Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM MARCH 2023 73 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE mend from ACL tears and unlikely to be fully cleared for practice. Flanagan does not arrive until June, and junior Cane Berrong entered the transfer portal in December and is headed to Coastal Carolina. OFFENSIVE TACKLE (9) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — None Seniors — Tosh Baker, Michael Carmody Juniors — Joe Alt, Blake Fisher, Caleb Johnson Sophomores — Aamil Wagner, Ty Chan Freshmen — Charles Jagusah, Sullivan Absher Note: Alt and Fisher might be the best returning tackle tandem in the country in 2023. There's solid depth behind them in Baker and Carmody, who have each started games. The long-term outlook here is strong with former On3 five-star recruits Wagner and Jagusah in the fold. INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE (9) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — Andrew Kristofic, Zeke Correll Seniors — None Juniors — Rocco Spindler, Pat Coogan Sophomores — Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth Freshmen — Sam Pendleton*, Joe Otting, Chris Terek Note: The Irish are replacing 2022 starting guards Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg, and a promising group of holdovers will get the first shot at winning those jobs. The primary contenders are Kristofic (eight career starts), Schrauth and Spindler. DEFENSIVE END (9) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — Javontae Jean-Bap- tiste, Nana Osafo-Mensah Seniors — Alexander Ehrensberger, Jordan Botelho Juniors — None Sophomores — Junior Tuihalamaka, Aiden Gob- aira, Joshua Burnham Freshmen — Armel Mukam, Boubacar Traore Note: Notre Dame will need two new starters here after Isaiah Foskey and Justin Ademilola de- clared for the draft. Ohio State transfer Jean-Bap- tiste is a safe bet to be one. Botelho begins winter workouts as the other favorite after starting the Gator Bowl and notching 2 sacks. His 4.5 sacks in 2022 were second on the team, and he did it in just 127 snaps (23rd among Irish defensive players). DEFENSIVE TACKLE (9) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — Howard Cross III Seniors — Rylie Mills, Aidan Keanaaina Juniors — Jason Onye, Gabriel Rubio Sophomores — Tyson Ford, Donovan Hinish Freshmen — Brenan Vernon, Devan Houstan* Note: Mills moving back to tackle full-time seems like the smart move given the lack of depth behind Cross and Rubio. Those three are the returning core, but Notre Dame is looking for at least one more player to join them. Onye, Keanaaina, Ford and Hinish have played a total of 60 career snaps. All but 10 of those belong to Keanaaina, who is coming off an ACL tear. This remains the most likely spot that Notre Dame addresses via the portal after the spring. LINEBACKER (10) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — Jack Kiser, Marist Liufau, JD Bertrand Seniors — None Juniors — Prince Kollie, Will Schweitzer Sophomores — Jaylen Sneed, Nolan Ziegler Freshmen — Drayk Bowen*, Jaiden Ausberry*, Preston Zinter* Note: The fifth-year trio of Kiser, Liufau and Ber- trand shouldered most of the weight here in 2022. Liufau played a team-high 646 defensive snaps. Bertrand led the team with 82 tackles, and Kiser was second (58). The linebackers played nearly 500 fewer snaps in 2022 than 2021, a product of more nickel usage from defensive coordinator Al Golden and 57 fewer defensive plays for the Irish. If the nickel usage stays the same, Golden will have a complex playing-time puzzle to sort out if Sneed, Kollie or another youngster takes a step forward. Finding consistent snaps for Kiser in the nickel was enough of a challenge. CORNERBACK (9) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — Cam Hart Seniors — Clarence Lewis Juniors — Philip Riley, Chance Tucker, Ryan Barnes Sophomores — Benjamin Morrison, Jaden Mickey Freshmen — Micah Bell, Christian Gray* Note: Hart returned for a fifth year but won't be cleared for spring after having shoulder surgery to repair an injury that cost him the final two games of 2022. Morrison returns as the unit's star after earning Freshman All-America honors. Mickey, Lewis and Oklahoma State transfer Thomas Harper will be part of the equation to replace departed slot corner TaRiq Bracy. SAFETY (8) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — DJ Brown, Thomas Harper Seniors — Ramon Henderson, Xavier Watts Juniors — Justin Walters Sophomores — None Freshmen — Brandyn Hillman, Adon Shuler*, Ben Minich* Note: Brown came back for a sixth year after 10- game starter Brandon Joseph declared for the NFL Draft. He led the safeties in snaps in 2022, though that doesn't lock him into a starting job. Watts and Henderson feel like the ideal starting combination here. Harper was a safety by designation but often played the slot at Oklahoma State. SPECIALISTS (4) Fifth/Sixth-Year Players — kicker Spencer Shrader, long snapper Michael Vinson Seniors — None Juniors — kicker Joshua Bryan Sophomores — punter Bryce McFerson Freshmen — None Note: Shrader will graduate from South Florida this spring and enroll in June, but he is already the favorite to be the starting kicker. Vinson's return for a sixth year pushed Alex Peitsch to the transfer portal. Notre Dame already sees McFerson as the starting punter. Walk-ons Rino Monteforte (long snapper), Zac Yoakam (placekicker, kickoffs) and Ben Krimm (punter) are the projected second op- tions at their positions. Krimm is a graduate trans- fer from Penn. ✦ Cornerback Benjamin Morrison's team-high 6 interceptions as a freshman were tied for the third-most in the FBS in 2022. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER