Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1523876
20 AUGUST 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED and I said sure," Freeman said. "And he just wants to help the football program. He said, 'Coach, I want to help the pro- gram. I love Notre Dame.'" Kollie and Diggs might be the only other transfer portal defections from the class that Notre Dame fans as a col- lective, nationwide entity stayed salty about for a while. It always seemed like Kollie was on the verge of a breakout in South Bend. He gave up on that vision before his sophomore season and joined Clark Lea at Vanderbilt as a junior. He had an injury-riddled season there and did not record any statistics. Diggs, meanwhile, teamed back up with Brian Kelly at LSU and had 735 yards from scrimmage and 7 total touch- downs in 10 games. He went on the move again this offseason and ended up at Ole Miss. He and Estimé were once viewed on pretty equal footing: Estimé had 922 rushing yards in 2022, Diggs had 822. But if the Irish could have only kept one, they weren't dealt a bad hand in getting the best out of Estimé for one more season. Barnes, Gee and Johnson were stuck behind Benjamin Morrison and Cam Hart on the depth chart. Berrong had to contend with Michael Mayer and Mitchell Evans. Sometimes a transfer decision is as easy as reading the playing time writing on the wall. It happens all over the nation, not just at Notre Dame. Quarterback Ron Powlus III, line- backer Will Schweitzer and safety Justin Walters medically retired before their junior seasons. Cornerback Philip Riley, kicker Josh Bryan and offensive lineman Caleb Johnson did not return to Notre Dame in 2023 after being on the roster in 2022. Freeman simply said they were no longer on the team, and to Blue & Gold Illustrated's knowledge they never ended up playing for other programs. WHO'S LEFT There are 10 Notre Dame players from the class of 2021 remaining on the Fighting Irish roster. Some of them are back after brief stints away, like Buch- ner. That camp also includes linebacker Kahanu Kia, who missed the 2022 and 2023 seasons while on a Mormon mis- sion trip. Gabriel Rubio stepped away from the team for the 2024 spring se- mester for personal reasons, but he re- turned for summer workouts. Kia and Rubio are in Notre Dame's on- field plans for the upcoming season. They give the Irish depth where it's needed in the middle of the defense. So does Jason Onye. He never left like the other two. He's gotten better every year, and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden told Blue & Gold Illustrated this sum- mer it'd be tough to find another backup tackle like him in all of college football. Buchner, meanwhile, is believed to be taking on more of a behind-the-scenes scouting and signaling role. You never know, though — sometimes wide re- ceivers are diamonds in the rough. See: Jordan Faison. Buchner had 459 rushing yards and 7 touchdowns on 82 attempts at Notre Dame. He's not the worst per- son to have with the ball in his hands. Neither is tight end Mitchell Evans. Nobody caught more passes for Notre Dame in 2023 than Evans, who reeled in 29 in eight games. He was on his way to a Michael Mayer-like season in terms of production if he didn't tear his ACL. His 422 receiving yards ranked second despite missing five games, including the Sun Bowl. "His frame, if it hits his hands, he's coming down with the ball," Notre Dame senior quarterback Riley Leonard said of Evans. "And if you look at every single great quarterback in the history of football, they had a great tight end to complement their game. Everybody had a go-to tight end." Wide receivers Deion Colzie and Jayden Thomas have not had the ball in their hands enough in their careers, meanwhile. They can (sarcastically, of course) thank injuries for that. The Notre Dame wide receiver room is loaded with 11 scholarship players now because of transfers and a fruitful freshman class, so it won't be any easier for them to get in- volved as seniors. But if they stay healthy, the Irish still have a plan for the pair that has logged more snaps at wide receiver in the Notre Dame roster than the rest of the nine scholarship wideouts combined. Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler were a starting guard tandem for 10 games last season before Spindler went down with a knee injury. Coogan started all 13. Ironi- cally, they're battling for a starting job this year. The surge of Billy Schrauth means he has all but solidified one spot. One of Coogan or Spindler will get the other. Chance Tucker has risen to corner- back No. 4 status because of gradua- tions, transfer portal defections, etc. If there was ever a time for him to get serious action in games, it's now. ✦ Tyler Buchner started three games as Notre Dame's quarterback in 2022 before transferring to Alabama. Now, after a championship season with the Irish lacrosse team, he's back as a walk-on wide receiver. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER