Notre Dame Football: Ranking the Top 5 Irish WRs Since 2010

Notre Dame has left something to be desired with the passing game since the start of the Brian Kelly era, but that doesn't mean it hasn't had a few marquee receivers. Here are the five best to wear blue and gold since the start of the 2010 season.

Nov. 27, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd (3) celebrates after Notre Dame defeated the USC Trojans 20-16 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame football largely turned into an afterthought the decade-and-a-half after Lou Holtz left.

Sure, there were a couple of BCS runs in there but it was more likely to see Notre Dame miss a bowl game than it was to see it in contention for anything of significance.

When Brian Kelly left for LSU following the 2021 regular season he had left some to be desired in South Bend. Marquee wins were few and far between and postseason success was nowhere to be found.

That said, he did restore Notre Dame into again being relevant on the national college football scene beyond just playing its games on NBC.

Notre Dame is in the midst of recruiting struggles at the wide receiver position, something that needs to change if it is going to close the gap on the Georgia's, Alabama's, and Ohio State's of the world.

That doesn't mean Notre Dame hasn't had some standout receivers in the last 14 seasons, though. Here are the top five receivers since the start of Brian Kelly's Notre Dame run in 2010.

5. Equanimeous St. Brown (2015-2017)

Sep 30, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (6) catches a pass and runs with the ball as Miami (Oh) Redhawks defensive back Heath Harding (24) defends in the first half of the game at Notre Dame Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Career stats: 92 receptions for 1,484 yards (16.1 YPC) and 13 touchdowns

If this was a list of the coolest names of Notre Dame's players since 2010 then Equanimeous would be a very tough one to beat. St. Brown's biggest year at Notre Dame came in its most disappointing season as he hauled in 58 receptions for 961 yards and nine touchdowns in 2016. A significantly improved running game played a role in his production going down his final year on campus, 2017.

4. Chase Claypool (2016-2019)

Nov 30, 2019; Stanford, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Chase Claypool (83) gestures to the crowd after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Career stats: 150 receptions for 2,159 yards (14.4 YPC) and 19 touchdowns; three rushes for six yards

Chase Claypool wasn't an overnight success at Notre Dame but by the end of his junior year, was the best receiver on a team that went 12-0 in the regular season. Claypoool put up 313 yards over the final four regular season games of 2018 before having a monster season in 2019, racking up nearly half of his career receiving yards that fall (66 receptions for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns).

Claypool would go on to be selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and have a huge rookie year before stumbling shortly after and enters 2024 playing for his fourth team (Buffalo Bills) since the start of the 2022 season.

3. TJ Jones (2010-2013)

Nov 9, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver TJ Jones (7) crosses into the end zone for a touchdown as Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back K'waun Williams (2) defends in the second quarter at Heinz Field. / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Career stats: 181 receptions for 2,429 yards (13.4 YPC) and 19 touchdowns; 10 rushes for 75 yards and two touchdowns


TJ Jones found the field as a freshman at Notre Dame and was a playmaker from jump. He scored three touchdowns his freshman and sophomore season, four as a junior, and nine as a senior. Jones finished his Notre Dame career with 2,429 receiving yards, 1,108 of which came as a senior. His overtime touchdown against Stanford in 2012 put Notre Dame in front before the epic goal line stand minutes later would keep Notre Dame undefeated and their national championship hopes alive.

2. Will Fuller (2013-2015)

Oct 17, 2015; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver William Fuller (7) scores touchdown as USC Trojans cornerback Adoree Jackson (2) defends in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Career stats: 144 receptions for 2,512 yards (17.4 YPC) and 30 touchdowns; two rushes for eight yards

Will Fuller is on the short list of Notre Dame players that we most missed out playing as on the EA Sports college football video game. He's as fast as just about any receiver in Notre Dame history and responsible for some of the biggest late game catches in recent memory with his heroics at Virginia and Temple in 2015 at the top of that list.

Fuller put up 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014 before taking another step and hauling in 1,258 yards and 14 more scores in 2015.

1. Michael Floyd (2008-2011)

Oct. 29, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd (3) runs after the catch for a second quarter touchdown against the Navy Midshipmen at Notre Dame Stadium. / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Career stats: 271 receptions for 3,686 yards (13.6 YPC) and 37 touchdowns; four rushes for 30 yards and one touchdown

Michael Floyd put up numbers in his four years at Notre Dame that very possibly will never be touched. We're focused on just his final two years though, as this list counts what has happened at receiver since 2010.

Floyd had a remarkable 75 receptions for 1,025 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns but that was hardly anything compared to his senior year that saw him record 100 receptions for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns. Floyd had an NFL body from the second he stepped on Notre Dame's campus and was a mid-first round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2012 NFL draft.