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

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

23. Stephon Tuitt, DE, 2011-13

• 126 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, 1 INT, 4 pass breakups, 1 fumble recover, 4 forced fumbles

For three years, Stephon Tuitt was a dominant force on the Notre Dame defensive line, including on the dominant 2012 defense. That year, he was a second-team AP All-American, and had 12 sacks, helping make the Notre Dame football team one of the best in the country.

Those 12 sacks were good for second all-time in a single season by a Notre Dame, behind only Justin Tuck in 2003, and his 21.5 sacks are tied for third in a career at Notre Dame. Tuitt did not take long to get started in South Bend, playing in nine games as a freshman, making three starts, but it would be his sophomore year, that 2012 season, where his star really started to shine.

As a junior, Tuitt got to the quarterback 7.5 times, and some publications, like Sports Illustrated, made him a first-team All-American selection. He declared early for the NFL Draft, forgoing his last season in South Bend, and would be a second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In Pittsburgh, he has been a solid defensive end on several good teams and dominant defensive lines.