Howard Cross III

Howard Cross III was already well-known to many Notre Dame fans. Still, he introduced himself to the national spotlight when he recorded 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack and forced two fumbles, including one with 31 seconds left, against nationally ranked Duke late in the 2023 season. And he did it while having the flu. "Howard Cross is relentless," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. "We call that his Michael Jordan game for the way he overcame sickness to totally take over a game. He can do that. That's how good Howard is." Cross was that good week in and week out for Notre Dame during the 2023 season – finishing as a second-team All-American and Bednarik Award semifinalist. Through his first five seasons at Notre Dame, Cross racked up 141 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, three pass breakups and three forced fumbles. Cross' father, Howard Jr., played 13 years in the NFL for the New York Giants.