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SOUTH BEND – Right tackle Sam Young’s time at Notre Dame has been a wild ride.
One of the cornerstones of the Irish’s 2006 recruiting class, Young started the first game that season – a 14-10 victory over Georgia Tech on Sept. 2 – and has started every game since.
The 6-foot-8, 320-pound senior will break the school’s record for consecutive starts when the Irish (6-4) play host to Connecticut (4-5) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
“The best way to really describe it is it’s been a roller coaster,” said Young, who is tied at 48 consecutive starts with Tom Zbikowski and Maurice Crum Jr.
The roller coaster has taken Young and the program through a lot in four years.
In 2006, Notre Dame went to its second consecutive BCS bowl game, a 41-14 loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl.
In 2007, the Irish fell apart finishing 3-9, but Notre Dame returned to postseason play last season as the Irish ended a 15-year bowl victory drought with a 49-21 win over Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24.
And entering the final two games this season, the Irish are tying to stop a two-game slide and are dealing with another round of speculation that coach Charlie Weis will not return to the program.
“I think the goal of the senior class is to put it back on the up slope again,” Young said. “To finish going back in the right direction.”
Young has always traveled in the right direction, according to Weis. Even if the results haven’t always been the best for the senior lineman.
“He hasn’t always played great, and sometimes he has, sometimes he hasn’t, but what he’s always done is he’s worked his butt off every single day since he’s been here,” Weis said. “And that is the No. 1 thing you ask of a player. To come here ready to go to work and do all he can to get better.”
Young’s work ethic isn’t just noticed by the coaches.
Left tackle Paul Duncan said the thing he remembers most about when Young arrived in 2006 is that the Coral Springs, Fla., native came ready to play.
“There are things I did my freshman year which weren’t the right steps (to play right away),” said Duncan, a fifth-year senior who is also playing his last home game Saturday. “(Young) came in prepared.”
Young has tried to prepare the next generation of Irish linemen to take over for him and the three other seniors: center Eric Olsen, left guard Chris Stewart and Duncan.
Offensive line coach Frank Verducci, in his first season with Notre Dame, said Young is a great communicator and is willing to go out of his way to help his fellow linemen.
“When younger players struggle, he seems to be a guy who gravitates toward them,” Verducci said. “He talks about his experiences and tries to lighten their load. He has a great perspective on the big picture.”
Through it all, Young said he made the right choice staying at Notre Dame, and the offensive lineman said he hopes his class’ resiliency will be remembered most after they leave.
“We never stopped trying,” Young said. “Were there things left on the table? I don’t know. But I’m proud to be part of this class.”
