One of the more popular preseason college football publications — Phil Steele’s 2013 College Football Preview — hit the newsstands this weekend. Although Steele too had to go to print prior to the announcement of Golson and had Notre Dame ranked 10th, here were his individual ratings among those draft-eligible in 2014 (sophomore cornerback KeiVarae Russell could not be included because he is only a sophomore).
Everett Golson — 38th among 60 quarterbacks. Senior Tommy Rees, who will replace Golson, was not listed.
George Atkinson III — 18th among 60 running backs. He is Notre Dame’s top returning back with 388 career yards rushing and seven touchdowns.
DaVaris Daniels & TJ Jones — Among 60 receivers, Daniels ranks 54th while Jones made the cut at 60. The senior Jones has 111 career receptions and 10 scores compared to the junior Daniels’ 31, with zero TDs.
Troy Niklas & Ben Koyack — The junior classmates are not separated by much, with starter Niklas (five catches, 75 yards, one TD) ranked the No. 15 tight end and Koyack (three catches, 39 yards) No. 20. Forty tight ends were listed.
Zack Martin & Christian Lombard — Among 60 offensive tackles, Martin ranked 7th entering his fifth season, while senior Lombard, a first-time starter last season, is 30th.
Chris Watt — Overshadowed by Martin on the left side, fellow fifth-year senior Watt still was deemed the No. 14 guard nationally among the 60 ranked.
Louis Nix III & Stephon Tuitt — This is the main reason why Notre Dame is still believed to be a potential top-10 team. Among 60 defensive tackles, Nix was ranked No. 1. Among 60 defensive ends, Tuitt was rated No. 2. Both were named to Steele’s first-team All-America unit.
Prince Shembo & Danny Spond — Among 60 outside linebackers, the senior tandem featured Shembo at No. 16 and Spond No. 48.
Dan Fox — The fifth-year senior made it to No. 48 among 60 linebackers, while classmate Carlo Calabrese, whose 146 career tackles are the most among returning members of the Irish defense, did not make the cut.
Bennett Jackson — After his first season as a starter in 2012, the senior was rated 12th among 60 cornerbacks.
Kyle Brindza — Only 20 kickers were mentioned, and the junior Brindza, who made a school record 23 field goals last season, was at No. 16.
In addition to returning quarterbacks in 2013, three other positions at Notre Dame did not receive mention: center, safety — despite a strong performance by Matthias Farley last season — and punter.
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