SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Pun very much intended, Brian Kelly views senior running back Josh Anderson as the model Notre Dame player.
Anderson, a walk-on from Chatsworth, Calif., was tasked with modeling Notre Dame's new Shamrock Series uniform for his teammates prior to practice on Thursday. After showing off the new look, Kelly surprised Anderson -- and the team -- by offering him a scholarship.
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While Anderson hasn't played in a game during his time at Notre Dame, Kelly lauded the behind-the-scenes work put in by the 5-foot-9, 200 pound running back.
"A senior for us that has done everything we've asked over the last five years," Kelly said. "He's taken more hits than any one of our backs. He's a scout team player. He's done everything.
"He's a great student, well-respected by all of his teammates. And we had an available scholarship and as a senior he deserved it, so I brought him out to announce the Under Armour uniforms and I had him instead of the big mannequin, I had him dressed in the Under Armour uniform.
"He didn't know he was getting a scholarship. So the guys were pretty charged up. ... I said: You know, this is a great model. Matter of fact, he's such a great model -- I said, Josh, take your helmet off -- he models everything that I think is right about a Notre Dame football player. At that time I announced he was gonna get a scholarship, and the guys were excited. It was a good moment."