Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 9, 2023 11 UNDER THE DOME RARE AIR FOR NOTRE DAME CAPTAINS ON MULTIPLE FRONTS Notre Dame has a quarterback as a team captain for the first time since 2020. And it's a player who trans- ferred into the program, making him only the second transfer in program history to earn captaincy. That is, of course, graduate stu- dent Sam Hartman. Former Irish de- fensive back Alohi Gilman was the only other transfer to wear a "C" on his chest for Notre Dame when he did so in 2019. He got to South Bend by way of the Naval Academy. Graduate student linebacker JD Bertrand, graduate student cor- nerback Cam Hart and junior left tackle Joe Alt are the other three Notre Dame captains. The Irish have not had as few as four team captains since 2018. They had six last year, seven in 2021, five in 2020 and seven in 2019. The feeling is this quartet is all Notre Dame needs in terms of ap- pointed captains. Hartman is as ac- complished as any quarterback in the country in terms of sheer volume of accolades over the course of a career. Alt is a future first-round NFL Draft pick. Bertrand and Hart are a couple of guys who have experience being rostered on a team that got to a destination this version of the Irish wants to see for itself — the College Football Playoff. Hartman, despite how new he is to the program, has some heart and soul to him. Alt has street credit because of his talent. Bertrand and Hart have it because of how long they've been around. Notre Dame players chose wisely in anointing those four. — Tyler Horka JADEN GREATHOUSE MAKES FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST The powers that be in college football have taken notice of Notre Dame wide receiver Jaden Great- house. After catching a pair of touchdown passes in his first career game, Greathouse was named to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award watch list. He's one of just 37 first-year players on the list from across the country. Greathouse caught 3 passes for 68 yards on just 8 snaps in Notre Dame's 42-3 victory over Navy Aug. 26 in Dublin, Ireland. He led the team in receiving yards and finished tied for second in receptions with senior Chris Tyree and junior Deion Colzie. Junior Jayden Thomas led the way with 4 catches. Playing time is only set to increase for Greathouse. He showed in spring ball and then again in fall camp he could already be one of Notre Dame's most productive players. Most importantly for 2023, he has generated a strong rapport with Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman. Greathouse was thrilled with his performance in Game 1. The rest of the season should be packed with the same level of production. He's talented. The Shaun Alexander Foundation sees it. Navy saw it, to the tune of 14 points on the board for Notre Dame. "It was amazing," Greathouse said. "I've dreamed of this ever since I was young. The opportunity is finally here. I'm glad that I was able to make the most of it. My teammates out there helping me, I couldn't have done it without them boosting me up and elevating my level of play. "When we come back to the sideline, everybody is cheering. Everybody is happy for each other. It's really a beautiful thing." —Tyler Horka GABRIEL RUBIO SIDELINED WITH INJURY FOR 'A COUPLE WEEKS' During his weekly news conference Aug. 28, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said unprompted that junior defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio will be out "a couple of weeks" with a knee injury suffered during the Irish's 42-3 win against Navy Aug. 26. "I don't know if you guys know this, but Gabe Rubio will be out a couple of weeks," Freeman told reporters from the Notre Dame Stadium press room. "Just a knee injury. He's got to get a couple of things fixed in his knee." Freeman also said Notre Dame did not have any other injuries to report following the pro- gram's Week 0 win. Rubio, who played in his 12th game for the Irish versus Navy, had 1 tackle in the victory. He played 19 snaps and also recorded 2 quar- terback hurries, one of which led to a sack for sophomore vyper Joshua Burnham. Rubio's tackle came after a 7-yard rush by Alex Tecza. According to Pro Football Focus, Rubio also had a missed tackle against Navy. His PFF de- fensive grade of 59.0 ranked 17th out of 24 defensive participants. His 22.2 tackling grade was last among the 22 players graded. The Notre Dame depth chart lists Rubio as the second-team defensive tackle behind Howard Cross III, who was tied for fourth on the team with 4 tackles against Navy. Sopho- more Donovan Hinish and junior Jason Onye also saw reps at defensive tackle against the Midshipmen. — Kyle Kelly Hartman is no stranger to being named a team captain. He also earned that honor three times at Wake Forest. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS Rubio played 19 snaps before injuring his knee against Navy Aug. 26. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS