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Notre Dame Football: The five highly ranked players that never panned out

By Ben Belden

SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 28: Max Redfield #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action on special teams against the Oklahoma Sooners during the game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Oklahoma won 35-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - SEPTEMBER 28: Max Redfield #10 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in action on special teams against the Oklahoma Sooners during the game at Notre Dame Stadium on September 28, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Oklahoma won 35-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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2. Ishaq Williams, Defensive End/Outside Linebacker

PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 30: Ishaq Williams #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on during pre-game warm ups prior to playing the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 30, 2013 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA – NOVEMBER 30: Ishaq Williams #11 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looks on during pre-game warm ups prior to playing the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium on November 30, 2013 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

At the time, landing Ishaq Williams was a huge recruiting win for for the Irish. A physical specimen, Williams came to South Bend listed at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds. The scouting report on Williams that he would be a game-changing pass-rusher. Williams chose Notre Dame over an impressive list of schools that featured Miami (FL), Ohio State, and more.

There’s not much to say about Williams, other than the fact that he failed to live up to the hype.

Williams have a very lackluster career in South Bend before eventually signing with the New York Giants. He spent a few seasons bouncing around from the practice squad and the active roster, but he never really was able to get footing in the NFL.

1. Aaron Lynch

SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 14: Linebacker Aaron Lynch #59 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after blocking a punt against the Chicago Bears during their game at Levi’s Stadium on September 14, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – SEPTEMBER 14: Linebacker Aaron Lynch #59 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after blocking a punt against the Chicago Bears during their game at Levi’s Stadium on September 14, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images) /

Oh, what could have been with Aaron Lynch.

Similar to the aforementioned Williams, Lynch made his way to South Bend under the presumption that he would be causing all kinds of trouble for opposing teams’ quarterbacks for many years.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Lynch enrolled early at Notre Dame and made a significant impact as a freshman, starting in 6 games and garnering 5.5 sacks.

But Lynch, a Florida native, decided that he wanted to go back to Florida to play closer to home. Lynch transferred to USF, where he had a successful career that help propel him to an NFL career that continues today.

Related Story. The Top 10 Recruiting Misses of the Brian Kelly Era. light

Overall, things worked out for Lynch on the football field. It’s just a shame it didn’t happen under the Golden Dome in South Bend.

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