Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1506910
6 SEPT. 9, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME BY TYLER HORKA I f you wanted to go to the 50- yard line at Notre Dame Sta- dium and stack every Fighting Irish player who has the ability, one, and trust from the coach- ing staff, two, to play signifi- cant roles on this year's team on top of each other, feet on shoulders, one after the other, until you run out of bodies, the player who gets the tippy-top treatment might be able to see over the north wall of the stadium and stare Touchdown Jesus in the eyes. Hyperbole aside, the stack would be pretty dang tall. Re- ally dang tall. The wide array of players utilized by Notre Dame in the 42-3 victory over Navy Aug. 26 was just as impressive as the score itself. Five different Irish players combined for six total touchdowns. The only repeat scorer was true freshman wide re- ceiver Jaden Greathouse. Greathouse was one of three true freshmen to get reps for the Notre Dame offense. There were five redshirt freshmen — still referred to by Notre Dame as sophomores — who recorded at least five snaps, too. One true freshman, cornerback Christian Gray, and one red- shirt freshman, linebacker Jaylen Sneed, played for the Notre Dame defense. Gray logged 21 snaps in his debut. Sneed played 27, a career high. He played only 39 snaps all season as a true freshman. Greathouse. Gray. Sneed. Wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. and running back Jeremiyah Love, both true freshmen. Redshirt fresh- man running backs Gi'Bran Payne and Jadarian Price. There is an almost endless supply of young talent capable of contrib- uting all season long for Notre Dame. And that's simply in addition to the known commodities, from graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman to sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison and so many more players along the way. Head coach Marcus Freeman said he was impressed there was not a drop-off in production when Notre Dame went from, say, junior running back Audric Estimé to Payne or Price. Price scored a 19-yard touchdown on his very first collegiate carry for crying out loud. It doesn't matter if it was just Navy. If you can play, you can play, and Notre Dame seems to have a lot of guys who can do just that. "That's what you want to make sure you're able to do; roll guys in there and keep them fresh," Freeman said. "To me, that's really a compliment to our coaches and the depth they've been able to create." RAISING THE BAR It took until the sixth game of the 2022 season for Notre Dame to have a week in which nine players caught at least one pass. It happened in the very first game of 2023. And the way it happened was as in- dicative of depth as anything. The Irish were sitting on eight different pass catchers late in the Navy game. The staff turned the controls over to second-year quarterback Steve Angeli, who fits in the category of the five redshirt freshmen who played in the season opener. The first pass of Angeli's career was a comple- tion to Flores. So not only did Angeli hit a milestone himself, albeit on a 2-yard gain, but Notre Dame hit the nine pass- catcher mark in the process. It feels like nine is a number Notre Dame can hit quite often. The Irish did not even target a tight end against Navy and still got there. Sophomore receiver Tobias Merri- weather went without a catch as well. Three running backs caught passes, but Price and Love were held off the score sheet in that regard. Those are two players offensive coordinator Gerad Parker can certainly dial things up for in the passing game. And then there's Hartman, the straw that stirs the drink. If Notre Dame wants to get a particular guy involved and go out of its way to do so, he's the right man for the job. He was clinical in completing 19 of 23 passes against the Midshipmen. Hartman was a career 59.1 percent passer in five seasons at Wake Forest. At Notre Dame, the offense is set up for him to be far more accurate. He'll have a solid group of wideouts to throw to and what could be an elite offensive line blocking for him. UNDER THE DOME Sophomore running back Gi'Bran Payne is one of five Irish running backs that can carry the load in the backfield. PHOTO BY JOHN CROTHERS DOMER DEPTH Notre Dame proves from the start it has multiple players to rely on at just about every position