Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2023 21 out of what could be the last year for stalwart tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Need level: 2.5 CORNERBACK Cam Hart's return for a grad year dropped the need here considerably. He and freshman Benjamin Morrison will start on the outside again. Junior Clar- ence Lewis (21 career starts) and fresh- men Jaden Mickey (219 snaps this year) are projected returners, too, and could fill TaRiq Bracy's nickel back role. Notre Dame is also set to sign its highest- ranked cornerback recruit since 2012 in Christian Gray. A veteran slot corner would be worth a look, especially if nickel base defense will be the norm, but the Irish have a good core here. Any transfer needs to be an obvious upgrade over Mickey or Lewis. The former had a bumpy first year, but expectations remain high for him. Need level: 2.5 TIGHT END Notre Dame won't be as good here next year, because Michael Mayer is still a rarity even at a place known for its tight end production. The Irish have surely accepted that. The post-Mayer outlook is a little murkier than it was four months ago, though. Junior Kevin Bauman and sophomore Eli Raridon suffered ACL tears this fall. No. 2 tight end Mitchell Evans' physical traits are impressive, but he does not have a catch in 250 snaps this year. Rari- don's receiving skills impressed in fall camp and his blocking stood out early in the year. Freshman Holden Staes is a gifted receiver but still progressing as a blocker. There's a case for taking a graduate transfer given Mayer's presumed exit and the injuries this year. Will Notre Dame do it? Believe it when you see it. Need level: 3 SAFETY This one is the most subject to change. I f b o t h B ra n d o n Jose p h a n d DJ Brown leave — it's worth noting they were part of Senior Day — then it be- comes a priority. If one comes back, the Irish likely have their starter next to junior Xavier Watts, with senior-to-be Ramon Hen- derson and five-star freshman Peyton Bowen (if he sticks with his pledge) in the mix. If both return, the Irish should be fine running it back and adding Bowen unless an All-American from a high-academic school is available and interested. A lot could happen here, and Bowen's final move must be factored into the de- cision as well. If at least two of Brown, Joseph and Bowen aren't on the 2023 roster, finding a starting-caliber safety transfer becomes a priority. Need level: 6 SPECIALISTS Notre Dame loses kicker Blake Grupe and punter Jon Sot, but long snapper Michael Vinson is returning for a sixth year. The Irish have scholarship options at kicker and punter. Special teams co- ordinator Brian Mason already views freshman Bryce McFerson as the start- ing punter in 2023. Sophomore kicker Josh Bryan, though, fell behind walk-on freshman Zac Yoakam this season. The Irish are already looking at portal kick- ers and hosted South Florida transfer Spencer Shrader for a visit Dec. 10. Need level: 8 DEFENSIVE LINE This number hinges on defensive end Justin Ademilola's sixth-year decision. If he joins Isaiah Foskey in departing, vyper shoots to the top of the portal need list. He would step into Foskey's spot if he stays, but Notre Dame would still be wise to add someone who could play either edge position and push se- nior Nana Osafo-Mensah at field end. On the interior line, Jayson Ademilola and Chris Smith are out of eligibility. Senior Jacob Lacey hit the portal in Oc- tober. That leaves senior Howard Cross III (who was not part of Senior Day), ju- nior Rylie Mills and sophomore Gabriel Rubio as the top three inside returnees. Mills has started at tackle and end this year. Smith was a depth addition last spring. Notre Dame is exploring an equivalent move this year and brought We s te r n M i c h i ga n t ra n s fe r l i n e - man Braden Fiske on a visit Dec. 2. He would be a bridge to freshman Tyson Ford, sophomore Jason Onye and junior Aidan Keanaaina if all return. Keanaai- na's March ACL tear created the need for Smith and altered his timeline for cracking the rotation. Need level: 8 WIDE RECEIVER This was Notre Dame's biggest miss a year ago and among the reasons the Irish have only six scholarship receivers right now. There have been some good devel- opments this season, mainly freshman Tobias Merriweather's and sophomore Jayden Thomas' growth. Deion Colzie's second-half emergence shouldn't be overlooked. Graduate student Braden Lenzy has had a better year than his numbers show. Notre Dame has three receiver commits and could eventually sign four at the position. Collectively, those have Notre Dame's receiver unit pointed in the right direc- tion. But not enough to make passing on a graduate transfer receiver with a solid history of production a viable move. Lorenzo Styles' stalled development in Year 2 should factor into the decision as well. Virginia Tech graduate transfer Kaleb Smith (37 catches for 674 yards in 2022) was scheduled to visit Dec. 17. Need level: 10 QUARTERBACK Sophomore Tyler Buchner is coming off shoulder surgery. Kenny Minchey is an incoming freshman at a place that rarely starts freshman quarterbacks. Freshman Steve Angeli was destined for scout-team duties all year if not for Bu- chner's injury. Leaving the offense in the hands of that group is too risky. That's not to say those three won't have a chance to claim the job. But Notre Dame has to take as many shots as possible at upgrading its passing attack. That involves adding a transfer. Texas' Hudson Card is an early target. He's a former top-75 recruit with five career starts and solid numbers (65.5 percent completion rate, 7.9 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns, 2 intercep- tions). Adding him also shouldn't leave any of the holdovers thinking they have zero chance of beating him out, but it would give the Irish a battle-tested quarterback with big-game experience. Need level: 10 ✦