthers will be the only ACC team on Notre Dame's football schedule this year, as the agreement to play five ACC teams each year does not begin until 2014.

BYU

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	0	6	0	13
• Fighting Irish	14	3	3	3	23

• Date: November 23
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium
  South Bend, IN
• Game start: 3:42pm
• Game attendance: 80,795
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• TV announcers (NBC): Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan

See also: 2013 BYU Cougars football team

Stanford

Legends Trophy

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
#25 Fighting Irish	3	3	14	0	20
• #8 Cardinal	7	7	10	3	27

• Date: November 30
• Location: Stanford Stadium
  Stanford, CA
• Game attendance: 50,537
• Game weather: Temp: • Wind: • Weather:
• TV announcers (Fox): Gus Johnson, Charles Davis

See also: 2013 Stanford Cardinal football team

Rutgers (Pinstripe Bowl)

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Scarlet Knights	10	3	0	3	16
• #25 Fighting Irish	10	3	3	13	29

• Date: Saturday, December 28, 2013
• Location: Yankee Stadium
  Bronx, NY
• Game start: 12:00
• Elapsed time: 3:50
• Game attendance: 47,122
• Game weather: Temp: 34 • Wind: • Weather: Haze
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler, Jesse Palmer, & Paul Carcaterra

See also: 2013 Pinstripe Bowl and 2013 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

Personnel

Players

2013 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Roster
Quarterbacks 13 Will Cronin – senior 6 Charlie Fiessinger – junior 12 Andrew Hendrix – senior 11 Tommy Rees – senior 8 Malik Zaire – freshman Running backs 4 George Atkinson III – junior 1 Greg Bryant Jr. – freshman 3 Amir Carlisle – junior 25 Tarean Folston – freshman 32 William Mahone – sophomore 33 Cam McDaniel – junior Wide receivers 46 Josh Anderson – sophomore 2 Chris Brown – sophomore 10 DaVaris Daniels – junior 15 Will Fuller – freshman 81 Omar Hunter – freshman 16 Torii Hunter Jr. – freshman 7 T. J. Jones – senior 37 Eric Lee – junior 83 Gerard Martinez – sophomore 14 Luke Massa – senior 17 James Onwualu – freshman 20 C. J. Prosise – sophomore 88 Corey Robinson – freshman 87 Daniel Smith – senior		Tight ends 9 Mike Heuerman – freshman 18 Ben Koyack – junior 85 Troy Niklas – junior 80 Durham Smythe – freshman 82 Alex Welch – senior Offensive line 67 Kevin Carr – senior 73 Scott Kingsley – freshman Offensive tackles 57 Hunter Bivin – freshman 79 Steve Elmer – freshman 70 Zack Martin– Graduate Student 68 Mike McGlinchey – freshman 78 Ronnie Stanley – sophomore Offensive guards 65 Conor Hanratty – junior 75 Mark Harrell – sophomore 51 Bruce Heggie – senior 74 Christian Lombard – senior 62 Colin McGovern – freshman 66 Chris Watt – Graduate Student Centers 77 Matt Hegarty – junior 72 Nick Martin– junior 60 John Montelus – freshman Defensive ends 91 Sheldon Day – sophomore 95 Marquis Dickerson – freshman 50 Chase Hounshell – junior 94 Jarron Jones – sophomore 86 Arturo Martinez – senior 89 Jacob Matuska – freshman 90 Isaac Rochell – freshman 69 Tony Springmann – junior 7 Stephon Tuitt – junior 53 Justin Utupo – senior		Nose guards 1 Louis Nix III – senior 96 Kona Schwenke – senior 92 Tyler Stockton – Graduate Student Inside Linebackers 44 Carlo Calabrese – Graduate Student 42 Michael Deeb – freshman 48 Dan Fox – Graduate Student 59 Jarrett Grace – junior 8 Kendall Moore – senior 19 Doug Randolph – freshman 38 Joe Schmidt – junior Outside Linebackers 30 Ben Councell – junior 52 Austin Larkin – freshman 93 Connor Little – junior 45 Romeo Okwara – sophomore 56 Anthony Rabasa – junior 55 Prince Shembo – senior 9 Jaylon Smith – freshman 11 Ishaq Williams – junior Cornerbacks 43 Josh Atkinson – junior 34 Jesse Bongiovi – freshman 21 Jalen Brown – junior 12 Devin Butler – freshman 2 Bennett Jackson – senior 26 Rashad Kinlaw – freshman 36 Cole Luke – freshman 35 Joe Romano – senior 6 KeiVarae Russell – sophomore 23 Lo Wood – senior		Safeties 29 Nicky Baratti – sophomore 40 Connor Cavalaris – junior 28 Austin Collinsworth – senior 41 Matthias Farley – junior 16 Eilar Hardy – junior 46 Eamon McOsker – sophomore 39 Drew Recker – freshman 10 Max Redfield – freshman 22 Elijah Shumate – sophomore 42 Ernie Soto – junior 31 John Turner – sophomore Kicker 43 John Chereson – freshman 97 Danny Omiliak – sophomore 40 Nick Tausch – Graduate Student Punter 84 Andrew Antognoli – freshman 98 Alex Wulfeck – senior Kickers/Punters 27 Kyle Brindza – junior 39 Jude Rhodes – senior Long snappers 61 Scott Daly – sophomore 99 Hunter Smith – sophomore

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at Notre Dame	Alma mater (Year)
Brian Kelly	Head coach	4th	Assumption (1982)
Chuck Martin	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks	4th	Millikin (1990)
Bob Diaco	Defensive coordinator, linebackers/assistant head coach	4th	Iowa (1995)
Kerry Cooks	Co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks	4th	Iowa (2000)
Mike Denbrock	Outside wide receivers/passing game coordinator	4th (second stint)	Grand Valley State (1987)
Tony Alford	Running backs, slot wide receivers/recruiting coordinator	5th	Colorado State (1992)
Harry Hiestand	Offensive line/run game coordinator	2nd	East Stroudsburg (1983)
Scott Booker	Tight ends/special teams coordinator	2nd	Kent State (2003)
Mike Elston	Defensive line	4th	Michigan (1998)
Bob Elliott	Safeties	2nd	Iowa (1976)
Paul Longo	Director of football strength and conditioning	4th	Wayne State (1981)

Recruiting class

Notre Dame received 24 commitments in its 2013 recruiting class, including four five-star recruits: outside linebacker Jaylon Smith, defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, running back Greg Bryant, and defensive back Max Redfield. Vanderdoes later decommitted to play at UCLA, citing family health issues that required him to be closer to home.

College recruiting (2013)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Hunter Bivin OT	Owensboro, KY	Apollo HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	288 lb (131 kg)	5.1	Mar 24, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (84)
Greg Bryant RB	Delray Beach, FL	American Heritage HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	4.48	Dec 9, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (88)
Devin Butler DB	Washington, DC	Gonzaga College HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.6	Apr 4, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (83)
Michael Deeb LB	Plantation, FL	American Heritage School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	–	Jun 29, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (81)
Steven Elmer OT	Midland, MI	Midland HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	5.0	Sep 17, 2011
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (81)
Tarean Folston RB	Cocoa, FL	Cocoa HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.5	Jan 2, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (85)
Will Fuller WR	Philadelphia, PA	Roman Catholic HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	168 lb (76 kg)	–	Aug 5, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (73)
Mike Heuerman TE	Naples, FL	Barron Collier HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.7	Apr 26, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (82)
Torii Hunter, Jr. WR	Prosper, TX	Prosper HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	4.5	Sep 23, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (84)
Rashad Kinlaw ATH/DB	Galloway, NJ	Absegami HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	4.5	Mar 26, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (82)
Cole Luke CB	Chandler, AZ	Hamilton HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	–	Nov 1, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (80)
Jacob Matuska DE	Columbus, OH	Bishop Hartley HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	–	Mar 7, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (76)
Mike McGlinchey OT	Philadelphia, PA	William Penn Charter School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	–	Mar 25, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (82)
Colin McGovern OT	New Lenox, IL	Lincoln-Way West HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	5.4	Mar 24, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (84)
John Montelus OL	Everett, MA	Everett HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	–	Apr 21, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (79)
James Onwualu RB/WR	Saint Paul, MN	Cretin-Derham HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	4.51	Mar 14, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (82)
Doug Randolph LB	Richmond, VA	Woodberry Forest School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	4.7	Sep 7, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (83)
Max Redfield ATH/DB	Mission Viejo, CA	Mission Viejo HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jan 4, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (88)
Corey Robinson WR	San Antonio, TX	San Antonio Christian HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	–	Mar 27, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (77)
Isaac Rochell DE	McDonough, GA	Eagle's Landing Christian Academy	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	4.71	Jun 7, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (83)
Jaylon Smith LB	Fort Wayne, IN	Bishop Luers HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	4.5	Jun 2, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (90)
Durham Smythe TE	Belton, TX	Belton HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.8	Jan 27, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (80)
Malik Zaire QB	Kettering, OH	Archbishop Alter HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	4.9	Mar 25, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (83)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: 5    Rivals: 4    ESPN: 4
‡ Refers to 40-yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, 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: "2013 Notre Dame Football Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved July 10, 2013. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Notre Dame". Scout. Retrieved July 10, 2013. "2013 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN. Retrieved July 10, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved July 10, 2013. "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013.

Statistics

Passing

1. Tommy Rees - 224 of 414 (54.1%) for 3,257 yards, 27 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 135.4 passer rating.
2. Andrew Hendrix - 2 of 14 (14.3%) for 56 yards, 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 47.9 passer rating

Rushing

1. Cam McDaniel - 705 yards on 152 carries, 4.6-yard average, 3 touchdowns
2. George Atkinson III - 555 yards on 93 carries, 6.0-yard average, 3 touchdowns
3. Tarean Folston - 470 yards on 88 carries, 5.3-yard average, 3 touchdowns
4. Amir Carlisle - 204 yards on 47 carries, 4.3-yard average, 0 touchdowns

Receiving

1. T. J. Jones (WR) - 70 receptions for 1,108 yards, 15.8-yard average, 9 touchdowns
2. DaVaris Daniels (WR) - 49 receptions for 745 yards, 15.2-yard average, 7 touchdowns
3. Troy Niklas (TE) - 32 receptions for 498 yards, 15.6-yard average, 5 touchdowns
4. Chris Brown (WR) - 15 receptions for 209 yards, 13.9-yard average, 1 touchdown
5. Ben Koyack (TE) - 10 receptions for 171 yards, 17.1-yard average, 3 touchdowns
6. Will Fuller (WR) - 6 receptions for 160 yards, 26.7-yard average, 1 touchdown
7. Corey Robinson (WR) - 9 receptions for 157 yards, 17.4-yard average, 1 touchdown

Scoring

1. Kyle Brindza (K) - 98 points, 38 of 38 PAT, 20 of 26 field goals
2. T.J. Jones (WR) - 66 points, 11 touchdowns
3. DaVaris Daniels (WR) - 42 points, 7 touchdowns
4. Troy Niklas (TE) - 30 points, 5 touchdowns

Tackles

1. Dan Fox (LB) - 95 total tackles, 45 solo tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss
2. Carlo Calabrese (LB) - 91 total tackles, 43 solo tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss
3. Bennett Jackson (CB) - 64 total tackles, 41 solo tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss
4. Jaylon Smith (LB) - 58 total tackles, 35 solo tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss
5. KeiVarae Russell (CB) - 51 total tackles, 40 solo tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss
6. Stephon Tuitt (DL) - 49 total tackles, 24 solo tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks

Awards and honors

Senior wide receiver T. J. Jones tallied 65 receptions for 1,042 yards and was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player.

Senior offensive guard Chris Watt and senior inside linebacker Dan Fox received the Nick Pietrosante Award as the player who best exemplified the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and pride of former Notre Dame fullback Nick Pietrosante.

Graduate offensive tackle Zack Martin, who started a school-record 51 games, won the team's Offensive Lineman of the Year award for the fourth consecutive year.

Junior defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt won the team's Defensive Lineman of the Year award.