The College Football Playoff national title game will take place on Monday in Atlanta to determine a champion for the 2024 season. Squaring off will be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the Ohio State Buckeyes, teams that were seeded seventh and eighth, respectively, heading into the tournament.
Keeping with the spirit of things, we thought we'd take a look back at the top ten players from both schools who also suited up for the Cowboys. Here you can check out the best to come out of Notre Dame. To see the list of former Irish, see below.
We take a look back at the top ten players from Notre Dame who also suited up for the Cowboys
10. Kurt Vollers • Offensive Tackle • Notre Dame (1997-2001) • Cowboys (2002-04)
Vollers was on the team while the Cowboys transitioned from Dave Campo to Bill Parcells. In 2003, when the Cowboys turned things around went 10-6, Vollers started half the season at right tackle. But he didn't last long and only four years in the NFL, including one last season with the Colts.
9. Marist Liufau • Linebacker • Notre Dame (2019-23) • Cowboys (2024-present)
Drafted in the third round this past season, Liufau emerged later in the year when he received more playing time after the Oveshown injury. Liufau had a knack for the ball, forcing two fumbles and getting a recovery in the second half of the season. He looks to be on the verge of a great linebacker here with the Cowboys.
8. Anthony Fasano • Tight End • Notre Dame (2002-05) • Cowboys (2006-07)
Fasano was drafted in the second round back in 2006 to provide a 1-2 punch with Jason Witten, who was just three years into the league. The dual tight end situation didn't work that well with Witten at the top and the Cowboys traded Fasano, who went on to have a 12-year career, playing half of that in Miami, but also had stops with the Titans and Chiefs.
7. Phil Pozderac • Offensive Tackle • Notre Dame (1978-81) • Cowboys (1982-87)
Pozderac was a regular starter for a few seasons during the lean years of the 80s. He's probably known more for a game in 1985 when he couldn't block the Giants' Lawrence Taylor. Then again, who could?
6. Julius Jones • Running Back • Notre Dame (1999-2001, 2003) • Cowboys (2004-07)
Judging from the second half of his rookie year, Jones was on his way to being the next great running back for the Cowboys. But injuries always plagued him somewhat and then he split carries with Marion Barber, who became the goal-line back and picked up a lot more of the rushing TDs. But Jones still rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2006 and he has two of the Top 5 rushing days in Cowboys history with 198 at Seattle in 2004 and 196 vs. Carolina in 2005.
5. Steve Beuerlein • Quarterback • Notre Dame (1983-86) • Cowboys (1991-92)
While the majority of his career was spent as a journeyman who started for six teams, Beuerlein helped carry the Cowboys to the playoffs in 1991, snapping a six-year absence from the postseason. With Troy Aikman hurt, Beuerlein went 4-0 to end the regular season and then won a playoff game in Chicago. He was the backup in 1992 and earned a Super Bowl ring. But he played 14 years and started 102 games.
4. Jaylon Smith • Linebacker • (2013-15) • Cowboys (2016-21)
The Cowboys took a chance on Smith, who injured his knee in the final game of his college career, ironically against Ohio State. But Smith dropped from a projected Top 5 pick to the second round, where the Cowboys drafted him with hopes he could make a full recovery. Smith was able to make a Pro Bowl with the Cowboys but overall, never made it back to the game-changing, dynamic player he was supposed to be before the injury. Since leaving the Cowboys in 2021, Smith played for the Giants, Packers and Raiders.
3. Brandon Aubrey • Kicker • Notre Dame (2013-16) • Cowboys (2023-present)
This one is interesting because Aubrey attended Notre Dame, but didn't play football there. He was a soccer player for the Irish before eventually landing in the USFL as a kicker and then made it to the Cowboys, where he is a two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection in his first two seasons. Aubrey is the only kicker in NFL history to make at least 35 field goals in his first two years. He also set the NFL record for most 50-yard kicks in a season with 14, including a 65-yarder, the second-longest in league history.
2. Rocket Ismail • Wide Receiver • Notre Dame (1988-90) • Cowboys (1999-2001)
After the Cowboys nearly drafted No. 1 overall in 1991, they would have to wait until the end of the decade to finally land the Rocket. In 1999, he signed a free-agent deal and had career-highs with 80 catches and 1,097 yards. Ismail also had six TD receptions - none bigger than his 75-yarder in overtime to beat Washington in his Cowboys debut. Ismail played three of his 9 NFL seasons in Dallas.
1. Zack Martin • Guard • Notre Dame (2009-13) • Cowboys (2014-present)
He's considered one of the greatest offensive linemen in Cowboys history and will probably wind up in Canton, Ohio one day for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Martin was drafted in 2014 as a tackle at Notre Dame but moved to guard immediately. The Cowboys O-line instantly became one of the best in the NFL again and Martin was a reason why. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in each of his first six years and made it 9 out of his 11 seasons with the Cowboys.
