Notre Dame Football Exit Interviews: C.J. Prosise

C.J. Prosise leaves Notre Dame as a rare home run threat who the Irish will look to replace with various experienced and talented backs.

Considering the 2015-2016 college football season has finally come to a close and underclassmen have officially declared for the 2016 NFL Draft, Slap the Sign presents its “Exit Interviews,” wherein we review the players leaving the program, what they’re leaving behind and taking with them, and how Notre Dame plans on replacing their production and experience.

C.J. Prosise, RB

Sep 19, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back C.J. Prosise (20) makes a diving touchdown run against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Production at ND

C.J. Prosise put together one of the more diverse and tauntingly short ND football careers in recent memory. He entered the program as an athletic safety prospect before being switched to wide receiver after his freshman year in order to utilize his size and speed on the offensive side of the ball. After a season mostly on special teams in 2013 and a moderately successful season in the slot in 2014 (29 receptions, 516 yards, 2 touchdowns), Prosise was moved to running back to add what would end up being much-needed depth to the backfield after Greg Bryant was suspended for academic reasons and Tarean Folston tore his ACL in the season opener. Prosise flourished as the starter, running for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He also caught 26 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown.

What His Departure Means

Prosise was the type of legitimate home run threat in 2014 and 2015 that Notre Dame cannot always boast in its arsenal of weapons. Aside from Will Fuller and George Atkinson, the Irish haven’t had someone with the speed or second gear of Prosise since Golden Tate was diving into the Michigan State band. C.J. is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and kept defenses honest all season due to his shifty nature, serving as a huge reason that the 2015 offense was as dynamic and productive as it was.

Next Man In?

At any other time in Brian Kelly’s tenure, losing a player like Prosise would be a fatal death-blow to the offense. However, the Irish have accumulated an incredible assortment of athletes in recent recruiting years, and the depth ND has at running back means the Irish offense will not skip a beat.

Sophomore-to-be Josh Adams proved he could fill in for Prosise when he went down with injuries multiple times in 2015 (to the tune of 835 yards and 6 touchdowns), even displaying impressive breakaway speed of his own in setting the Notre Dame Stadium record for longest touchdown run against Wake Forest (98 yards, previously set by Prosise at 91 yards earlier in the season vs. Georgia Tech).

Furthermore, rising senior and original starter Tarean Folston will be back, providing the best combination of vision, cutting ability, and between-the-tackles power of any of the running backs on the 2015 roster. Dexter Williams, in the same class as Adams, also picked up some experience this past season and will be able to contribute more next season when called upon.

Pat’s Favorite Memory from C.J.’s Career:

More from Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Prosise gave us countless awesome highlights this season, including a 91-yard touchdown against Georgia Tech and some gutsy runs against USC, willing his team into the end zone. However, this is still my favorite memory of Prosise, because for the first time in his career it really put into perspective just how fast he is. LSU is perennially great and, more importantly, perennially fast on defense, and Prosise sprinted past all of those Tigers en route to a huge game-tying touchdown. This was Exhibit A that everyone pointed to before the 2015 season when defending the decision to move Prosise to running back, and it was the turning point when we realized ND might have something great with Prosise in the ground game. The Irish reaped the rewards the following season, as did Prosise, who will now move on to the NFL.

It will be a shame to see C.J. Prosise go after getting just a season of his brilliant running, but I think we are all excited to see what he can do in the NFL with that kind of speed and pass-catching talent. Good luck, C.J.!

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