Welcome back to the Hall of Fame Series here on 18Stripes. After the last couple of posts talking about the best players in modern Notre Dame history that can never make the College Football Hall of Fame due to external circumstances. Today, we begin our journey through the 21st Century of Irish greats who have had the honor of being named to an All-American team by one of the five major selectors (Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, and The Sporting News). I’m going to go over their overall case, including a look into their All-American season, and ultimately place each player in three different categories:

  • Seems Unlikely
  • Has A Chance
  • Seems Likely

First up is 2002 All-American from The Sporting News, Jeff Faine.

Background

Jeff Faine measured at 6’ 3’’ coming into Notre Dame in the fall of 1999. He has just finished a season that saw him as a High School All American from USA Today. He was a listed as an offensive guard but quickly moved to center during his redshirt freshman season, where he sat behind Senior and incumbent starter John Merandi, who started all 12 games for the 99 squad. After Merandi graduated, Faine slid into the starter role that he held onto for the next three seasons. As a starter in 2000, Faine was part of the backbone of the offense that had all five starters start and play in every game the season. They helped the rushing attack accumulate 231.5 YPG and held the offense steady when the Quarterback position was in flux before settling in with Matt LoVecchio in the Stanford game. In 2001, Faine continued to solidify the line by continuing to help the offense on the ground, averaging 188.2 YPG. That mark was good enough for 30th nationally, which stands out due to the leading rusher being new starting QB Carlyle Holiday. For his performance in 2001, he won Guardian of the Year Award from the Guardian Life Insurance Company as the top offensive lineman.

The All-American Season: 2002

Coming into the 2002 season, Faine seemed to be one of the few stalwarts of the offense that was in a state of change with incoming coach Ty Willingham’s offense and losing star tailback Julius Jones to academic ineligibility. Faine continued to show his persistence and intensity on the line starting every game once again and helping sophomore Ryan Grant break out for 1,085-yards.  also started to take notice as Faine was a semi-finalist for The Lombardi Award, which rewards the top lineman on either side of the ball. Faine was also a finalist for The Remington Trophy, which rewards the top center. For all of these efforts, he was awarded a first-team selection on The Sporting News’ All-American team and also a second-team AP All-American selection.

Final Stat Line: 13 Games Started, 330:52 time on the field (led team)

Post College

Faine was selected with the 23rd overall pick to the Cleveland Browns, becoming the third offensive lineman taken in that draft. From there Faine was a steady hand on the Brown OLine, starting in all 36 games he played in for the team. He was traded during the 2006 NFL Draft to the New Orleans Saints, where he started in all 30 games he played in for the Saints and became a Pro Bowl alternate in the 2007 season. In 2008, he signed a deal to go to division rival Tampa Bay, where he became a captain for the team. He played four years for them before being cut the spring before the 2012 season. Faine finished his career with a year with the Cincinnati Bengals, before being cut in December of that season. Faine is currently in the middle of a four year term on the Monogram Club Board of Directors, which started in fall of 2016.

Why He Should Be In

Faine has a steady college career on two Notre Dame teams that won more than nine games and was part of the lone bright spot on a middling Irish team in 2001. He was recognized as one of the best players in his position over the final two years. His intensity and his mean style of play are immediately recognizable for casual fans who do not appreciate or understand line play. He is also the only person on this list that was a NFL first round pick that isn’t named Brady Quinn between 2000-16.

Why He Shouldn’t Be In

The problem with Faine’s case is that he really lacks some hardware, whether that is any bowl/championship wins or any individual trophies to back up his inclusion over time. He failed to win the Remington in 2002, falling to Miami (FL)’s Brett Romburg. Romburg also nabbed the remaining Major All-American spots that Faine did not, indicating that voters at large never saw him as the best in his position in a given year.

Ultimate Ruling: Seems Unlikely

I think the case for Faine isn’t as strong since he didn’t ultimately come away with the Remington in 2002 and only barely qualifies for the Hall of Fame with his inclusion on The Sporting News All-American list. Faine is definitely a respected Notre Dame lineman and the spiritual forefather to what Quenton Nelson would become in the social media era.

 

What do you think of Faine’s career at Notre Dame? His career in the NFL? Sound off below. Next time I’ll take a look on the flip side of the ball of that same 2002 squad to out first unanimous All-American of the series, and former Notre Dame soccer player, Shane Walton.