Defensive Tackle/End
University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish
#98
6:00.7-297
Burnsville, Minnesota
Apple Valley High School
OVERVIEW
Laws found a home at left defensive end during his senior year in the Fighting Irish’s newly installed 3-4 defensive alignment, after spending his first three seasons manning the left defensive tackle position. He proved to be a disruptive bull rusher who compensated for a lack of size with a relentless motor and excellent lateral agility.
Many Irish faithful compare Law to a former Notre Dame great, Chris Zorich, a two-time All-American (1989-90) who was named United Press International Lineman of Year for 1989 and was chosen CBS Sports/Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year for 1990, in addition to being the 1990 Lombardi Award recipient. Law has also excelled on special teams, finishing his career by blocking six kicks over the course of his final three seasons.
At Apple Valley High School, Laws earned USA Today and ESPN first-team All-American honors as a defensive lineman. He was rated the top prospect in the state of Minnesota by Rivals.com and was generally rated the number-two defensive tackle in the nation. He added All-Midwest honors from the Detroit Free Press and was selected Gatorade Player of the Year in Minnesota. He was rated 41st on ESPN's list of the nation's top 100 players and named to the 10-member Super Prep team by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
The Minnesota Lions Club Athlete of the Year and member of the Minnesota Vikings All-State team recorded 87 tackles (17 for loss) and 11 sacks as a senior in 2002. He also played offensive tackle and guard that year. He posted 85 tackles, 10 sacks and 25 stops for loss as a junior in 2001, continuing to play on both sides of the ball. He was chosen to play in the Minnesota All-State Bowl.
Laws was also invited to play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio but declined because of a wrestling commitment. He finished 49-0 as a state champion super-heavy-weight wrestler as a junior and was ranked as the number-one high school wrestler in the nation. He finished his wrestling career as a three-time All-American with a record of 142-5 and helped his wrestling team win the state title as a sophomore, junior and senior.
Laws served as team captain in both football and wrestling as a senior. He was named an Academic All-State wrestler in 2002. In track and field, he had a top shot put mark of 58 feet. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and a peer mediator in high school.
Laws committed to Notre Dame after his high school junior year, spurning scholarship offers from Iowa, Miami, Michigan, Ohio State, Stanford and Southern California. He sat out the 2003 campaign with the Irish and then played as a reserve defensive tackle in twelve games during the 2004 season. He went on to produce 17 tackles (8 solos), a sack and two stops for losses. He also broke up two passes, recovered a fumble and caused another.
The sophomore lineman took over left defensive tackle duties in 2005, sharing the West-wood One/State Farm Student-Athlete of the Year Award with offensive guard Dan Santucci thanks to his 3.15 grade-point average. He totaled 33 tackles (8 solos) with 1.5 sacks, three stops behind the line of scrimmage and a trio of quarterback pressures. He also blocked a pair of kicks.
In 2006, Laws again manned the left tackle position and served on the team’s leadership committee. He registered 62 tackles (22 solos), as he came up with 9.5 stops for losses, including 3.5 sacks. He added a pair of pressures while picking off a pass and batting away another. He also caused and recovered a fumble while blocking the third kick for his Irish career.
As a senior, Laws earned All-American third-team and Academic All-American second-team honors. He was named the Notre Dame Monogram Club Most Valuable Player and received the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award. He shifted to left defensive end, leading the team with a career-high 112 tackles (53), as he was the only down lineman to rank among the nation’s top 100-tackle producers in the major college ranks during 2007.
Laws blocked a career-high three kicks and deflected five passes in his final season. He recovered two fumbles, registered a team-high four sacks with seven pressures and also paced the Irish with eight stops behind the line of scrimmage. Laws appeared in 49 games for the Irish, starting 25 contests at left defensive tackle and 12 more at left end. He recorded the most tackles by a down lineman in the last 26 years, finishing with 224 hits (91 solos), ten sacks for minus 76 yards, 22.5 stops for losses of 112 yards and 12 quarterback pressures. He caused two fumbles, recovered four others and had nine pass deflections with one interception. He also blocked six kicks.
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