Notre Dame football: 5 most underrated players in Fighting Irish history
By Dante Pryor
3. Underrated Notre Dame football players: Ron Powlus
Ron Powlus endured more scrutiny than any other player in Fighting Irish history. He might be more a case of being underappreciated than underrated. Powlus came to South Bend as one of the top quarterbacks in the country in 1994.
By the time he left South Bend in 1997, Powlus’ career was as much of what could have been than anything else. According to many people, he never lived up to the hype that he came into Notre Dame with.
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Who could live up to those expectations? Former ESPN college football analyst Beano Cook predicted the Pennsylvania native would win multiple national championships and two Heisman Trophies.
Although Powlus’ career was far from what Beano Cook and other experts thought it would become, he did set 20 school records and left South Bend as one of its all-time leading passers.
There is an alternate argument as to why Powlus flamed out in South Bend. While in high school, Powlus ran a wide-open passer friendly offense. While at Notre Dame under both Lou Holtz and Bob Davie they never spread the field and allowed Powlus to throw the ball around the field.
They ran a power offense with some quarterback option philosophies. Could Powlus’ career had been different if he went to Florida, Arizona State, or any other school where they opened the passing game? Maybe, but he chose Notre Dame and had a good career. Just not one that lived up to expectations.