Getty ImagesIt was widely expected that Michael Floyd would take his leave of Notre Dame for early entry into the NFL.
Fortunately for the Irish offense in 2011, those expectations weren’t met.
Calling it “one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my life”, the wide receiver announced Wednesday that he will be returning to South Bend for another season. Floyd said he weighed a “place that’s been an incredible home to me” with “a lifelong goal to play football at the highest level” before deciding he will be returning to Notre Dame for his senior season.
“I’m returning to Notre Dame for three reasons: to earn my degree, return Notre Dame to the top and improve myself as a player,” Floyd said in a statement. “First, I promised my mom I would graduate from Notre Dame and I am 40 credit hours shy of attaining that goal. I chose to attend Notre Dame in part because I knew it was a 40-year decision and not a four-year decision. Graduating from Notre Dame will help me for the rest of my life. Second, I want to get Notre Dame back to a BCS game. I believe we are very close to returning the Irish to where we belong and I want to be part of something great. Lastly, I want to show everyone in the country that I’m the best wide receiver in college football in 2011. There are many things I need to improve, but I feel with the coaching I have at Notre Dame, I can become the best at my position in this game.”
In starting 29 of the 30 games he’s played for the Irish, Floyd’s totals of 171 receptions and 2,539 receiving yards are second and third, respectively, in school history.
Needless to say, head coach Brian Kelly is very excited to have the services of one of the most talented and productive receivers return for another year.
“I know Michael put a great deal of thought in determining whether he should enter the NFL this year and I truly appreciate and respect him for realizing the gravity of his decision,” Kelly said. “Whether Michael went to the NFL this year or next year would not have changed my opinion that he will have a long and successful career at the next level. I would have supported Michael’s decision either way, but obviously I am thrilled he will be part of our team in 2011.”
Huge. This team could make a run at a BCS game next year.
So basically he was told he wouldn’t be drafted as high as he hoped.
It’s a great day to be an irish fan! We will be in a bcs bowl next year for sure. Our recruiting class is pretty damn good too!
If he didn’t get a high draft grade, it could be guilt by association like Clausen had with Quinn. Golden Tate had an eh rookie season and that might have some wondering about him but I actually think that he’s better than Tate and will be a much better professional receiver.
Hold your horses just a bit there pardner, Michael is not quite good enough to carry the team yet. He has to raise that game a bit. He still cringes a little bit going over the middle and has some tendencies towards short-arming some potential catches. There are also still some holes in the dike to address over there in South Bend before we can start talking about BCS.
This is fine news indeed for the Irish but they are still at least a year – season – short of being BACK. Floyd has tons of talent but he does seem a bit injury-prone.
They’ve got a good recruiting class coming and they are on the way.
rcali – your comment was a bit snarky but I think there was some truth to it.
By the same token a degree from Notre Dame carries a lot more weight than one from Ohio State or some such institution. And Notre Dame’s graduation rate among its athletes is annually in the 90s. Even among the football players.
Lest I be accused of picking on Ohio State – Remember Greg Oden, the basketball player from OSU? In his last semester his two courses were Sociology and The History of Rock & Roll.
Source – Sports Illustrated