Welcome back to another edition of Subway Domer’s Wu Am I?series. This is a look at who the 36 players of impact are on this Notre Dame Football team for 2010. If you have missed some of the previous Wu Am I? posts from 2010, please check out: Chambers 1&2, Chambers 3&4, Chambers 5&6, Chambers 7&8, Chambers 9&10, Chambers 11&12, and Chambers 13&14.
Let’s keep this bitch rolling, as we open Chambers 15 & 16…
Michael Floyd #3
Wide Receiver
6’3″ 220 lbs.
Junior
St. Paul, Minnesota
Wu Name: Bitter Bandit
Oh my, Michael Floyd. Floyd was a part of one of the greatest WR classes in history with Julio Jones (Alabama), AJ Green (Georgia), DeAndre Brown (S. Miss.), Jonathon Baldwin (PITT), and Devier Posey (Ohio St.). Floyd’s recruitment was quiet and uncertain, but ND and Ohio State looked like the front runners. In what was a minor surprise to some, Floyd committed to Notre Dame after personally witnessing U$C destroy ND in South Bend in October of 2007. He thought he could help.As a freshman, not only did he smash just about every freshman receiving record, but he set others as well on his way to a 48 reception, 719 yard, and 7 TD season- despite missing the final two games and all but 3 plays of another due to a knee injury. (Navy chop block). He followed that up with a sophomore season that was also injury plagued with a laceration versus Michigan, and then a broken collarbone against Michigan State. In all, he only played in 7 games in 2009, but still managed 44 receptions, 795 yards, and 9 TD’s. Some might say that he is, “decent.”
Floyd will be asked to pick up a tremendous load in 2010 with the departure of Biletnikoff Award winner, Golden Tate to the NFL. The good news is that Kelly’s spread system gets others involved and should allow Mike more room to roam. The bad news is that no one is sure that Floyd can stay healthy for an entire year. There is no doubt in my mind that he could have an astronomical year if he is able to play every down. His combination of size, speed, hands, and jumping ability are as impressive as an WR in the country. There really isn’t much more to say. Floyd is a stud and if he stays healthy, he will be dominant- even with a new QB.
Anthony McDonald #54
Inside Linebacker
6’2″ 230 lbs.
Junior
Burbank, California
Wu Name: Barnyard Ninja
Anthony McDonald committed to Notre Dame in the early spring of 2007, and never looked back. Despite being a U$C legacy and a high ranked 4 star recruit, McDonald never got an offer to play for the Condoms. I’m not sure that it would have mattered, McDonald maintained that he was 120% Irish throughout the recruiting process and had Dayne Crist as his teammate to keep him steady, if he would have wavered. Once Anthony got to ND he redshirted his freshman year, and suffered a knee injury that kept him out of most of the spring in 2009. As ND went to a 4-3 instead of the previous 3-4 in 2009, McDonald found himself further down the depth chart, but he did become a valuable member of the special teams units.
Big changes are underway fo Anthony in 2010. Not only will he benefit from the change back to the 3-4, as it is THE theme for the front 7, but he flat out should have an expanded role in the defense as a starter. He still has the summer and fall camp to win that job, but more than likely he will be lining up next to Manti Te’o as the middle of the defense in 2010. Much is unknown about McDonald, but the potential to be great is there. Not just good, but great. There will be some learning pains, as will be the case for a lot of the team on both sides of the ball, but by the 4th game of the season we could be witnessing one of the best linebacking corps distribute pain, punishment, and vengeance on their opponents than what we have seen from Notre Dame in a very long time. McDonald will be a part of that new era.
