The Notre Dame Fighting Irish went undefeated before being blown out by Alabama in the BCS national championship game and if they hope to repeat next season they will be without one key player.
According to ESPN.com, Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood will enter the NFL draft and forego his senior season, citing family reasons. Wood has a 1-year-old daughter, which was a factor in his decision.
"Having to make a decision like whether to stay in school or leave to pursue a lifelong dream of playing in the NFL is never simple," Wood said in a statement released by Notre Dame. "I had to weigh many factors over the last month, but ultimately it came down to what I felt was the right decision that would most benefit my family."
Wood rushed for 742 yards and four touchdowns this season, averaging 6.5 yards per carry and is ranked in the top 20 among running back draft prospects by ESPN Scouts Inc. Most NFL scouts believe he is a third-round draft choice, but there is a chance he could move up with good workouts and a solid NFL combine performance later this spring before the draft.
The 6-foot and 215 pound running back gained 1,705 yards and scored 12 touchdowns in his first two seasons as Notre Dame went 8-5 in two straight years. He was not a factor in the championship game against Alabama, rushing for two yards on four carries in Notre Dame's 42-14 loss.
"Cierre has been an important member of our football team in my three years at Notre Dame and I appreciate all he did to help get our program back on top," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said in the news release. "I wish him well in the future and hope he has a successful playing career at the next level."
Kelly was hired by Notre Dame in 2010 after a successful run at Cincinnati and went 8-5 over the past two seasons before breaking out this year. The coach helped bring Woods to the school and gave him an opportunity to play and later start after redshirting in 2009 and being suspended for the first two games of the 2012 season against Navy and Purdue for violating team rules.
'Our players are aware of the standards I set for our program and that failure to meet my expectations will result in consequences,'' Kelly said in a release at the time. ''Justin and Cierre violated our team rules so I've suspended them for the first two games of the season.''
The Irish went 12-0 this season before falling to the Crimson Tide in Miami and will return a number of starters to the roster including quarterback Everett Golson. This season Notre Dame was ranked first-overall in scoring defense and gained over 400 total yards on offense per game. Kelly used both Golson and Tommy Rees at quarterback this season, with Golson taking hold of the job late in the year.
Notre Dame gained nearly 200 rushing yards per game this year, in large part due to the play of Wood and leading rusher Theo Riddick. Notre Dame will be a bit weaker at the position next season since Riddick is a senior, but Kelly has brought in another top recruiting class and still has sophomore George Atkinson, who averaged 7.1 yards on 51 attempts.
Even though Wood was not projected as a top draft pick, with running backs vulnerable to injuries he felt this was the best time to go to the draft. There also has been a trend in recent years of teams drafting players with less college experience to help compensate for wear and tear over longer stretches of time in college.
Wood has above average speed and can be a threat out of the backfield after making 52 career catches during his time at Notre Dame. He has never averaged less than 5.1 yards per carry and had one 1,000-yard season with the team in 2011 while playing in all 13 games and making nine starts.
Coming out of high school Wood was a hot recruit and rushed for 1,632 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught eight passes for 182 yards and four touchdowns as a senior for Santa Clara High School in Oxnard, California. As the number eight ranked running back among recruits, he had options to go to USC, UCLA, and California before deciding on South Bend.
Wood helped the team win 16 games in his first two seasons and had the most success in 2012, going 12-0 in the regular season. After sitting out the first two games of the year, Wood rushed for 56 yards against Michigan State in his debut and added another 39 the next week. His first big game of the year came against Miami on Oct. 6 when he rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns before going over 100-yartds against two weeks later with 114 rushing yards against BYU.
Over the second half of the season Wood's production slowed, but he had a season-high 150 yards and one touchdown on senior day against Wake Forest before rushing for 20 yards on eight attempts in the 22-13 win against USC to ensure the undefeated regular- season.
Even though the team will be losing both running backs and linebacker Manti Te'o, Notre Dame will be keeping its most important asset in Brian Kelly. The coach was rumored to be going to the Philadelphia Eagles after interviewing for their open head coaching position, but he opted instead to stay in South Bend.
The Irish have another top recruiting class and should be one of the favorites to rock the BCS once against in 2013.