What's in the Cards for Golden Tate?

We've already gone over Jimmy Clausen's potential plans for next year. As for Golden Tate ...

It was only eight weeks ago -- one day after the Nevada game -- that a reporter asked Charlie Weis if Michael Floyd could be the best wideout in Notre Dame history. Weis quickly replied, "I think Golden would argue with you."

At the time it seemed like lip service. Today, it seems prophetic.

When is the last time the Irish had a player with this much swagger as No. 23? Okay, Jeff Samardzija (who, like Tate, also played baseball for the Irish). If Tate remains at Notre Dame for his senior season, he will break every career receiving record that Samardzija set just three years ago.

If you spot Tate in street clothes he does not look impressive. Solidly built, yes, but not rippling. If you were to draft players simply by how they look in shorts and a T-shirt, you'd pick Floyd before him. You might select Duval Kamara first overall. You might even select Deion Walker or Shaquelle Evans ahead of Tate, not having seen a frame of game film. And if you went by coif, you'd surely take Robby Parris ahead of all of them.

No matter. When there are 80,795 people (or more) watching, Golden Tate is your man. Would Clausen have 16 touchdown passes without Tate as a target? No way. In almost every game he has played this season (certainly against Boston College, USC, Washington and Michigan State), Tate has turned a Clausen toss into six points when nobody else with the possible exception of Floyd could have done so.

Too, he plays with a style that has been altogether absent (again, with the exception of Samardzija) in South Bend since the heyday of the Holtz era. Diving into the band against Michigan State. Hurdling over a Purdue defensive back. When a fade route fell incomplete against USC two weeks ago, Tate tumbled head over heels into the first row of the Trojan marching band. As he rose, the 5-11 Tate hit a drum as if to say, "Get this outta my way."

A day later, when Weis was informed of Tate's latest incident with an opponent's band, he said, "Did he? Good."

Also, go back and watch Tate's second touchdown catch against USC. He takes a full-on blast from designated assassin Taylor Mays, but it is the USC safety who crumbles to the turf. Tate bounces off the blow and into the end zone, still on his feet. He shoots the 6-3, 225-pound future top-five pick a quick glance as if to say, "Is that all?"

None of which answers the question, Will Tate stay or go? The dyed in blue-and-gold reasons he would remain are manifold:

First, Tate simply loves college more than Asher Roth. When the Irish win, Tate dons the leprechaun's cap as the team joins in to sing the Alma Mater. He talks often about "partying with the fans" after a Notre Dame victory. There's baseball -- he is the starting left fielder for the Irish -- which means that he is excused from the drudgery of spring practice. Next season he'd likely be a captain and he'd also be the team's unquestioned rock star. The attention that Clausen has received this season would be mostly his.

What else? With Floyd lining up on the other end of the line of scrimmage, Tate will see fewer double teams. His numbers alone may not be as impressive, but he is smart enough to realize that a trio of himself, Floyd and tight end Kyle Rudolph will give the Irish the most potent passing attack in college football.

And it may actually mean something to Tate who, again, had never played wide receiver before matriculating at Notre Dame, to hold all of those school reception records.

All of that said, Weis and others will advise Tate based on two criteria: 1) Where he'd go in the NFL Draft and 2) Whether he wants to pursue baseball further so as to have the Samardzija option following his junior season on the diamond.

Tate -- nor Floyd, for that matter -- was not even on the Biletnikoff Award watch list to begin the season (memo to the Biletnikoff folks: call me next time) and now he is one of 10 finalists. The guess here is that NFL scouts would select Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard and Minnesota's Eric Decker (both seniors) ahead of Tate. Jordan Shipley of Texas, because of his superb kick-return ability, would be in the mix as well as Georgia Tech's Demaryius Thomas (good size at 6-3) and LSU's Brandon LaFell.

Also, NFL teams would have to decide where to line up Tate. He runs fades and go routes for the Irish, but they might see him more as a slot receiver due to his height. A latter-day Wes Welker.

No. 23 has had an All-American-worthy season thus far, but he emerged from relative obscurity. Were Tate to return he would possibly be a preseason All-American (along with current Georgia sophomore A.J. Green).

It's funny. After the loss at Michigan people were actually grumbling about Tate's dropped catches. And then Floyd got hurt. If Floyd had never broken his collarbone, would we be discussing the possibility of Tate leaving after this season? Perhaps, but I doubt it.

My guess is that Golden Tate will keep Golden Domers smiling for another season. And not just them. Tate has elements of Derek Jeter to him: as widely and intensely as the team that he plays for is loathed, it is rare to find someone who has the Tate hate. He just plays too hard for even rival fans to dislike him.

Golden years? There's likely still one more ahead in South Bend.