Josh Schmidt Class: Senior Hometown: Germantown, TN High School: Briar Crest Christian Height / Weight: 6-1 / 232 Position: Fullback Birthdate: 11/30/1982

Veteran walk-on fullback who emerged as the top receiving threat out of the backfield in 2003 ... has carved a niche for himself on the squad and will see plenty of playing time this season ... continues to work on his total game, making strides as a blocker this past spring ... considered to have the best hands of any of the Irish running backs ... became a consistent receiving threat out of the backfield as the 2003 season progressed ... earned a monogram for his play at fullback in 2003 ... also figures to continue his role on special teams ... earned the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Knute Rockne Student-Athlete Award in 2003.

2003 (JUNIOR): Played in all 12 games, starting one contest (Brigham Young) ... for the season, he caught 13 passes for 125 yards (9.7 avg.) but did not make a rushing attempt ... made two tackles (one solo) on special teams ... caught a seven-yard pass versus Washington State for his first career reception ... made a 10-yard reception versus Michigan State ... caught a pass for nine yards against Purdue ... made two receptions for 25 yards versus Southern California, including a career-long catch of 15 yards ... had two catches for 16 yards against Boston College ... caught an 11-yard pass versus Navy ... made his first career start at fullback versus BYU and had a five-yard catch ... made one reception for eight yards against Stanford ... played 72:58 and made 58 special teams appearances on the season.

2002 (SOPHOMORE): In his second season at Notre Dame, he played in two games (Maryland and Rutgers) ... did not have a rushing attempt ... played 1:02 on the season.

2001 (FRESHMAN): Did not see any playing time as a reserve fullback in 2001.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Briarcrest Christian School in Germantown, Tenn. ... captain of the football team his senior year ... team went to the state finals three years in a row ... rushed for 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior ... earned all-Metro honors as a junior and a senior ... second-team all-state as a senior ... lettered in basketball, soccer and track and field ... winner of the Steven Saunders Award for Athletic, Academic and Christian Leadership ... second of four children of Tracy and Jerri Schmidt ... enrolled in the Mendoza College of Business, majoring in finance with a cumulative GPA of 3.533.