In anticipation of what could be @NDFootball most exciting season of my lifetime, I wanted to do a countdown to kickoff using pieces from my game-used jersey collection. Each day, I’ll highlight either a jersey worn during that season (1992 = 92) or a player who wore that number. On days where I don’t have a matching jersey, I’ll share a jersey from the best player to wear that number or an interesting jersey from that year. I’m sure I’ll get a few things wrong along the way, so please jump in with corrections, stories, and additional knowledge. With 92 days until Notre Dame Football returns, we’ll start with the a 2013 Shamrock Series jersey worn by #92. #GoIrish ☘️

1 Day Until Kickoff ☘️ 2018 #1 FSU Senior Day Green Jersey Today, I’m not really here to talk about the jersey. I’m here to talk about the number. #1. That’s where I believe Notre Dame will be ranked when this season ends—with a National Championship. In my lifetime, Notre Dame has never won a national title. And in all the years I’ve watched this team, there have been plenty of seasons with preseason hype, but never quite like this. I’ve watched Notre Dame play in two National Championship games. In 2012, I was lucky enough to be on the sideline. In 2024, I watched them make another incredible run to the title game from the stands in Atlanta. Both seasons felt like a crescendo—the team had to climb its way there before ultimately playing for the championship. This season feels different. Notre Dame has the hype coming into the season because they deserve the hype coming into the season. They return an incredible amount of talent and experience, led by a quarterback in CJ Carr who looks ready to take the next step toward stardom. The defense is as deep as any in the country, and Marcus Freeman has built an elite staff with the kind of support from the administration that Notre Dame needs to compete for championships. There are no guarantees. We all know that. But for the first time in my lifetime, I don’t think Notre Dame is hoping to prove it belongs at the top. I think they’re going there. Tomorrow, we finally get to find out. Nothing is expected. Everything is earned. Leave no doubt. ☘️

2 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2002 #21 Maurice Stovall Green Alternate Home Jersey Notre Dame has a pretty incredible history of breaking out the green jerseys for big games. Unfortunately, that history cuts both ways. We’ve already covered the 2005 USC, 2007 USC and 1983 USC losses, but another famous green-jersey loss came in 2002 against Boston College. The Irish came into that game 8-0 and ranked #4 in the country, having already beaten Michigan, Michigan State, Air Force and Florida State. Then came Boston College. The Eagles beat Notre Dame 14-7, ending the perfect start. Maurice Stovall actually scored Notre Dame’s only touchdown that day on a 20-yard pass from Carlyle Holiday with just 2:25 left. There are definitely some similarities to 1993, when Boston College also played spoiler to an otherwise incredible Notre Dame season. But I don’t think the ceiling of the 2002 team was quite what it was for the ’93 team. Still, going 10-3 and spending much of the season ranked in the top five was a pretty remarkable turnaround for Tyrone Willingham’s first season. And Stovall is a particularly fun player for me to have on this jersey. He grew up in Philadelphia and played in the Philadelphia Catholic League, the same league my high school played in. I always liked following him for that reason. He arrived at Notre Dame as a freshman in 2002 and eventually developed into one of the most productive receivers in the country. By his senior year in 2005, Stovall put together an incredible season: 69 catches for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning first-team All-American honors. He finished his Notre Dame career with 130 catches, 2,195 yards and 18 touchdowns before being drafted in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft.

4 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2002 #4 Ryan Grant Home Jersey One of the little things I’ve learned doing this countdown: I always thought the American flag on the jersey was strictly a 2001 thing, but it actually remained on Notre Dame’s standard uniforms through the 2003 season. It was part of the Adidas design that carried over into the early Willingham years, making this 2002 jersey a cool reminder of that three-year uniform window. And then there’s Ryan Grant. After playing sparingly as a freshman in 2001, Grant broke out in a huge way in 2002. He became just the seventh player in Notre Dame history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, finishing with 1,085 yards and 9 touchdowns on 261 carries. His best game came against No. 15 Air Force, where he absolutely took over with 190 rushing yards in a 21–14 Notre Dame win. He also ran for 132 yards against Michigan and had four 100-yard games during the season. Grant ultimately finished his Notre Dame career with 2,220 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, but it was that breakout 2002 season that established him as one of the Irish’s great backs of the early 2000s.

5 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2005 #9 Tom Zbikowski White Away Jersey One of my best heavy-use game jerseys in my collection, it shows some really great wear throughout and is also signed by Tom on the front. The autograph is starting to fade a bit, which is why I usually avoid signatures on game-used jerseys, but this was one I couldn’t pass up. Zibby was everything you wanted in a Notre Dame football player. Hard-hitting safety, elite returner, huge personality and seemingly incapable of playing a game without making something happen. In 2005, he was a third-team All-American and one of the most dynamic defensive players in the country. He finished with five interceptions and scored four touchdowns on interception and punt returns. Against Tennessee alone, he returned a punt 78 yards and an interception 33 yards for touchdowns while leading the Irish with nine tackles. But my favorite Zibby moment might be the 60-yard punt return against USC. Notre Dame was tied 14-14 with the Trojans when Zbikowski took the punt at his own 40, broke through the coverage and zig-zagged his way into the end zone to put the Irish ahead. It was pure Zibby—physical, fearless and completely electric. And then there was the boxing career on top of it all. He actually made his professional boxing debut at Madison Square Garden while still playing football at Notre Dame, winning by first-round knockout. There probably aren’t many players who embodied the personality of Notre Dame quite like Zibby. ☘️

6 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2006 #83 Jeff Samardzija Blue Home Jersey This is the only jersey in my collection that’s actually framed and displayable—which feels pretty appropriate considering Jeff Samardzija is one of my favorite Notre Dame players of all time. Samardzija was an absolute star for the Irish. In 2005, he became a consensus All-American after setting Notre Dame single-season records with 1,249 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. He followed it up with another 1,000-yard season in 2006, finishing with 78 catches for 1,017 yards and 12 touchdowns. And then there’s the play. Down 17-13 to UCLA with just over a minute left, Brady Quinn led an 80-yard drive in three plays. The final one was a 45-yard touchdown to Samardzija with 27 seconds left. He took the hit, kept his balance and found the end zone for one of the most iconic Notre Dame plays of my lifetime. It was later voted the No. 1 play of the Charlie Weis era by Notre Dame fans. But what makes Jeff even more special to me is that he played baseball at Notre Dame too. Growing up in Philly, I was able to catch the Irish baseball team when they came east to play teams like Villanova. Jeff was kind enough to sign some baseballs for my friends and me while we were celebrating my birthday at one of those games. So this jersey is more than just one of my favorite Notre Dame gamers. It’s tied to one of my favorite players, one of my favorite Notre Dame memories, and a pretty cool personal memory from when I was growing up. ☘️

7 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2007 #59 Throwback ‘77 USC Jersey Notre Dame has experimented with a handful of throwback uniforms over the years, but these remain my favorite. These jersey were designed to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of the 1977 National Championship season, and for the most part, they nailed it. The green jersey, gold pants, striping and overall construction captured the look of the original ‘77 USC Green Jersey Game remarkably well. The one thing that always bothered me was the numbering font. It stayed with the more modern Notre Dame style instead of completely recreating the 1977 numbers. One other incredibly small knit….but on countdown day 77, I highlighted the original 1977 USC jersey had that unique horizontal hem where the collar met the jersey. Adding that same detail here would have made an already great throwback feel almost perfect. Still, these are one of my favorite Notre Dame throwbacks—and one of the rare times the Irish really committed to recreating a specific uniform rather than just borrowing elements from the past. While it’s hard to find a specific reason to commemorate the early 80s seasons, I am desperately hoping that Notre Dame brings back the Madonna Blue jerseys from the Faust era for a throwback soon.☘️

8 Days Until Kickoff ☘️ 2008 #7 Jimmy Clausen Home Blue Jersey Another jersey where I’m not quite sure whether it’s game-used or team-issued. There are a few things that look like they could indicate game use, but I’d also expect to see more weathering on the white #7 if it had seen significant action. And Jimmy definitely took his share of hits. Either way, #7 is a pretty important one to have. Clausen’s Notre Dame career didn’t exactly start quietly. He arrived with enormous expectations, but by 2008 he was beginning to show why he was considered such a highly touted prospect. As a sophomore, he threw for 3,172 yards and 25 touchdowns, then took another massive step forward in 2009. That 2009 season was special. Clausen threw for 3,722 yards, 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 68% of his passes. He led seven 300-yard passing games, a Notre Dame single-season record at the time, and shared the team MVP award with Golden Tate. He finished his Irish career with 8,148 passing yards and 60 touchdowns, leaving Notre Dame as one of the most productive quarterbacks in school history. As we count down to this year’s kickoff, Clausen’s Junior season is exactly the type of year I’m hoping for some CJ Carr. And this is another one where I’ll keep looking for the real gamer. ☘️

9 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2008 #9 Kyle Rudolph Away Jersey A cool look at the 2008 Adidas jerseys here. The white away has the mesh body with the solid white shoulders and sleeves, with the navy-and-gold numbers. Simple, classic Notre Dame. I had too many great choices for #9 when I planned out these final 30 days, so I had to get creative. I have one more #9 to highlight in addition to slotting Jaylon in for 14, but today is all about Kyle Rudolph. Rudolph was a freak from the moment he arrived in South Bend. He became the first freshman in Notre Dame history to start the season opener at tight end and finished his freshman year with 29 catches for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He went on to finish his Irish career with 90 catches, 1,032 yards and eight touchdowns before becoming a 2nd-round pick of the Vikings. And he turned that potential into a really good NFL career — 482 catches, 4,773 yards and 50 touchdowns over 12 seasons, including a Pro Bowl season in 2012. One of the best tight ends to come through Notre Dame in my lifetime. ☘️

10 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2006 #10 Brady Quinn Home (Army) & Away Jerseys I always prefer to collect game-used jerseys, but sometimes you have to settle for what appears to be team-issued. There’s no way to know for sure without provenance, so you look for the signs of use. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find enough evidence to confidently call either of these game-used. But when it’s @Brady_Quinn, I’m not complaining. Having both his 2006 Green Home and Away jerseys is pretty special — and having the Senior Day Green Army jersey makes it even better. BQ is my all-time favorite Notre Dame player, and his career is still one of the most impressive stretches by a quarterback in school history. He finished with 11,762 passing yards and 95 touchdowns, set 36 Notre Dame records, and won 29 games as the Irish starter. He finished third in the 2006 Heisman voting, won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Maxwell Award, and was ultimately a first-round pick of the Browns. For me, though, it’s always going to be about watching #10 play. The confidence, the toughness, the big throws — BQ was the guy for me growing up watching Notre Dame. And yes, I’m still always looking for a legitimate BQ gamer. ☘️

11 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2011 #11 Tommy Rees Away Jersey A neat match for the countdown — 2011 and #11. You don’t get too many opportunities where the year and the player’s number line up this perfectly. Tommy Rees was one of those Notre Dame quarterbacks who seemed to always find himself in the middle of the story. He finished his career with a 23–8 record as a starter, 7,351 passing yards and 61 touchdown passes. He also played in four seasons from 2010–13, giving him a pretty unique place in the modern history of Notre Dame quarterbacks. What makes Rees especially interesting now is what he’s done since leaving the field. He started his coaching career at Northwestern in 2015, eventually returned to Notre Dame as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, spent 2023 as Alabama’s OC/QB coach, and then made the jump to the NFL with Cleveland. After becoming the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2025, Rees is now the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons. Not a bad second act for a guy whose first act was wearing #11 in South Bend.

12 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2012 #5 Manti Te’o Home Purdue Game Captain’s Jersey 2012 was the first year Notre Dame added the captain’s “C” to the jerseys, and this Purdue game was actually the first time the patches appeared on the field. For whatever reason, they weren’t worn in Ireland against Navy, making this the first game where Notre Dame captains actually wore the “C.” 2012 was also unique because Notre Dame heat-pressed the game designation into the jerseys. Put those two details together and this jersey can actually be identified as the first captain’s jersey in Notre Dame history. That’s the kind of small detail that makes collecting game-used jerseys so much fun. And then there’s Manti Te’o. An absolutely incredible Notre Dame player and the heart of the 2012 defense. He finished that undefeated regular season with 113 tackles and seven interceptions, becoming the first Notre Dame linebacker to record seven picks in a season. He won essentially every major defensive award, was a unanimous All-American and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting — the highest finish ever for a Notre Dame defensive player at the time. He was more than just the statistics, though. Manti was the leader and emotional center of that 2012 team. This jersey represents both an incredible player and a pretty remarkable little piece of Notre Dame uniform history. ☘️

13 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2013 #2 Bennett Jackson Home Captain Jersey Starting in 2012, Notre Dame began adding the “C” to the jerseys of its designated team captains. This one has it prominently on the upper chest, making it a pretty cool detail on an already great example of the 2013 Adidas jerseys. You can also see the textured pattern Adidas introduced across the chest that year. Bennett Jackson is an especially interesting Notre Dame story. He arrived in South Bend as a wide receiver, played primarily on special teams early in his career, and then made the move to cornerback. By 2012, he had become a starter and picked off four passes while finishing third on the team with 65 tackles. In 2013, Jackson was one of three team captains alongside Zack Martin and T.J. Jones, and the only captain from the defensive side of the ball. He started all 13 games, finished with 64 tackles and two interceptions, and even returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown against Purdue. He finished his Notre Dame career having gone from a freshman receiver trying to find his place to a starting cornerback and captain. Then, in 2014, he was selected by the Giants in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. Pretty fitting jersey for a player whose Notre Dame career was really defined by making the transition from one role to another—and eventually becoming a leader. ☘️

14 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2014 #9 Jaylon Smith Home Jersey 2014 was the first year of Under Armour at Notre Dame, but the uniforms themselves were more of a transition than a complete redesign. The basic look carried over from the 2013 Adidas jerseys, with the biggest change being UA’s construction and a slightly longer fit. Jaylon Smith, though, was already becoming something special. As a sophomore in 2014, he led the Irish defense with 112 tackles and earned AP Second-Team All-American honors and Notre Dame Defensive Player of the Year. He also had a pair of 14-tackle games that season, against Stanford and USC. And 2014 was really just the beginning. The following year, Smith became the heart of the Irish defense, putting together 113 tackles and winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker, becoming only the second player ever to win the award at both the high school and collegiate levels.

15 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2015 #7 Will Fuller Shamrock Series Jersey The 2015 Shamrock Series took Notre Dame to Fenway Park to face Boston College, and Under Armour went all-in on the setting. The Irish wore an all-green uniform inspired by Fenway’s Green Monster, with 11 breaks in the shoulder and pant stripes representing Notre Dame’s 11 consensus national championships. The gold helmets featured the Leprechaun, while “Irish” was scripted across the chest. It was also the first football game played at Fenway in 47 years, making the setting pretty special. Notre Dame won a tight one, 19–16, in a game that felt like a perfect fit for the Shamrock Series. And then there’s Will Fuller. One of my favorite Notre Dame receivers of this era and one of the most electric players to wear the Irish uniform. His 2014 season was incredible — 76 catches for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns — and he followed it with another huge year in 2015 before leaving for the NFL. My favorite Fuller moment, though, came just a couple months before this jersey was worn. Down 27–26 at Virginia with 12 seconds left, DeShone Kizer hit Fuller for the walk-off 39-yard touchdown to give Notre Dame the 34–27 win. One of those plays that still immediately comes to mind when I think of Will Fuller at Notre Dame.

16 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2016 #5 Nyles Morgan Shamrock Series Jersey The 2016 Shamrock Series took Notre Dame to San Antonio to face Army, and the uniforms leaned heavily into the military connection. The olive green jerseys and gold pants were built around the “God. Country. Notre Dame.” inscription carved above the side door of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. That same design was incorporated into the sleeves and the hand-painted gold helmets. Like I mentioned on day 48, I’ve never loved these as a uniform. I actually loved the custom-painted helmets and the idea behind them, but the olive green and muted gold never quite felt like Notre Dame to me. They’re definitely one of the more experimental Shamrock Series designs. One detail I appreciate more looking back is how much the design tried to connect Notre Dame itself to the military theme rather than just throwing camouflage on a jersey. The font for the numbers and lettering was also inspired by that same Basilica inscription. And on the field, the Irish absolutely dominated Army, winning 44–6. Notre Dame’s defense held the Black Knights to just 66 rushing yards, which was especially impressive against Army’s triple-option offense. DeShone Kizer accounted for three touchdowns. Not every Shamrock Series uniform is a hit—but they all tell a piece of Notre Dame’s story. ☘️🏈

17 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2017 #77 Rockne Heritage Jersey This is one of my favorite Notre Dame alternate uniforms because it actually feels like a full concept rather than simply a different jersey. The dark navy, gold numbers and old-school ND monogram were all designed around Knute Rockne’s era. The monogram itself was taken from a 1912 Notre Dame varsity sweater associated with Rockne. There are a ton of little details packed into this one. The football-shaped Rockne signature patch, the three stars above the back collar representing his three national championships, and the 18 slashes incorporated into the numbers as a nod to the markings in Notre Dame Stadium’s end zones. The sleeves also feature words from Rockne’s famous “get them on the run” speech. And, of course, ROCKNE across the back — something Notre Dame almost never does. The uniform was worn against Navy on Senior Day in 2017, honoring Rockne and the opening of the renovated Notre Dame Stadium, the “House that Rock Built.”

18 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2018 #11 Alohi Gilman Shamrock Series Jersey The 2018 Shamrock Series was one of the more memorable uniform concepts Notre Dame has done. Playing Syracuse at Yankee Stadium, the Irish went all-in on the setting and paid homage to the Yankees with pinstripes on the sleeves, pants and gloves, a matte navy helmet, and the script “Notre Dame” across the jersey chest modeled after the Yankees’ lettering. It’s a pretty wild uniform when you look at it as a football jersey, but I actually love the idea behind it. Notre Dame has such a long history at Yankee Stadium — including the famous 1928 Army game — that leaning into the Yankees made sense for this Shamrock Series. The Irish beat Syracuse 36-3 that afternoon. And then there’s Alohi Gilman, who wore #11 for Notre Dame from 2017-19 after transferring from Navy. He became one of the leaders of that defense, earning second-team All-American honors in 2018 before finishing his career as a key piece of the 2018 and 2019 teams.

19 Days Until Kickoff. ☘️ 2019 #89 Senior Day ’88’ Throwback Uniform I’ve always thought the idea behind these was really cool. For the 150th anniversary season, Notre Dame went back to the 1988 national championship-era uniforms for Senior Day against Boston College, complete with the special 150 patch. The throwback itself had a lot going for it. The classic blue-and-gold color combination, the ND on the sleeve, and the return to the ’88 aesthetic all made sense for the occasion. I especially liked the decision to make it a true throwback rather than simply putting a modern Notre Dame uniform into a retro color scheme. The execution, though, left me wanting a little more. They were clearly trying to recreate the look and feel of the old mesh jerseys, but the modern materials and construction didn’t quite capture that same vintage appearance. They also used the modern ‘ND’ on the sleeve compared to the less vertical / more horizontal ND of the ‘88 era. It’s a cool concept that I think could have been even better with a more authentic reproduction of the original jersey construction. Still, celebrating 150 years of Notre Dame football by bringing back one of the most iconic uniforms in school history was a pretty fitting way to mark the occasion.