Elliott Believes Leadership Will Be The Legacy of the 2016 Class

Captain Jalen Elliott will take the field for the final time at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday. 

Elliott has seen the lowest of lows and the highest of highs during his four years at Notre Dame, but he'll be locked in to get the win against Boston College to make sure it ends on the right now. 

"It's funny because Coach Kelly always says it's only memorable if you win it," Elliott said of Senior Day. "It'll be big to stay locked into the process of getting to the game and not worrying too much about it being my last game. 

"You need to be more worried about being prepared the right way so we can come out victorious on Saturday." 

That's not to say the senior safety won't take time to enjoy his final game day at Notre Dame. 

"You have The Walk and coming out to your parents," stated Elliott. "That'll be part of it, but it can't be the only part of it."

The Virginia native has recorded 37 tackles and two interceptions this fall, but it's been his leadership that's been valuable to the Irish. 

Notre Dame could have folded following the Michigan game, but Elliott wasn't going to have it. He had been through the 2016 season and wasn't about to see his senior season fall to pieces. 

"It's been a process to say the least," explained Elliott. "Coming in as a young guy with a bunch of guys who got thrown in the fire early. We were able to come out of that and have three great seasons. It's been amazing for us." 

Elliott's leadership has been a vital part of the program for the last two seasons, but he would have laughed if someone told him he would be named a captain following his freshman season. 

"I probably would have told you that you were crazy," laughed Elliott. "I'm thankful for everything I've been through these four years that have allowed me to get to this point." 

In fact, if you polled most Notre Dame fans following Elliott's sophomore season, most might have questioned if he should have even been on the field. 

Elliott made a decision in fall camp of his junior year to work on the small details after losing his starting job and the rest is history. 

"It just happened in a couple seasons," Elliott said of when things clicked for him. "Getting acclimated to the speed and strength of the college game. Once I was able to get my feet settled and start making plays, it just started to become the game I knew how to play since I was a little kid." 

The 2016 class was one of the closest classes to come through Notre Dame in recent years and Elliott admitted they became even closer following their freshman year.

"I think we came in as a close class and one of the closest I've seen here," Elliott explained. "I'll always say 2016 is the best class coming through. 

"It made us closer and it made us want to fight for one another. That's something that helped us in our process of becoming who we are today." 

As for the legacy of the 2016 class, Elliott believes it will be about leadership. 

"I think the amount of leadership we have in the '16 class is just amazing," said Elliott. "We have captains, but we have guys who day in and day out lead in their own way. 

"It's great to see."