Notre Dame Football Program: Home to an NFL Legacy

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — RJ Oben and Howard Cross III met before their freshman seasons of high school, two New Jersey kids without driver’s licenses whose dads seemed to know each other. Oben was about to jump into the St. Peter’s Prep program that’s been kind to Notre Dame the past decade, producing Brandon Wimbush and the Ademilola twins. Cross was starting his own high school career at St. Joseph Regional, a place that would help him grow into a four-star prospect who eventually signed with Notre Dame.

The future teammates scrimmaged against one another back then, afterward heading to the Cross home for a meal. Neither was quite sure where this would head. That season would be Oben’s third playing tackle football, the beginning of an arc that took him to Duke before becoming one of Notre Dame’s prized additions from the transfer portal this winter.

But back then Oben and Cross were just getting started, not quite sure how linked they already were.

“Obviously stayed connected (with Cross) throughout my high school career,” Oben said. “Glad to be here with him.”

From a micro perspective, Oben and Cross eventually becoming teammates feels like an it’s-a-small-world story. Their fathers — offensive lineman Roman Oben and defensive lineman Howard Cross II — were teammates for four years with the New York Giants. What are the odds that a couple of NFL lifers would have sons who would find their way onto the same college roster? Turns out, the Oben-Cross connection is a story because of how many times it’s being written and rewritten within the Notre Dame football program.

Earlier this month, Notre Dame landed a commitment from three-star wide receiver Elijah Burress, the son of former Michigan State star and 14-year NFL wideout Plaxico Burress. That career crossed paths in Pittsburgh with Jerome Bettis, Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor. Bettis’ son, Jerome Jr., could be one of Notre Dame’s next commitments in the Class of 2025. Ivan Taylor, the son of Ike, is the top-rated prospect in that group. And Jordan Clark, son of Ryan, transferred from Arizona State to Notre Dame this winter.

Current Notre Dame players and recruits

PlayerFatherNFL Experience

RJ Oben

Roman Above

New York Giants (1996-99), Cleveland (2000-01), Tampa (2002-03), San Diego (2004-07)

Jordan Clark

Ryan Clark

NY Giants (2002-03), Washington (2004-05), Pittsburgh (2006-13), Washington (2014)

Kennedy Urlacher

Brian Urlacher

Chicago (2000-12)

Bryce Young

Bryant Young

San Francisco (1994-2007)

James Flanigan

Jim Flanigan

Chicago (1994-2000), Green Bay (2001), San Francisco (2002), Philadelphia (2003)

Ivan Taylor

Ike Taylor

Pittsburgh (2003-14)

Elijah Burress

Plaxico Burress

Pittsburgh (2000-04), NY Giants (2005-08), NY Jets (2011), Pittsburgh (2012-13)

Benjamin Morrison

Darryl Morrison

Washington (1993-96)

Rocco Spindler

Marc Spindler

Detroit (1990-94), NY Jets (1995-96), Detroit (1997-98)

Howard Cross III

Howard Cross II

NY Giants (1989-2001)

Jerome Bettis Jr *

Jerome Bettis

Los Angeles/St. Louis (1993-95), Pittsburgh (1996-2005)

*Bettis is an uncommitted prospect in the Class of 2025

“This is the school that all of our dads grew up watching,” Clark said. “This place is the mecca of college football, and I think anybody who’s played football at a high level … they walk into the building and see the attention to detail, they see coach (Al) Golden’s ball disruption chart, they see how involved (Marcus) Freeman is with his players. They talk to the position coaches and they hear the knowledge that they have, and they want their children to be in a position to be able to do the things they did and to be able to chase their dreams.”

Kennedy Urlacher, whose father Brian was a Hall of Fame linebacker in Chicago, has that same link in Notre Dame’s next recruiting class to four-star tight end James Flanigan, whose father Jim played at Notre Dame before a 10-year NFL career that started with the Bears alongside Urlacher. Flanagan’s time in the pros included one season in San Francisco, where he teamed with Hall of Fame defensive lineman Bryant Young, another Notre Dame graduate.

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Young’s son Bryce is now a teammate with Urlacher in Notre Dame’s freshman class.

The list goes on. Joe Alt’s father, John, was a 13-year pro with Kansas City. And the father of potential All-America cornerback Benjamin Morrison played three seasons with Washington.

These sons of pros understand how much tradition is baked into the Notre Dame program. And the dads, who walked a similar path, were able to see what works and what doesn’t while getting through college and into the NFL.

“The thing about tradition (is) being able to live up to something and obviously feeling that around you,” Oben said. “Obviously the people that wore the gold before, I think that kind of plays into it, kind of seeing that side of knowing what’s established here but making a name for yourself as well. And knowing that there’s a place where you can maximize yourself. Everyone is coming here to be the best they can be. And I think when you come to a place where everyone is trying to achieve greatness, just going off of that.”

Freeman is a part of this, too, and not just because of his recruiting charisma. He was briefly teammates with Urlacher in Chicago, although his NFL career was limited to practice squads. Still, Notre Dame’s head coach was at least drafted. And he saw football unceremoniously end on account of a heart condition and the fact he didn’t want to embrace the grind of being a professional football player.

Freeman was the type of player these ultra-successful NFL dads saw anonymously cycle through as teammates, most of them having to quit football before they were ready to give up the game. And that underscores a point Freeman uses in recruiting, that there’s always a next act after football, ready or not. The NFL dads, even if they were 10-year pros, can appreciate that more than most.

“The opportunities here are endless. And I think that’s not just on the field, but off the field as well, seeing both sides,” Oben said. “And obviously my dad and my parents have both put forth that lens of seeing both sides of the world and knowing that you’re not going to play football for the rest of your life. Notre Dame offered this tremendous opportunity for guys both ways. There’s a lot of guys who went here who are teammates with my dad.”

Urlacher said: “Honestly, I just think our parents obviously know education is just as important as football is. And there’s no better place than Notre Dame for both of those aspects.”

Ryan Clark got a taste of this about six months before his son entered the transfer portal when he had Freeman on The Pivot podcast, recorded in Notre Dame Stadium with Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. The hosts all played in the SEC, then combined for 33 seasons in the NFL. Freeman was a practice squad player, but there was enough of an NFL bond that he could connect with Clark on the show.

Jordan Clark admitted he never actually listened to the episode of the show, but he heard enough about Freeman and Notre Dame from his dad before entering the portal. He looked at Oregon, Florida State and Iowa State before signing with Notre Dame.

“My dad already had spoken highly of him and felt good about him, so when we got here, it was so quick to feel natural,” Clark said. “I know if my dad trusts you and feels good about you and he’s willing to bring me up here, then you’re a good man. It was pretty easy to buy into what he was saying and listen to what he was saying. He was an honestly good guy.”

The path from an NFL home to Notre Dame might have been different for Clark than it was for Cross and Oben and their teammates, but they have all reached the same destination.

Freeman talks openly in recruiting about how football always ends, telling his story about how the game was taken away from him before he was ready to give it up. And when it comes to recruiting the sons of NFL alumni who are living the postscript of their athletic careers, it’s a pitch that clearly resonates. Notre Dame’s roster bears that out.

(Photo of Howard Cross: Joe Robbins / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

2024-02-15 22:36:41
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