2018 Notre Dame Early Enrollees Starting to Get Numbers

Some of the 2018 Notre Dame early enrollees having been posting the numbers they will be wearing – at least for their freshman seasons – on Twitter the last few days.  Some have some lofty history to live up to.  Some will be looking to place their own stamp on jersey numbers that don’t have a lot of history at their positions.

UPDATE: Jack Lamb, George Takacs, and Jahmir Smith all have jersey numbers now as well.

Jack Lamb #31

The 4-star linebacker from California will be wearing the same number as former great linebacker Demetrius Dubose and one of my personal favorite Notre Dame running backs from my formative years of Notre Dame football – Robert Farmer.  In the case of Lamb, apparently he picked the number because he grew up a big fan of Paul Posluszny.

#NotreDame LB Jack Lamb will wear #31. Grew up a big fan of Paul Posluszny (wore 31). pic.twitter.com/qflIW5jLcX

— Kevin Sinclair (@KevinSinclair_) February 22, 2018

George Takacs #85

There isn’t a ton of history with #85 at the tight end position surprisingly for Takacs, but two all-time greats did done the number for the Irish. Wide receiver Jack Snow and defensive end and former #1 overall NFL Draft pick Walt Patulski both wore #85 in their Notre Dame careers.

Jahmir Smith #34

Tony Jones Jr is apparently getting a new number because Jahmir Smith will reportedly be wearing #34 next fall.

https://twitter.com/MJLoney/status/966775970500874242

Ray Zellars, the creator of one of the all-time greatest runs in Notre Dame history, wore #34 in the early 90’s for the Irish.  1988 National Champion linebacker Wes Prichett and Ronnie Nicks – owner of one of the best names for a linebacker in Notre Dame history – also wore #34 for the Irish.

Houston Griffith #3

I’ll be wearing #3 for the Irish next year #GoIrish ☘️

— Houston Griffith (@CoachGriffith3) February 20, 2018

One of the most famous numbers in Notre Dame lore has lost its luster a bit in recent years.  Eddie Vanderdoes was supposed to wear #3 as a defensive tackle, but never enrolled at Notre Dame.  CJ Sanders and Amir Carlisle wore #3 most recently as slot wide receivers but neither ended up living up to their hype.  Sanders decided in the off-season that he would use a graduate transfer and play his final season elsewhere in 2018.

Hopefully for the sake of Houston Griffith he reverses the recent luck with the number.  Notre Dame is counting on big things from Griffith who could still end up playing either safety or corner in the Irish defense.

Bo Bauer #52

52

— Bo Bauer (@____bb52) February 20, 2018

There isn’t a whole lot of history with the #52 at linebacker.  Joe Brockington wore the number at the end of the Charlie Weis era.  A pai of offensive line come to mind actually for #52 with centers Jeff Faine and Braxston Cave both wearing it during their Irish careers.  Faine went on to have a pretty good NFL career while Cave was unable to catch on in the NFL.

Micah Jones #80

I will be wearing #80 this year

— Micah Jones (@mej2018) February 21, 2018

There are some who think Micah Jones could grow into a tight end. If he does, he has the number for it. Oscar McBride, Tyler Eifert, and most recently Durhamm Smythe wore #80 for the Irish from the tight end position. Skip Holtz wore #80 as split end for the Irish. So too did Omar Jenkins – a wide receiver in the early 2000’s who fit a completely different mold than the massive frosh from Illinois.

Ovie Oghoufo #29

https://twitter.com/OvieOghoufo/status/966120720718852097

While Ovie Oguofo searches for a long term position, he will start his career wearing a number worn by a pair of safeties on Lou Holtz’s 1988 and 1993 teams – Stan Smagala and John Covington. The currently undersized Ogouofo will likely start his career at ROVER but many expect him to finish it at BUCK. Kevin Stepherson wore #29 for the Irish the past two seasons before getting dismissed following a string of arrests since December.