Upon his hiring at Notre Dame in November of 1985, Lou Holtz stated that recruiting would be Priority No. 3 in his first season. His first objective was to uplift the players already on the roster, and the second was to assemble a staff.
So when recruiting concluded in February of 1986, Notre Dame’s 22-man haul received little fanfare. Joe Terranova, the godfather of recruiting rankings, rated it “between 15th-to-20th” — an unheard of placement for Notre Dame, a perennial top 5 recruiter.
Holtz thought it was much worse than Terranova’s assessment.
“In the first freshman meeting, when we reported to camp, Coach Holtz told us that talent-wise, this was one of the worst recruiting classes he ever had, and was one of the worst in Notre Dame history,” recalled tight end Rod West, one of the signees that year. “There was not much expected of us, and a lot of the athletes were not on the ‘A’ list.”
Therein is one of the transcendent stories in Notre Dame football lore. When this group arrived, the Irish were coming off a 5-6 season in 1985, and they were 5-6 as freshmen during Holtz’s inaugural campaign in 1986.
By the time they graduated, though, they were the backbone of a school-record 23 consecutive victories and the 1988 national title.
Interestingly, the two must trumpeted players in the class did not make an impact. USA Today Defensive Player of the Year John Foley had his career truncated after an injury in his sophomore year, and offensive lineman Jeff Pearson transferred to Michigan State at the conclusion of his sophomore year.
This was a consummate hard-hat class. As a group, it asked for nothing but a chance. It brought some talent, but its work ethic and commitment to restoring Notre Dame’s glory is what enhanced the team chemistry. Walk-on Pat Eilers (a transfer from Yale) epitomized this mentality en route to becoming a two-year starter and six-year NFL player.
The centerpiece of the 1986 recruiting haul was quarterback Tony Rice, who symbolized the trials this class had to endure before rising to prominence. Sidelined as a freshman because of his well-publicized Prop 48 status, Rice overcame that “Scarlet Letter” to excel.
Seldom in college football have a coach and quarterback been more compatible than Holtz and Rice, whose option wizardry enabled the Irish to spread the field vertically and horizontally. No QB in college history started in more victories over top 10-ranked squads (nine) than Rice, who placed fourth in the 1989 Heisman Trophy balloting.
Johnson, who would play 12 years in the NFL, tallied the most TDs (34) in the Holtz era while amassing more than 2,000 all-purpose yards. Banks and Eilers both scored TDs in the memorable 31-30 victory over No. 1-ranked Miami in 1988.
Blocking for them along the line were guard Tim Grunhard and tackle Dean Brown. In the NFL, Grunhard was ensconced as Kansas City’s center for 11 years. Deemed merely the fourth best lineman at Chicago’s St. Laurence High (behind Pearson, Paul Glonek and Mike Harazin), Grunhard manifested the hard-nosed “Grabowski” ilk of which this class was replete.
On defense, the standouts were the late Jeff Alm (second-team All-American) for the line, two-time All-America Michael Stonebreaker at linebacker and swift defensive backs Stan Smagala and Pat Terrell, all of whom played in the NFL.
The 6-7 Alm’s wingspan enabled him to record 124 tackles during Notre Dame’s 24-1 run in 1988-89, block nine passes, intercept four and alter many others.
Stonebreaker, who was sidelined in 1987 and 1989, totaled 220 tackles and five interceptions during his career.
Recruited merely by the likes of Western Michigan and Akron, Smagala was encouraged by Holtz to sign with a school where he would have a chance to play. Grudgingly, the new Irish head coach honored the promised scholarship to Smagala by his predecessor, Gerry Faust.
Smagala became a three-year starter at cornerback, with his signature moment being an interception return for a score at No. 2-ranked USC in 1988.
Terrell’s career began at wide receiver before Holtz shifted him in ‘88 to free safety. A nine-year performer in the NFL, Terrell’s difference-making dossier included an interception return for a score against Miami in the ‘88 showdown, as well as deflecting the two-point conversion in the final minute.
Providing quality depth during the 23-game winning streak were defensive lineman Bryan Flannery and tight end West.
This class more than met the three criteria we set. It played a significant role in Notre Dame’s rise from the ashes, it had about a dozen major contributors – not just merely “serviceable” players – and it was well-rounded at myriad positions.
Far beyond those criteria were the intangibles and leadership they provided after Notre Dame had been mired in mediocrity from 1981-85. In fact, 1985-86 is the only time the Irish had back-to-back losing seasons.
“When we enrolled, they hadn’t even started building the indoor practice facility, and other schools already had them,” said Terrell, who achieved his dream in aviation following his football career. “The classes already there didn’t know about national titles or major bowls, there was no NBC contract, they had just gotten blasted by Miami (58-7)...We chose to come for different reasons. It wasn’t to go to the pros, but to play college football, build the program back up and get a good education.
“It’s like buying a car. It’s easy to choose a car that has just been freshly washed and waxed, and is sparkling. We looked beyond that.”
Attitude, performance and results make this one of our 10 best classes to enroll at Notre Dame since 1946.
The 1986 Recruiting Class
Players Signed: 22
Record at Notre Dame (1986-89): 37-11 (.771), including 2-1 in bowl games. The Irish defeated 11-0 West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl and 11-0 in the 1990 Orange Bowl.
Final AP Rankings: No. 1 in 1988 and No. 2 in 1989
Top Players
Quarterback: Tony Rice
Running Backs: Anthony Johnson and Braxston Banks
Receivers: Pat Eilers and Rod West (tight end)
Offensive Line: Tim Grunhard and Dean Brown
Defensive Line: Jeff Alm and Bryan Flannery
Linebacker: Michael Stonebreaker
Defensive Backs: Pat Terrell and Stan Smagala
Class Strength: Except for a kicker and punter, there was a major contributor on every unit, with Rice being Holtz’s prototype QB. More significantly, it was the fulcrum of Notre Dame’s turnaround from 5-6 campaigns in 1985 and 1986 to a 24-1 mark as juniors and seniors in 1988-89.
Why Not Ranked Higher: This class didn’t have to carry the program as others ranked ahead of them. Other than Rice, many of the premier athletes on the 1988-89 units — i.e. Frank Stams, Raghib Ismail, Chris Zorich, Todd Lyght, Wes Pritchett, Ned Bolcar, Ricky Watters and Tony Brooks, etc. — came from classes recruited in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1988.
.jpg)
Holtz thought it was much worse than Terranova’s assessment.
Providing quality depth during the 23-game winning streak were defensive lineman 
