Before Saturday’s game against Virginia, the Notre Dame football team will recognize its 29 seniors for their contributions to the program. Many of them remained in South Bend through a coaching change and helped bring Notre Dame back into the College Football Playoff conversation this year. A look back at the best moments achieved by the members of this year’s senior class in blue and gold.

Kiser breaks down the end zone door

When graduate linebacker Jack Kiser led Notre Dame with eight tackles and two tackles for loss in his first career start in 2020, Irish fans felt they had a high-caliber defender on their hands. Four years later, they were proven right. In six seasons in South Bend, Kiser started 27 games, making 234 tackles, including a dozen for loss.

In 2021, Kiser became the rare defender to score two touchdowns in the same season. He first made a 66-yard interception return to the end zone in Week 4 against Wisconsin, helping Notre Dame to a top-25 ranking. Two months later, on Senior Day against Georgia Tech, he contributed to an Irish shutout with a 43-yard interception return to the house.

Evans scores Gator Bowl winning touchdown

For a Notre Dame program accustomed to prolific tight end play, the 2022 Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina marked a glorious transition of power. Michael Mayer had led Notre Dame the previous three years, setting the Irish record for receiving touchdowns earlier in the season. But with Mayer out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft, the time is right for current senior Mitchell Evans.

Evans had already become known for his tight “Mitch-a-Palooza” sneak plays, one of which resulted in his first career touchdown at UNLV. But he hadn’t managed to get a receiving score yet. That changed with less than 100 seconds left in Notre Dame’s shootout victory, as senior Tyler Buchner connected with the current senior for the game-winning touchdown from 18 yards out. Evans’ role would extend into 2023, as he had 422 receiving yards on 29 catches in eight games before getting injured.

Cross becomes a one-man wrecking crew at Duke

After Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the 2023 season, a heartbreaker against Ohio State, graduate defensive lineman Howard Cross III made sure the Irish got back into the win column a week later. Playing in prime time for the second straight Saturday at Duke, Cross had a career-high 13 tackles with three and a half tackles for loss. After Notre Dame took a 21-14 lead late in the fourth quarter, Cross dashed any chance of a response from Duke, ending the game with a strip sack.

The remarkable performance in Durham would earn Cross several honors, including Bednarik Player of the Week, Senior Defensive Player of the Week and Lott Impact Trophy Player of the Week. Now 60 games into his Irish career, Cross has 164 tackles, 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.

Watts has his breakout month

A Nebraska native who began his Irish career at wide receiver, graduate safety Xavier Watts joined the secondary in 2021. Initially a rover, playing a hybrid of linebacker and safety, Watts waited his turn behind Kyle Hamilton and Brandon Joseph. Then, in October last year, he became a household name.

After picking off passes in road wins at NC State and Duke, Watts played in USC’s blowout at Notre Dame on October 14. In that game, he twice intercepted reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, forced a fumble and returned another for a touchdown. In his next game against Pittsburgh, Watts would again claim two interceptions. He finished the season as the nation’s leading pick with seven, winning the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player.

Collins’ crucial catch at College Station

Transferring from Clemson before this season, graduate wide receiver Beaux Collins had already played twice against the Irish in his career. On August 31, he put on a Notre Dame uniform for the first time as the team opened its 2024 season with a top-20 showdown at Texas A&M. Coming into the Irish program with 1,290 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in his three seasons at Clemson, Collins figured to contribute heavily to Notre Dame’s passing game. When the Irish needed a late score at Kyle Field, it did just that.

With five minutes remaining and Notre Dame down 29, senior quarterback Riley Leonard spotted Collins in single coverage down the left sideline. He threw a perfect ball to the back and Collins made a superb forceful catch to secure a 20-yard gain and bring the Irish to midfield. The play would speed up Notre Dame’s drive, resulting in a go-ahead run and a game-winning touchdown.

Collins currently leads the Irish with 29 catches and 374 receiving yards this season.

Leonard’s legs lead the way for Notre Dame’s resurgence

Riley Leonard arrived as a senior transfer from Duke this past offseason with plenty of question marks. He had spent most of his 2023 season on the shelf, and his injuries continued into the offseason and kept him out of spring practices at Notre Dame. But at the same time, his upside was undeniable, reminiscent of his historic 2022 season with the Blue Devils. Two games into his career at Notre Dame, that edge hasn’t shown up much, as Leonard followed a conservative game plan at Texas A&M and threw two costly interceptions against Northern Illinois.

Then came the Purdue game in week three. With Notre Dame 1-1 and likely needing to win 10 straight games just to reach the College Football Playoff, Leonard made sure the Irish didn’t waste any time. Running the football like a man possessed, he totaled 100 yards and three touchdowns on the ground before the Irish 66-7 victory reached halftime. Notre Dame has won six more straight games since this afternoon in West Lafayette, with Leonard rushing for 13 scores and passing for nine more this season.

Bauman’s perseverance pays off on his first touchdown

In that Purdue game, Kevin Bauman also had his first career touchdown, and it was a long time coming. The graduated tight end made his college debut on September 19, 2020, before suffering a fractured fibula in 2021, a torn ACL in 2022, and another torn ACL before the season even started 2023. As a result, the New Jersey native has only played in 12 games over his first four seasons.

But Bauman has not hung up his crampons. He continued to push, getting to the point where he could play a career-high seven games this year. In his first game at Purdue, he hauled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Steve Angeli, and his teammates absolutely lost it. They tackled Bauman in the corner of the end zone, sealing the memory of a play he will likely never forget.

Mills and Clark bring the boom against Florida State

Two other graduate students stepped up during Notre Dame’s most recent beating of Florida State. Playing under the lights in South Bend for the first time this season, defensive tackle Rylie Mills delivered a historic performance. No. 99 collected a career-high three sacks, doubling his total for the season and bringing his career total to 15.5. One of his takedowns in the second half forced the Seminoles into a passing situation, leading to the first interception of Irish nickelback Jordan Clark’s career. A transfer from Arizona State, Clark left his mark on Notre Dame on and off the field, defending four passes this season while hosting his podcast “The Irish Scoop.”