Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 JANUARY 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BOWL PREVIEW: OREGON STATE SPECIAL TEAMS Notre Dame had yet another difference-making special teams unit in 2023. Last year, the Irish were a punt-blocking machine. This year, it was field goals. The Fighting Irish blocked three kicks, including one in each of the final two games of the year. Notre Dame also scored on a kickoff return, punt return and a punt block. It felt like every time the Irish stepped onto the field on Saturday, the special teams unit was going to do something productive. That's a good place to be in. Graduate student kicker Spencer Shrader's season was a bit more hit and miss. He connected on 14 of 20 field goal attempts. Seventy percent is not where a kicker of his caliber wants to be. Shrader was nearly automatic on kicks from less than 40 yards out, but as soon as he hit that mark things got shaky. He was 2 of 5 from the 40- to 49-yard range. Interestingly, though, Shrader was a very respectable 4 of 6 from 50 or more yards. He set the all-time Notre Dame record with a 54-yarder. Oregon State kicker Atticus Sappington went 13 of 14 on field goals and 49-of-50 on extra points this past year, but he announced his entrance into the portal Dec. 11. His backup, senior Everett Hayes, didn't attempt any kicks this year, but in the previous four seasons he went 25 of 41 (61.0 percent) and has a career long field goal of 60 yards in 2021. Last season, he went 6 of 13 (46.2 percent) on field goals with a long of 50 yards. Bolden was Oregon State's primary kick return man. He averaged 23.1 yards per return on 17 recorded returns. Compare that to Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price's 35.6 yards per return average on 9 returns. That was aided by Price's 98- yard touchdown versus USC. Oregon State is searching for a Sun Bowl answer at punt return. Wide receiver Anthony Gould, who opted out, averaged 16.1 yards per return on a team-high 7 returns. Notre Dame also is in need of a replacement for Chris Tyree, who is transferring to Virginia, and his 10.8-yard return average on 11 returns. It will probably be freshman wide receiver Jordan Faison, who averaged 14.0 yards on 2 returns. Advantage: Notre Dame COACHING Oregon State's new head coach taking over for Jonathan Smith (who left for Michigan State) is on staff; it's defensive coordinator Trent Bray. But it won't be Bray who's coordinating the Beavers' de- fense in the Sun Bowl or serving as the head coach. He said he'd rather focus on recruiting and getting his coaching staff for 2024 in order than put all of his time into game planning for this postseason game, which is in stark contrast to the way Marcus Freeman went about his duties when he took over for Brian Kelly two years ago. Freeman did it all, from recruiting to coaching staff posturing to pure coaching. Bray deferred the interim coach tag to Kefense Hynson, who will call the offensive plays. Cornerbacks coach Anthony Perkins will coordi- nate the Oregon State defense. Speaking of Freeman — his teams were ever so close to being 2-0 in bowl games. If it weren't for blowing a 21-point lead over Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl two years ago, they would be. But most recently, Notre Dame pulled off a 45-38 win over South Carolina in the Gator Bowl without the team's best players on both sides of the ball suiting up in tight end Michael Mayer and defensive end Isaiah Foskey. Quarterback Tyler Buchner made his first start since Sept. 10, and the Irish still nearly hung a 50 burger on the Gamecocks. It's been a turbulent transfer portal season for Notre Dame this year, and the circumstances of this year's bowl game might be even tougher to wrangle, but the Irish coaching staff itself is intact minus the firing of wide receivers coach Chansi OFFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. WR 83 Jayden Thomas 6-1½ 221 Jr. 0 Deion Colzie 6-4¼ 210 Jr. WR 80 Jordan Faison 5-10⅛ 182 Fr. 11 KK Smith 6-0 168 Fr. LT 76 Joe Alt 6-8 322 Jr. 79 Tosh Baker 6-8 317 Sr. LG 78 Pat Coogan 6-5⅛ 303 Jr. 73 Andrew Kristofic 6-5¼ 305 Gr. C 70 Ashton Craig 6-4¼ 307 So. 73 Andrew Kristofic 6-5¼ 305 Gr. RG 74 Billy Schrauth 6-4½ 311 So. 73 Andrew Kristofic 6-5¼ 305 Gr. RT 79 Tosh Baker 6-8 317 Sr. 59 Aamil Wagner 6-6 288 So. TE 9 Eli Raridon 6-6¾ 250 So. or 87 Cooper Flanagan 6-5⅞ 262 Fr. WR 19 Jaden Greathouse 6-1 204 Fr. 29 Matt Salerno 6-0⅝ 199 Gr. QB 18 Steve Angeli 6-2⅜ 211 So. 8 Kenny Minchey 6-1⅝ 219 Fr. RB 7 Audric Estimé 5-11½ 227 Jr. 3 Gi'Bran Payne 5-9⅛ 208 So. or 24 Jadarian Price 5-10⅜ 206 So. or 22 Devyn Ford 5-11 200 Gr. or 12 Jeremiyah Love 5-11⅞ 197 Fr. DEFENSE Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Vyper 12 Jordan Botelho 6-2½ 264 Sr. 44 Junior Tuihalamaka 6-1⅞ 254 So. 40 Joshua Burnham 6-3½ 248 So. DT 99 Rylie Mills 6-5⅛ 306 Sr. 47 Jason Onye 6-5 294 Jr. 41 Donovan Hinish 6-1⅝ 280 So. NT 56 Howard Cross III 6-0⅞ 288 Gr. 97 Gabe Rubio 6-5¼ 306 Jr. SDE 1 Javontae Jean-Baptiste 6-4½ 260 Gr. 40 Josh Burnham 6-3½ 248 So. Will 24 Jack Kiser 6-1⅝ 232 Gr. 23 Jaiden Ausberry 6-0⅛ 224 Fr. Mike 27 JD Bertrand 6-1 233 Gr. 34 Drayk Bowen 6-2 234 Fr. Rover 3 Jaylen Sneed 6-2 223 So. 23 Jaiden Ausberry 6-0⅛ 224 Fr. CB 5 Cam Hart 6-2½ 207 Gr. 7 Jaden Mickey 5-11½ 181 So. LS 2 DJ Brown 6-1¼ 202 Gr. 13 Thomas Harper 5-10⅝ 195 Gr. RS 0 Xavier Watts 5-11¾ 204 Sr. 21 Adon Shuler 5-11½ 208 Fr. CB 20 Benjamin Morrison 6-0¼ 185 So. 29 Christian Gray 5-11¾ 189 Fr. or 6 Clarence Lewis 5-11½ 202 Sr. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Depth Chart (as of Dec. 12) Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. KO 32 Spencer Shrader 6-1⅜ 200 Gr. 92 Zac Yoakam 5-8 188 So. K 32 Spencer Shrader 6-1⅜ 200 Gr. 92 Zac Yoakam 5-8 188 So. P 14 Bryce McFerson 6-1½ 197 So. 43 Ben Krimm 6-1⅛ 204 Gr. LS 65 Michael Vinson 6-2 242 Gr. 51 Rino Monteforte 5-7 195 So. Pos. No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. H 14 Bryce McFerson 6-1½ 197 So. PR 80 Jordan Faison 5-10⅛ 182 Fr. 29 Matt Salerno 6-0⅝ 199 Gr. KR 22 Devyn Ford 5-11 200 Gr. 24 Jadarian Price 5-10⅜ 206 So. SPECIAL TEAMS Junior wide receiver Silas Bolden, who caught 51 passes for 718 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2023, will be the Beavers' top pass-catching threat against the Irish. PHOTO COURTESY OREGON STATE ATHLETICS