NOTRE DAME Ups and downs developed Mays

The senior linebacker acknowledged it was hard waiting for his chance.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Linebacker Corey Mays will leave Notre Dame with no regrets.
Not about the four head coaches the Fighting Irish have had in his five years at the school. Not about the ups and downs the program has gone through during those five years.
Not about how much time and work it took Mays, one of the most highly heralded recruits in his class, to finally become a starter.
"I'm glad I was able to go through everything good and bad because it's a life experience for when I leave here," he said. "I've had a lot of teammates and we've really stuck together and really embraced this whole situation."
Primarily a special teams player before this season, Mays has earned the respect of his teammates for his hard work and dedication.
Never complained
"He didn't get a lot of playing time for four years and he never once complained. All he's ever done is said, 'Fine, I'll work harder,' " said linebacker Brandon Hoyte, a team captain. "Quite honestly, it's an inspiration because things didn't fall his way.
"But you look at him now, you'd think he was starting for the past five years. He's playing unbelievable."
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said Mays impressed him from the time the team began early workouts.
"I saw a big, physical guy who was in very good shape, in better shape than a lot of people and really didn't say too much, just went out there and worked his butt off all the time," Weis said. "And then we got on the field and I found out he was a more vocal leader than I thought he would be.
"By the end of spring ball, I was very confident that we had found ourselves a middle linebacker that could man the middle of our defense."
Mays has manned the middle well for the sixth-ranked Irish (7-2), leading the team last Saturday with 14 tackles against Navy. For the season, Mays is fourth on the team with 52 tackles, including six for losses.
Mays acknowledges it was hard waiting for his chance to play regularly at linebacker.
Realization
"Sometimes you can become involved in self-interests and think, 'What about me?' But it's not about you," he said. "Once you learn it's about the team and it's about what you can do to make the team better, when you pass along that attitude to everyone else, the team can get better."
Mays, who already has a degree in psychology, serves as a mentor for children from his hometown of Chicago and talks frequently to them about the rewards of perseverance.
"You never know when it's going to be your day or when it's going to be your time," he said. "So just continue to do all the right things and earn the respect of your surrounding players. That's more important than anything,"
Mays wants to play in the NFL, but isn't thinking about that yet. After the amount of time it took Mays to get on the field, he also doesn't want to think about Saturday's game against Syracuse (1-8) being his final one at home.
"It can't be over right now. I know it just can't be over," he said. "I don't know when it's going to hit me, but when it does it's going to be emotional."
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