JUL 10, 2015 4:43p ET
JUL 10, 2015 4:43p ET
He rose from preferred walk-on, to starter, to star. And now Joe Schmidt just might be the key for the Notre Dame defense heading into the 2015 season, if he can fully recover from a 2014 ankle injury.
A tad undersized, the 6-0, 235-pound middle linebacker was lightly recruited coming out of Mater Dei High School in California in 2011. However, the tiny Schmidt produced big time results last year.
Schmidt’s first career start came in the 2014 season opener and the junior LB did not disappoint, recording a team-high eight tackles during the Fighting Irish’s 31-0 victory over Rice.