Notre Dame football has been riding a ton of recruiting momentum over the last several weeks, and for the better part of the last few years. Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are acquiring talent at an all-time level, which has opened up the program’s championship potential for the foreseeable future. While Freeman and Co. have taken things to another level, this isn’t the first time we have seen big-time recruiting in recent memory.

While the Charlie Weiss era fizzled out quickly, he did a good job bringing in talent, most notably on the offensive side of the football. When I looked back at the 2027 recruiting class, which ended up ranked as the No. 6 class in the country on the composite ranking, it was an interesting team to evaluate in retrospect. That group gave us two future NFL Pro Bowlers, a potential Hall of Famer, a massive NFL Draft bust, and the trainer of a future Notre Dame player, or maybe two.

It was a fascinating group to evaluate. Here were some of the headliners.

QB Jimmy Clausen 

Once viewed as the Golden Boy as a No. 1 recruit coming out of Oaks Christian, Clausen landed in South Bend with some unrealistic expectations. After a few early career struggles on a bad Notre Dame team, the talented signal caller put together an outstanding season in 2009 for the Fighting Irish, passing for 3,722 yards and 28 touchdowns, while throwing just four interceptions and completing 68 percent of his passes. Clausen threw for 8,148 yards and 60 touchdowns during his three seasons with the team before declaring for the 2010 NFL Draft. 

Clausen was selected in the second round by the Carolina Panthers. He started ten games as a rookie in 2010, but he struggled mightily. The Panthers proceeded to select Cam Newton with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. That forced Clausen to be Newton’s backup, and the team eventually waived him in August of 2013. Clausen would spend two more seasons in the NFL in 2014 and 2015 with the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens as a backup quarterback. That would conclude Clausen’s NFL career, throwing for 2,520 yards, seven touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. 

After his NFL career in 2015, Clausen transitioned into the real estate industry, and he has also done some occasional broadcasting work, including serving as a college football analyst. Clausen is now based in Southern California, where he serves as a real estate developer and private investor.

WR Duval Kamara 

Like Clausen, Kamara landed in South Bend with five-star expectations. Needless to say, his career did not live up to the hype. The 6-4, 225-pound pass catcher played four years for the Fighting Irish from 2007 to 2010. During that stretch, Kamara managed to haul in 86 receptions for 893 yards and nine touchdowns. It’s uncertain what Kamar is up to these days. 

CB Gary Gray 

Gray was a four-year contributor for Notre Dame from 2007 to 2010. During that stretch, Gray ended up recording 176 total tackles, six interceptions, 12 pass breakups, and 5.5 tackles for loss. Following his time in South Bend, Gray entered his post-playing career. Since 2012, he has had stops at Window Gang, Bounce Logistics, and Orbital Engineering. Gray has been the site supervisor with Summit Building Services LLC over the last three years.

TE Mike Ragone 

Ragone spent five seasons in South Bend, but he was never able to make much of an impact for the Fighting Irish. Due to a redshirt season and another one lost due to injury, Ragone was able to utilize a sixth season and transfer to Kansas. During those six seasons on the college level, the New Jersey native made 13 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. The former top-100 player has had multiple career spots since football ended, including working at JB Hunt, Ryder Supply Chain Solutions, and Republic Services. Ragone is now a director of transportation at Sysco in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.

OT Matt Romine 

After beginning his career with Notre Dame, Romine served as a backup on the offensive line. He ended up playing in 24 games and earning two letters during his Fighting Irish career, earning his bachelor’s degree while with the program. During his one season of eligibility remaining in 2011, Romine opted to transfer to Tulsa. In that lone year, Romine started 13 games for the Golden Hurricane. The team went 8-5 during that season. He is now the founder and principal consultant for Level Field Utility Services.

RB Robert Hughes 

With a lot of expectations heading into his Notre Dame career, Hughes did not live up to expectations. He managed to rush for just 1,392 yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons, adding another 43 receptions for 370 yards. Hughes would manage to play three seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. Now that his football career is over, Hughes resides in St. Louis, Missouri. He works for S&R Marketing and Consulting.

WR Golden Tate 

Tate spent three years with Notre Dame, and he became the actual Golden Boy of the class, becoming an All-American and the first Irish wide receiver to win the Fred Biletnikoff Award. During that stretch, Tate hauled in 157 receptions for 2,707 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was selected in the second round of the 201o NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks. In 11 years with the Seahawks and Detroit Lions, Tate became one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Tate managed to make 695 receptions for 8,278 yards and 46 touchdowns, winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and making one Pro Bowl.

OLB Kerry Neal 

During his four years with Notre Dame, Neal became a valuable contributor, ending his career with 112 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, an interception, and five pass breakups. Neal is now the CEO at WIN Performance, which prepares high school athletes to make the jump to the college level. The former Fighting Irish defender has been training 2027 Notre Dame defensive tackle commit David Folorunsho, as well as top remaining target Brayden Parks, in the Chicagoland area.

RB Armando Allen 

While Allen’s Notre Dame career didn’t quite live up to expectations, he was still a good player for the Fighting Irish. During his four years, Allen rushed for 2,144 yards and eight touchdowns, while also hauling in 119 receptions for 833 yards and three more scores. After going undrafted, Allen spent two seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, finishing his time with 44 total touches. Allen is now the special teams coordinator and running backs coach at Murray State on the college level. He previously spent time with Hialeah High School, Miami (OH), Texas Southern, Charleston Southern, and Northwood Academy during his coaching journey.

DT Ian Williams 

Williams was a four-year starter for Notre Dame and ended his career with 161 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions. Following graduation, Williams spent five seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers after originally signing as an undrafted free agent. His NFL career was cut short due to an ankle injury. Williams is now an NFL analyst for CBS, NBC, and Sirius.

S Harrison Smith

After an odd early career at linebacker, Notre Dame shifted him back to safety. Smith ended up being an All-American defender for the Fighting Irish, concluding his career with 307 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 20 pass breakups, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions. He parlayed that great ending of his career into becoming a first round selection to the Minnesota Vikings in the 2012 NFL Draft. During 14 years in the NFL, Smith has been named to six Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro selection once, hauling in 39 interceptions and collecting 1,180 total tackles.