Notre Dame football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads his team out of the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame football WR T.J. Jones. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame Football: Top-25 players of the Brian Kelly era

25. TJ Jones, WR, 2010-13

181 receptions, 2,429 yards receiving, 19 receiving TDs, 10 carries, 67 yards rushing, 2 rushing TDs

TJ Jones often gets forgotten in the group of great wide receivers that came before him (Jeff Samardzija, Rhema McKnight, Golden Tate, Michael Floyd) and those that came after him (Will Fuller, Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool). That’s really not fair to Jones, though, as he is second all-time in terms of receptions at Notre Dame.

To go along with that, he is seventh all-time at Notre Dame in receiving yards and touchdowns for a career as well, as he was one of the more consistent weapons for this Irish offense for many years.

So, how did Jones largely become so forgotten? Well, he steadily improved in each season, but never put together a single season as dominant as Tate. Rather, he was a player who could be relied upon each week, and as he continued to grow at the collegiate level, he became more of a weapon.

Still, there’s no denying that Jones was the dominant receiving threat during the early years of the Brian Kelly era.

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