Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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10 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Jaden Greathouse Is In For Great Freshman Year By Tyler Horka There was a common thread shared by the three players who racked up the most receiving yards from Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman in 2022; they all three were at least 6-foot-2. That's the exact height of Donavon Greene, who caught 37 passes for 642 yards and 6 touchdowns for the Demon Deacons. Greene was in his fourth year with Wake Forest, so experience was on his side. Notre Dame true freshman Jaden Greathouse is starting from scratch. But he's do- ing so at a position Notre Dame is desperately thin at, so a four-star, top-30 player at his position in the On3 Consensus recruiting rankings with 6-2, 219-pound size should work his way into the fold rather routinely. Austin (Texas) Westlake went 58-2 during Great- house's four years at the powerhouse program. He caught 53 touchdown passes and averaged 17.4 yards per catch on his way to amassing more than 4,000 receiving yards. The three-time state champion was the offensive MVP of the 2021 title game. Sometimes highly heralded recruits with a plethora of accolades don't pan out for whatever reason. But sometimes they do. Sometimes it just makes sense. Sometimes nothing stops talented players from achieving their full potential. Notre Dame is banking on that being the case with Greathouse. Head coach Marcus Freeman said during the early signing period in December he's one of the players in the class of 2023 who could contribute for the Irish right away. I'll take the man in charge's word for it. Trench Ready, Brenan Vernon Is Plug-And-Play By Todd D. Burlage There's no debate in this debate that gaining the size, strength and knowl- edge to play football in the trenches as a true freshman — even just to earn mop-up reps — requires a special recruit, on both sides of the ball. And for all three of those reasons, Notre Dame fans better keep an eye on versatile 2023 defensive line- man Brenan Vernon, a four-star recruit from Mentor (Ohio) High School in the talent-rich Cleveland area. Size? At a sturdy 6-foot-4 and approximately 260 pounds, Vernon is the most physically ready "plug and play" recruit in the class. Strength? Vernon's size serves as evidence of his training regimen. While at the same time, highlight film shows an edge rusher that brings plenty of bullish power, with finesse when needed. Knowledge? Playing at Mentor High School provided Vernon an opportu- nity to be coached by and play against some of the best talent in Ohio — St. Edward, St. Ignatius and Medina among those opponents. Admittedly, choosing a first-year defensive lineman in this debate is risky. But given the transition this Irish unit faces in 2023 with linemen Isaiah Foskey, Chris Smith, Justin and Jayson Ademilola all out the door, opportunity for Ver- non will likely come out of positional necessity, along with his player readiness. Blend opportunity with ability — and a motor and willingness to play wher- ever and whenever necessary — and expect to see plenty of Vernon this season. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHICH 2023 SIGNEE WILL MAKE THE GREATEST IMPACT IN YEAR 1? Notre Dame graduate student softball pitcher Payton Tidd isn't one to spend too much time looking back. Instead, her confident and improve- ment-driven approach to her craft is to always forge forward to the next pitch, the next batter, the next challenge. Talented and reliable, Tidd has been the rock of the Irish pitching staff for the last four seasons. As a senior in 2022, she finished with a 15-5 record and a 2.79 ERA, and she also led the Irish with 130 2 ⁄3 innings pitched and 32 appearances. The San Marcos, Calif., native also led Notre Dame with 9 complete games and was second on the team with 97 strikeouts. Tidd, a second-team All-ACC honoree last sea- son, returns for her fifth year at Notre Dame in 2023 wanting to carry in some of the good mojo after a terrific 40-12 team record in 2022. She also wants to apply the lessons learned from a premature exit in the regional round to McNeese in the NCAA Championship. Notre Dame was picked to finish fifth in the highly competitive ACC this season. The Irish opened non-conference play Feb. 10-12, with five games in San Diego. Blue & Gold Illustrated caught up with Tidd before the season-opening road trip to discuss season expectations, her approach to pitching and her time a Notre Dame. BGI: A terrific 2022 regular season brought a disappointing postseason; what were the take- aways? Tidd: "Last year, ending the way it did, left a sour taste in our mouth. But we felt how great last season was, and I think that will project us into a better position this season. We have the motivation to do that because we don't want to feel like we did last year." BGI: You're one of many returning veterans, but you also lost some players from last season; what's the early vibe of this year's new group? Tidd: "We have a lot of returners this year. And we have even more depth with the freshmen coming in and with our transfer. It brings a lot of new and different perspectives into this Notre Dame softball team. Everyone is ready and we're excited to get started." BGI: The first 24 games this season are all on the road against some good competition; how important is a solid start? Tidd: "It's very important to start the season off well, to see that good competition. A fast start would put us into a good spot, let's get some good wins under our belt. But also, let's be excel- lent in everything we do." BGI: How would you describe your mentality on the mound? Tidd: "I like to have the ball in my hand no mat- ter what, no matter who's up to bat, no matter what team we're playing. I want to be that player who takes on that next batter." BGI: You've been here since 2019 and accom- plished so much; what has your time at Notre Dame meant? Tidd: "It's meant everything. Notre Dame has made me the person that I am today. And Notre Dame softball has made me the woman that I am today." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … GRADUATE STUDENT SOFTBALL PITCHER PAYTON TIDD GREATHOUSE VERNON Tidd compiled a 15-5 record and a 2.79 ERA for the Fighting Irish as a senior last season. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS