Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505336
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2023 37 be the best it's been in a long time at Notre Dame, but Gray's combination of smarts, twitchiness and speed make him a potential Day 1 contributor. And it should be no surprise that Blue & Gold Illustrated believes that two of the receivers from the 2023 recruiting class are ready for action. Jaden Great- house shined in the Blue-Gold Game with his 11 catches for 118 yards. He looks primed to contribute right away. So does Rico Flores Jr., who can play slot or to the field, while Greathouse of- fers more of a boundary receiver skill set but can also play slot. Both Flores and Greathouse have stood out during camp. WHO WILL SURPRISE? While he's not getting as many head- lines as Flores and Greathouse, wide receiver Braylon James from the Lone Star State could have a surprise break- through season. It'll be interesting to see if he can surpass junior Deion Colzie on the boundary receiver depth chart. Michael Mayer ended his three-year Notre Dame career as one of the best tight ends in school history, and the Irish already have their next No. 87. Freshman tight end Cooper Flanagan is taking on Mayer's old jersey number. M i tc h e l l Eva n s, Kev i n B a u m a n , Holden Staes, Eli Raridon and Davis Sherwood may be ahead of Flanagan on the depth chart, but injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. The Irish will still use plenty of tight ends despite an offensive coordinator change. A theme of this article is the freshmen that are more physically developed have a better chance of playing this fall. Fla- nagan is listed at 6-5⅞ and 262 pounds. The bruising tight end impressed this fall with his blocking ability and is im- proving as a pass catcher as well. In looking at the strong-side de- fensive end depth chart, Nana Osafo- Mensah and Javontae Jean-Baptiste are expected to get the most reps at the po- sition. Tyson Ford and Aiden Gobaira will want to make their own mark on the position during their respective sopho- more campaigns as well. Brenan Vernon out of the Cleveland area could be a surprise player at the position. He's as impressive as they come physically, and with his motor, he could be an interesting option in various situations for position coach Al Washington. ✦ None of these players have signed their national letters of intent, but once they do they instantly become options for Notre Dame to put on the field next year. These are the top three candidates from the class of 2024 to see significant playing time in their true freshman seasons. 1. LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa With graduate students Marist Liufau, Jack Kiser and JD Bertrand po- tentially all gone after the 2023 season, Viliamu-Asa can step in as a true freshman and play a big role. Viliamu-Asa, who is ranked as a top-100 player nationally by both 247 Sports and Rivals, has been a key contributor for Bell- flower (Calif.) St. John Bosco since his freshman season. Viliamu-Asa was named the Southern Section All-CIF Defensive Player of the Year as a junior. He finished 2022 with 111 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 fumbles and 1 interception. He plays against other Division I talent at practice and on Friday nights, which will help prepare him for Notre Dame, and he's already impressive size-wise at 6-2, 235 pounds. It is not often that you see a true freshman starting linebacker, but Viliamu- Asa may break the mold. Sources in South Bend are very excited about this prospect and his potential to provide an instant impact. 2. WR Cam Williams He's currently the highest-ranked commit in Notre Dame's 2024 class ac- cording to On3, listed as the No. 7 wide receiver and No. 35 overall prospect in America. The Irish have young and talented wideouts on paper for next season, but Williams could simply be too good not to play in 2024. Of course, this is difficult to project. These players have yet to play a down as a senior in high school. But Williams looks like a sure bet to be a very productive receiver in college. He's been clocked in the 4.4 range in the 40-yard dash. Williams is a very strong athlete in track, running a 10.86-second 100-meter dash as a junior and posting a 6-foot-5 high jump as a sophomore Williams, who hails from Glen Ellyn (Ill.) Glenbard South, is a freak athlete and very well may end up ranking as a five-star prospect when the 2024 class is all said and done. No. 3. QB CJ Carr There are a few other good options for this way, way-too-early projection, and it might be asking way too much of a true freshman to start games at quarterback, but Saline (Mich.) High's CJ Carr is not your typical signal-caller. Ranked as a borderline five-star prospect per Rivals, 247 Sports and ESPN, Carr comes from a decorated football family, including grandfather Lloyd Carr, the Michigan legend who guided the Wolverines' program from 1995- 2007, compiled a 122-40 record and won the 1997 national championship. Carr is incredibly sharp, and his skill set as a very accurate quarterback with very good size translates well to playing early. Quarterback is the most difficult position to play as a true freshman, but with Sam Hartman exhaust- ing his eligibility at the end of the upcoming season, it'll be a wide-open competition for 2024. Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey would make sense to replace Hartman, but Carr could be more ready to play than most people think. An interesting de- velopment would be if Notre Dame looks to add a transfer quarterback for 2024. — Mike Singer Looking Ahead: Three Class of 2024 Commits Who Could Play As Freshmen Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, who joined Notre Dame's 2024 class in July, has the talent and size (6-2, 235) to make an immediate impact for the Fighting Irish. PHOTO COURTESY KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA