The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is just about in the middle of camp season, and we certainly have a better sense of what they will field this season than at the start of camp. Well… kind of.
There is very little that Notre Dame allows the media to see during its practice viewings, and its social media offerings are very quick cut. So, take everything said and written with a grain of salt (this especially includes over here with me at OFD).
Let’s just dive right in and be right or be wrong.
QUARTERBACK
CJ Carr is very good at what he does, and by all accounts (public and private) he’s absolutely locked in on making this season a legendary one.
This is a surprise to absolutely no one. The bigger question has been and remains as to who will back Carr up as QB2?
I think freshman QB Teddy Jarrard (who should be entering his senior year of HS) has already done enough to put himself in position to battle with fellow freshman Noah Grubbs (who enrolled in January) and sophomore, Blake Hebert. It is MY opinion, that Grubbs will initially win QB2 with Jarrard right behind him. That makes Hebert the odd man out —but factor in him missing practices for “personal reasons” and you can paint your own picture.
RUNNING BACK
Aneyas Williams continues to cement himself as RB1, which like Carr, is no surprise. As far as the rest go… I really don’t know. I don’t feel much buzz for Nolan James, but that might not match up with reality. I like what Kedron Young brings to the table and I loved that clip of him running it in for a score at the goaline.
As far as the two freshmen are concerned… Jonaz Walton gets the edge and could see some serious carries this year while Javian Osbourne is still playing a little bit of catchup after sitting out the spring with an injury. There was a clip of Osbourne getting the ball poked out by Teddy Rezac, and that’s definitely one of those things that can be hard for a freshman to overcome.
WIDE RECEIVER
Rather than go through all of them… Micah Gilbert is flashing much in the same way he did last year when he won a starting job in fall camp. Jaden Greathouse is 100% healthy and turning heads with his athleticism and play, which is incredible news.
The Irish are deep at WR and from what I’ve seen most of them have flashed at one point or another. Jordan Faison has been my clear leader with this group, but guys like Devin Fitzgerald and Bubba Frazier (both freshmen) are making waves too.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The bad news train came early with a broken foot for Matty Augustine who was battling Sullivan Absher for the starting RG spot. This could COULD mean the move of Ashton Craig to RG with Joe Otting at center is a real possibility if Absher slips, but I’m not sure how viable that will eventually be as we get closer to the season. Still… the best five are the best five.
TIGHT END
We had to wait all spring for Ian Premer to show up to campus in June, and I think we will be rewarded early in the season. He checks all of the boxes as a freshman who’s fighting for playing time. I can’t say much more than I’ve heard good things about the law firm of Flanagan and Flanigan, but the whole position still feels unknown.
LINEBACKER
It looks more and more like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will be ready to go in week one. There may be no position group in the country deeper than what the Irish have at linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Luke Talich continues to impress at safety, and with Adon Shuler and Brauntae Johnson holding down the starting spots — it really makes the Wyoming native that much more dangerous. When ND goes into a dime set, Talich is in there with both of them.
Christian Gray’s transformation into a nickel back is almost complete. He’s talking about being physical and hitting people and I’ve already been in love with the concept of him there. DJ McKinney continues to get high praise as the field corner but so has Jayden Sanders.
While the LB room might be the deepest on the team, the defensive backs are the best room on the team — which is quite impressive.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The biggest question marks on defense really revolved around defensive line. We are getting more and more answers and the answers have been solid. Armel Mukam is being mentioned as a starter which says more about his play than the depth. Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray are as advertised at defensive tackle, and we are starting to hear more about Keon Keeley coming into his own out at DE.
Speaking of DE… Boubacar Traore is a monster, and according to a number of people, Bryce Young is finally “there” as a playmaker and sack man off of the edge.
While the linebackers are the deepest, and the defensive backs are the best — the defensive line is the freakiest as they had 3 players listed on Bruce Feldman’s Freak List.
I KNOW
I know this rundown is VERY optimistic — maybe too much. Still… we are talking about a team that is one of the favorites to win a national championship. There aren’t a lot of glaring questions, and Marcus freeman has a great staff.
I live about an hour and forty-five minutes away from Notre Dame. As much as I would love to check out the 20 minutes of practice with my own eyes, it’s just not economical. I’m not going to pretend to know more than I do, or make grand sweeping statements based off of a few snippets. I’m relying on a few sources that I trust, and yes… the wee bit we get on video.
This team is really, really good right now, and by the end of fall camp — they should be up to the task of being every bit of the top five team that so many coaches and writers feel like they are. We’re getting closer….
