Welcome back, Canes fam. To help us kick off the season, we’re back with an opponent Q&A to get a view of this week’s opponent from behind enemy lines.
Joining us for this week to talk about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is Patrick Sullivan, an Editor with our SB Nation sister-site One Foot Down.
I returned the favor and answered questions for Patrick and OFD. Here it is:
Away we go:
Q1. What’s the vibe around the team coming off a trip to the Championship game but losing?
Patrick Sullivan (OFD): The vibes are, overall, very good. Obviously it’s a deflating feeling to make it that far and then lose, and I don’t think anyone would blame Notre Dame fans for feeling like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football as their favorite team once again pulled a Lucy and yanked it all away at the last second.
And God knows that so much has to go right to make it to the title game of a 12-team playoff, including plenty of luck (with seeding/opponent draw, in-game luck, etc.), so it’s a little scary to think about when they’ll have another true chance to play for a championship again. Stars have to align, no matter how much promise you think a team has. So that can make the feeling of squandering that opportunity last January even worse.
But last year, and this program as a whole under Marcus Freeman, feel different than past years when the season ended in heartbreak. Brian Kelly and the slew of awful coaches before him always seemed to not just lose in the big postseason games — but fall flat on their faces and get destroyed. Their teams rarely, when it came down to it, looked like they belonged on the same field as elite opponents. It was embarrassing.
Freeman’s team last year, on the other hand, was mentally tough and fast and talented, and they showed they could beat VERY good teams as they took down IU, Georgia, and Penn State on their way to that buzzsaw of a matchup with Ohio State. And then when they went down 31-7 against the Buckeyes, past ND teams under different coaches would have folded, just like we saw time and again in the Charlie Weis and Brian Kelly postseason showings. But instead, they fought back and gave themselves a chance at the end of the game. That was nice to see, even if a pointless moral victory.
The staff is recruiting super well right now, they return a team full of talented guys who got tons of experience as young contributors last year, and the program culture has not been this healthy since the prime of the Lou Holtz era. It’s college football, so who knows if things could go haywire fairly quickly here, but right now the vibes are pretty darn good and there’s lots of optimism about Freeman and his program and their potential to make another run or two over the next few years.
Q2. ND recently named redshirt freshman C.J. Carr as the starting QB. What does he bring to the field? And what are your expectations for him, both in this game and for the season at large?
OFD: CJ Carr probably has the best raw arm talent that Notre Dame has had at quarterback since Jimmy Clausen. I know Clausen was a punchline to anyone who didn’t root for ND, but his junior season with the Irish was really good and forgotten because Chuck Weis couldn’t field a defense to save his life: 3700+ yards passing, 68% completion, 28 touchdowns, just 4 interceptions. Clausen could make all the throws, and his deep ball was PRETTY (it helped he was throwing to Golden Tate, Michael Floyd, and Kyle Rudolph…but still, he was fantastic).
Carr is supposedly similar and was rated accordingly as a recruit — he can make all the throws, is known to be pretty accurate throwing it long, and has an innate feel on when to put some touch on a pass vs. when to really zip it in there. He’s not afraid to take risks and that’ll allow offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to push it downfield a bit more than he was able to with Riley Leonard in 2024. Plus, he’s Lloyd Carr’s grandson, so the fact he spurned Michigan to come to ND is a major positive, as I think most of us can agree.
With all that said, the redshirt-freshman Carr has seen approximately zero real playing time at the college level, and although he’s no statue, he’s in no way anywhere close to the runner/athlete that Riley Leonard is. Leonard’s running ability was crucial to the Irish offense’s success last year, especially on 3rd and 4th downs. Add in that his willingness to take some risks with his throws isn’t always a good thing, and that his first start is going to be on the road against a top-10 Miami team in the stadium where ND has wilted under the noise/heat several times now, and I think all the components are there for Irish fans’ hype around Carr to come plummeting back to earth, even if ND wins the game. He’s going to have some struggles on Sunday night, for sure.
With that said, he’s got a really good offensive line, great running backs behind him, and an improved receiver group to toss the ball to. And Denbrock, I’m sure, will do his best to build his confidence early with some dink-and-dunk passes to keep the chains moving, targeting the tight end and running backs, etc. That plus the ND running game hopefully coming through at some point could be enough to deliver a win, especially if the ND defense can play a great game on the other side.
But yeah, Carr looks very promising long-term and his talent is obvious — but this is a tough first game for him and I’m more than a little worried how he’ll perform in that environment as his first real experience under center.
Q3. OT Charles Jagusah and TE Cooper Flanagan both battled injuries in the offseason. What’s the status of these two impact starters on offense?
OFD: They’re both out for this game, unfortunately.
Jagusah is out until later in the season after breaking his arm in a UTV accident over the 4th of July, which is frustrating because he might just be the Irish’s best — or at least most talented — offensive lineman heading into 2025. Luckily, Notre Dame has a number of highly rated young linemen waiting in the wings, and redshirt freshman Guerby Lambert, a former top-100 recruit and a monster of a kid at 6’7″, 335 lbs, appears likely to win the job.
The Jagusah injury is especially frustrating because he tore his pec before the 2024 season and missed everything until the final two Playoff games, when he replaced injured starting LT Anthonie Knapp in the Penn State game and then started in his place for Ohio State. Getting a full, healthy year out of such a big and talented lineman sure would be nice, ya know?
The loss of Flanagan is actually probably tougher on the Irish, because they’re surprisingly thin at tight end this year, especially after reserve tight end Kevin Bauman just had to retire from football after yet again tearing his ACL. Flanagan was looking like a really strong player last year before he injured his Achilles, and it sounds like he’s similar to Jagusah in that he’s expected to return this season but it’s unclear when (plus, I feel like guys returning from Achilles injuries never really come back at 100% right away — he may not be himself until 2026).
Q4. Jeremiyah Love is the superstar on offense. Sing his praises.
OFD: Jeremiyah Love is the best running back Notre Dame has had in 30+ years, almost without question (some beat writers are already saying he’s the best Notre Dame running back EVER, which is crazy to say but also believable). He’s an awesome combination of breakaway speed, elite footwork, surprising strength/power, insane athleticism, and excellent vision and patience.
Last season he ran for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and only a knee injury in the regular season finale at USC could slow him down down the stretch (along with some questionable usage in the title game…6 touches?!?). Still, he managed some pretty awesome individual plays on a bum knee against IU and Penn State, and showed how big-time he could be from the start against Texas A&M in the season opener. Love just makes big plays, plain and simple:
He’s also an excellent and willing blocker (serving as a lead blocker for Riley Leonard several times last year), and has great hands and can be a real threat catching the ball out of the backfield, if Denbrock chooses to utilize him there more. He’s one of, if not the, most talented skill position players that Notre Dame has had in my lifetime (I was born in 1991).
He’ll be the focal point of every opposing defense this season, and because he’s gotten banged up in the past, I could see that happening again and him needing to take it easy to protect himself for the draft at some point. But he will still provide plenty of HOLY SHIT moments this year, just like last year, and so I’m excited to see if he can kick that off against the Hurricanes. Maybe he’ll even break out his favorite unnecessary but awesome move like he did here and here and here.
Q5. Who are some other noteworthy players on offense to know going into this game?
OFD: WR Malachi Fields, a Virginia grad transfer, gives Carr a big (6’4″), experienced target who can be a deep threat, go get jump balls, and provide a nice security blanket on big third downs. He had 113 catches for 1,619 yards and 10 touchdowns over his final two seasons with the Cavaliers — hopefully that production can translate to South Bend.
WR Jaden Greathouse is the incumbent best-WR on the team, and another guy for Miami to watch out for. He’s not a burner and not as big as Fields, but he’s an excellent route runner with great hands and just enough size and speed to be a menace, as Penn State and Ohio State learned in the Playoff last year — he put up 13 catches for 233 yards and 3 TDs against those two elite defenses, with all three scores being really fun catches/runs after the catch.
Eli Raridon is TE1, and although there isn’t much depth behind him and he hasn’t had a ton of production to-date due to injuries and waiting his turn at the position, he’s looking like the next really good starting tight end at Notre Dame. I expect Carr will go to him often as a huge target to move the chains and convert in the red zone, so it will be interesting to see how Miami matches up with the 6’7″, 252-lb senior.
Other names to note: Wisconsin grad transfer Will Pauling and ND lacrosse star Jordan Faison, who will both operate as shifty playmakers in the slot; and then RB Jadarian Price — he may be backup to Love, but he’d start for probably 75% of programs out there and is an absolute home run threat every time he touches the ball:
Q6. Notre Dame’s defense was among the best in the country in 2024. What do you expect from them under new DC Chris Ash?
OFD: With any luck, I expect we will see more of the same under Chris Ash. It sounds like although he may make a few tweaks vs. what Al Golden did over the last 3 seasons, Ash will likely maintain most of the same system/strategy, and luckily for him this defense returns A LOT of talent and experience from last year, even after losing All-American safety Xavier Watts and super-senior leaders like LB Jack Kiser and DTs Howard Cross and Rylie Mills.
Golden, and now Ash, established a defensive system that runs Nickel a lot of the time, and then also likes to dial up pressure in a number of different ways while playing more man coverage than most defenses and relying on some really long, talented corners to do their job on an island while that pressure tries to get home. This often works, although sometimes it clearly doesn’t, as you may remember when ND took the risk to send pressure on that late 3rd down against Ohio State and then watched Jeremiah Smith easily win his 1:1 battle for the game-clinching big catch. Carson Beck will probably be able to take advantage of this and put together a few big plays through the air this weekend as well, as long as his line gives him just enough time to get the ball out.
But yeah, long story short — expect a lot of DBs, plenty of pressure coming at the QB, and a back seven that can really fly to the football and doesn’t shy away from contact. I think the interior defensive line is the main question mark, as they seem to have a deep rotation of good dudes there (i.e. each of them would make a great DT3 on a depth chart) but not anyone great, so stopping the run inside could be an issue at times.
Q7. Now that we’ve talked about the coach and scheme, who are some names to know on defense for the Irish?
OFD: The list has to start with Leonard Moore, who was a 3-star freshman last year forced into action by injuries and who by year-end was not only a Freshman All-American, but considered by many to be the best returning cornerback in the country for 2025. He’s long, super fast, and is the main reason his fellow starting corner Christian Gray gets picked on a lot. Gray is pretty good, but Moore is a guy opponents rarely want to go after.
Since I mentioned him, I’ll say that Gray gets some guff from Irish fans for having a rough day against USC and then for giving up that Jeremiah Smith catch (as if any corner in the country was going to stop that, alone on an island), but he’s also a playmaker with a penchant for coming up big a lot of the time. He had the game-sealing pass breakup against Texas A&M, he had the 99-yard pick-six to seal that USC game where he struggled for so much of it, and then he had the massive INT on Drew Allar’s horrible decision of a pass in the CFP semis that set up the game-winning field goal. Dude is a really good corner and was just a sophomore last year, so he may still be getting better, even if he has some struggles at times.
Adon Shuler at safety is a stud — fast, loves to hit, and the leader on the back end. Devonta Smith is an Alabama transfer and the starting nickel, and is expected to be a real playmaker both in the pass game and in run support as well.
At linebacker, the Irish are loaded for the first time I can truly remember. Usually, they’ll have one all-world guy (e.g. Manti Te’o, Jaylon Smith, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah) and then a couple slower, less athletic guys. This 2025 group is a 4-man rotation with plenty of speed, nastiness, and talent. The two names Miami fans should probably know are Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, but also don’t be surprised if Jaylen Sneed comes flying into the backfield for a sack at some point, or Jaiden Ausberry comes up with a big tackle for loss or forced fumble.
Finally, on the defensive line, the names to know are at defensive end. Sophomore Bryce Young (son of Bryant Young) is a 6’7″, 271-lb beast who’s everyone’s choice to break out this year after showing plenty of flashes as a true freshman last season. And then Boubacar Traore is the other one to note: he was ND’s best pass rusher in 2024 until he suffered a season-ending injury, but now he’s back and hoping to terrorize Carson Beck and any other opposing QB all season.
Q8. In my lifetime (since 1981), Notre Dame is 0-6 playing against The U in Miami. That includes the 41-8 shellacking the Irish suffered in 2017. What needs to happen for that streak to end?
OFD: Voodoo magic.
But short of that, I think the first thing is that they need a coaching staff who can maintain the right culture and bring in and develop the right talent to compete at a high enough level, while also being very mentally tough, to handle that kind of situation. Marcus Freeman and his staff have already proven they can put that all together, considering the win at Texas A&M last year and the wins in the CFP.
However, Lou Holtz had a similar culture/talent level and still failed to win in Miami, so that alone ain’t gonna do it. What ND needs to get this done on Sunday night:
- The moment cannot be too big for CJ Carr — he won’t be perfect and he’ll probably sling an INT or two, but he’s gotta remain poised, throw accurately on the gimmes/short stuff, and keep taking occasional risks when called upon to do so, not being afraid to throw downfield
- The ND offensive line has to come out and set the tone, even if it takes until the second half to see a lot of success — this Irish backfield is too good and this offensive line is too big and talented for them to come out and give up a bunch of sacks or fail to get any push on the ground
- The Irish defense has GOT to limit big plays from the Miami offense — I have a feeling the ‘Canes will have a couple explosive plays regardless, but if ND can make Miami put together long drives to score points, it will keep this from becoming too much of a shootout (not what ND wants with their brand new QB) and also provide more opportunities for turnovers to flip momentum
- Speaking of turnovers/momentum, Chris Ash has to find a way to get consistent pressure against this Miami o-line and force Carson Beck to throw under duress, which is how you can get him to throw some picks — the defensive ends and linebackers need to make some plays in the backfield on passing downs, even if just so the DBs aren’t left alone for too long chasing Miami receivers in the August Miami heat
Q9. Time to call your shot. How do you see this game playing out, and what’s your final score prediction?
OFD: Initially I was super confident about this one and may even have predicted a 14-21 point win for the Irish. But the last couple months on Twitter, my algorithm has served up so many ND fans being REALLY cocky about how the Irish will blow Miami out, and the more I think about the matchup, I just don’t think that’s likely on the road in the season opener with a green-as-hell QB against a team with plenty of talent and a chip on their shoulder after last year. Yes, ND returns a lot from their runner-up team, but this is a new season and Miami continues to evolve from the team Mario Cristobal inherited a few years ago.
I think the Notre Dame defense will largely show out on Sunday night, but also that Carson Beck, CJ Daniels, and the rest of the new receiving corps will make a few big plays through the air and occasionally get behind the ND defense. Mark Fletcher will somewhat get his on the ground, especially between the tackles against an interior defensive line I’m not yet sold on for ND. And Miami will probably be really aggressive in getting after CJ Carr, looking to force early turnovers, rattle the young gun, and get that crowd whipped into the same bloodthirsty frenzy we saw in 2017. I could see Miami jumping ahead early and even leading at halftime as ND fans panic a bit.
But, I also think the Irish staff and players will regroup and punch back (something Brian Kelly and his team had no ability to do in 2017). I think Carr will connect on a few throws downfield to keep the ‘Canes defense honest and open things up for Love and Price on the ground. I think the offensive line and those backs will wear down the Miami defense late in the game, pounding the ball for a couple long, hard-earned drives that exhaust the Miami defense. And then I think the Irish come up with a couple big turnovers of their own in this one, and Christian Gray comes up with another big play late to help stop a late Miami drive and give the ball to the offense to run the clock out on the ground.
Give me Notre Dame 33, Miami 27 as Marcus Freeman fully exorcises the Hard Rock Stadium demons he originally started to exorcise back in January when his team took down Penn State there to win the Orange Bowl.
Thanks to Patrick for joining us in the opponent Q&A this week. You can read his work, and the work of other talented writers, over at One Foot Down.
