Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JANUARY 2024 25 ond behind Tyree in yards and catches by a wide receiver. He'll be a key player for years to come. 3. Ashton Craig — When starting graduate student center Zeke Correll missed the season's last two games with a concussion, Craig stepped in and graded better. His 70.6 PFF offense grade ranked third on the team among offensive linemen. Center is a very cerebral position, one responsible for making checks at the line of scrimmage and setting the pass protection. The inexperienced Craig stepping in could have been cause for concern, but he handled himself well and put himself in line to start next year. MOST UNDERRATED 1. Jack Kiser — Pro Football Focus graded Kiser as Notre Dame's No. 1 de- fensive player who registered at least 20 snaps. Kiser played 327 snaps while fellow graduate student linebackers JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau paced the Irish with 613 and 595, respectively, so it was easy to lose sight of just how much of a difference he made when he was on the field. PFF did not, though, and nei- ther did Blue & Gold Illustrated. Kiser is savvy. He's smart. And he's just a really sound football player. He deserves more credit than he gets. 2. Cam Hart — Hart plays on a team with Morrison, he of 6 interceptions a season ago, and Bronko Nagurski Tro- phy winner Xavier Watts, he of an FBS- leading 7 interceptions this season. Talk about getting lost in the shuffle. But on many other teams in the coun- try, Hart would be the best defensive back on the roster. He's got his own NFL future ahead of him. He has started for the better part of the last three seasons, and he was a perfect complement to Morrison for the last two. Hart's 2023 PFF coverage grade of 84.2 ranked sec- ond behind Kiser's 89.1 and just ahead of Morrison's 83.5. Good company. 3. Thomas Harper — Harper drew criticism this season when Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka went to work on him. What people fail to talk about is Harp- er's PFF tackling grade of 88.9, though, which led all Notre Dame defensive players. Harper also had a pass rush grade of 88.9, tops on the team among players who logged at least 20 pass rush snaps. Harper allowed 26 catches for 236 yards and 1 touchdown on 43 targets per PFF. Only Morrison was targeted more times (48) by opposing quarter- backs. All in all, Harper did not fare so bad against the pass. And if that was the one knock on him, he put together a really nice season. FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR 1. Rico Flores Jr. — Only one Notre Dame wide receiver put up 100 yards in a game in the past two seasons. It was Flores, who did so Nov. 18 against Wake Forest. He led the Irish in snaps by a wideout in 2023 and was the most reliable player at the position at such a young age. He finished the year with 27 catches for 392 yards and 1 touchdown. Un fo r t u n a te ly fo r No t re Da m e , Flores' story in South Bend ended shortly after his freshman season. He entered the transfer portal Dec. 1. 2. Jeremiyah Love — Who would have thought Love would be second on Notre Dame behind Estimé in carries and rushing yards, despite the presence of three older scholarship running backs who were all expected to play? Who would have thought that it wouldn't be close? Love carried 56 times for 346 yards and a touchdown. More than that, he looked like the real deal. Out of high school, some believed Love was a speedster, nothing more. He quickly proved that theory wrong, showing that he is a quick-twitch, physical runner with more make-'em- miss ability than anyone this side of Es- timé. He is a future star. 3. Jaden Greathouse — Greathouse is why losing Tyree isn't the end of the world for Notre Dame. His best position is the slot, and when he could play there and he was healthy — a hamstring injury hampered Greathouse midseason — he was one of Notre Dame's most produc- tive pass catchers. The Austin (Texas) Westlake gradu- ate led the Irish with 5 touchdown re- ceptions. He has a good chance to start alongside multiple transfer additions in 2024. ✦ Jack Kiser was highly efficient in 2023, finishing third on the team with 59 tackles in only 327 snaps played. Pro Football Focus graded him as Notre Dame's No. 1 defensive player among those that regis- tered at least 20 snaps. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER