Countdown to kickoff: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State is 25 days away

To preview one of the most anticipated games for Notre Dame this century and the official start of the Marcus Freeman era, BlueandGold.com is counting down the days to the matchup against Ohio State on Sept. 3.

This daily series of 99 stories celebrates by the numbers some of the most notable names, dates, moments and memories related to the past and present of Notre Dame football. 

With 25 days left until kickoff, here’s a brief look back at the history of the No. 25’s frequent assignment to players known for their speed.

PROMOTION: Sign up for just $1 for your first year at Blue & Gold

The great Lou Somogyi dubbed it the “speed number.”

Ever since running back Al Hunter donned it as a freshman in 1973 and ran back a kickoff in that season’s 24-23 Sugar Bowl win over Alabama, the No. 25 jersey has often been bestowed on an offensive player known for his ability to turn on the jets.

Hunter fit the description. His 93-yard return in the national championship-sealing victory over the Crimson Tide showcased his speed to the nation. It was far from the only example. In 1976, he became the first Notre Dame player to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. He also averaged 12.9 yards per reception that year.

Rocket Ismail, though, made the No. 25 Notre Dame jersey famous with the numerous explosive plays his 4.28 40-yard dash speed helped him produce. He helped the Irish win the 1988 national title as a freshman by posting an FBS-best 36.1 yard kickoff return average, with two touchdowns. He needed just 12 catches to amass 331 receiving yards that year.

He had that rare high gear. How else would one earn the nickname “Rocket?” Teammates watched in awe.

“When we lined Rocket up in the backfield and I had a strong pitch right or an option, sometimes on the strong pitch, I would pitch it to him and I would watch him run instead of carrying out my fake because he looked so smooth running and I wished I was that fast,” former Notre Dame quarterback Tony Rice said.

Ismail’s pièce de résistance was the 1990 season, when he totaled 1,236 scrimmage yards on just 99 touches. That’s 12.5 yards per touch – an even more impressive figure when two-third of those were rushing attempts. It would stand out in today’s game. In the last 10 years, just three players have averaged at least 12.5 yards per play from scrimmage while surpassing at least 300 yards rushing. The last Power Five player to do it was Tennessee’s Cordarrelle Patterson in 2012.

Can’t accomplish that without pure speed.

Ismail also averaged 24 yards per kick return in 1990, with one touchdown. His gaudy numbers were enough to win the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and finish second in Heisman Trophy voting. He returned a punt for a touchdown too…but it didn’t count. A clipping penalty wiped out a 92-yard score that would have given the Irish the lead over Colorado in the fourth quarter of the Orange Bowl. Instead, the Buffaloes hung on and clinched the national title.

Since Ismail, several other speedsters have donned No. 25. Running back Randy Kinder (1993-96) totaled 2,295 rushing yards in his career and was an All-American sprinter for the Notre Dame track team. Safety Tony Driver (1997-2000) was a high school state champion sprinter. Wide receiver Braden Lenzy (2018-present) now wears No. 0, but the two-time Oregon 400-meter state champion was No. 25 his first two seasons. He averaged 18.9 yards on 24 plays from scrimmage in 2019.

The current No. 25 owner – junior running back Chris Tyree – might be Notre Dame’s fastest offensive player. Or at least he was when he arrived two years ago. He won the Fastest Man competition at The Opening Finals in 2018 and 2019. He was a two-time 55-meter Virginia state champion.

The speed showed up right away when he averaged 6.8 yards per carry as a freshman, highlighted by a 94-yard touchdown run against Syracuse. He also put it on display in the Fiesta Bowl when he outran everyone on a 53-yard touchdown catch. Perhaps his best moment through two seasons was a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown last fall that gave Notre Dame a fourth-quarter lead over Wisconsin in a 41-13 win.

That No. 25 jersey was his from the day he enrolled. And he knew of its significance.

“I understand the honor,” Tyree said this spring, “and I understand who came before me.”