Notre Dame Star Picks Baseball Over Football
Jeff Samardzija decided to give up football and stay with baseball.
The former Notre Dame receiver, projected as a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, agreed over the weekend to a $10 million, five-year contract to pitch for the Chicago Cubs.
“Baseball is my first love. I played it my whole life,” Samardzija said.
A 21-year-old right-hander, Samardzija was the Cubs’ fifth-round pick in last year’s amateur draft and had a 2.70 ERA in seven starts for their Class A teams at Boise and Peoria.
He returned to Notre Dame and helped the Irish make the Sugar Bowl, catching 78 passes for 1,017 yards as a senior. The Irish lost the game to LSU 41-14, but Samardzija did catch a TD pass.
His deal includes a $2.5 million signing bonus and the Cubs hold options for a sixth and seventh seasons in 2012 and 2013. If the options are exercised, the deal would be worth $16.5 million over seven years.
Samardzija said there would be no returning to football, even though he’s headed for a stint in the minor leagues, probably starting at Class A Daytona after spring training. The deal also includes a no-trade clause.
Samardzija’s fastball was clocked at 97 mph last summer and Cubs GM Jim Hendry said the organization projects him one day to a be “high end starter.”
Samardzija, 21-6 in 50 college baseball games, said he spent 10 to 12 hours a day weighing the decision on which sport to pursue. His familiarity with the Cubs after his experience last summer was a major factor.
Samardzija said longevity and the chance of injury were not major factors in his decision to go with baseball over football. And he said there is no sadness about giving up football after a great career with Notre Dame. In 2005 he set the school’s single-season records for yards receiving with 1,249 and TD catches with 15.
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