Notre Dame football: Top 5 wide receivers in school history

From a statistical point of view, Michael Floyd is the best wide receiver in Notre Dame history, and it wouldn’t be close. He is first in Notre Dame’s career list for receptions (271), receiving yards (3,686), and receiving touchdowns (37). Second place in these categories are TJ Jones (181 receptions), Golden Tate (3,686 yards), and Will Fuller (30 touchdowns).

Floyd blows everyone out of the water in all of these categories, so why is he only 5th on the list?

First off, the teams Floyd played on weren’t particularly memorable. He played during the end of the Charlie Weis era, and into the start of the Brian Kelly era. Those teams were good for a 29-22 record over four seasons.

Floyd also benefits from having played in the modern era, when passing has become such a pivotal part of the game. That inflates his stats from players who came decades before him. He also, despite the great stats, has a lack of awards. There is no All-American status for Michael Floyd. This says that despite his stats, he wasn’t among the best playing the game when he was in school.

With all of that being said, Michael Floyd’s biggest issue against him is his legacy at Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Floyd was suspended from the program when he was supposed to be a captain. For that, he was stripped of his captain status. While he may not have missed any games, only off-season practices, that is a stain.

Getting away from the negative, Floyd was an insane talent. He began making an impact during his freshman season. He had 100 yards receiving against Purdue and Stanford. In total, Floyd had seven touchdowns as a freshman. His sophomore year was shortened to seven games, but he still had 44 catches for nine touchdowns. Floyd would explode his junior season, for 79 catches, before grabbing 100 catches in his senior season. Those 100 catches are still the most by a Notre Dame receiver in a single season.

While at Notre Dame, Michael Floyd was an incredible talent. He deserves recognition as the most prolific of Notre Dame’s wide receivers. It’s just a shame that he, and the teams he played on, didn’t have much success beyond the stats while in South Bend.