Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524949
BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2024 27 receiver," Denbrock said. "But we also want to get him some experience at the field No. 1 if we want to have a bigger body in the slot or we've got something specific we're doing with that position. Those other guys have to know how to do that as well." Two of those other guys, sophomore Jaden Greathouse and graduate student Jayden Harrison, give the Irish weapons in the slot who can attack defenses in different ways. Nickel back Jordan Clark has to battle Greathouse and Harrison every day in practice. He compared the former to Raiders star Davante Adams, as a big tar- get but an uber-crafty route runner. The latter, in his words, is "just insanely fast." Harrison has flashed every time he's seen the field in practice, to the point where reporters have zero clue why Marshall didn't throw at him more. "Jayden [Harrison] is doing a great job," Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said. "We're trying to figure out, 'What's the best six, to put them in whatever positions we need to put them in to get them on the field?'" So far, the best six look somewhat set in stone. Senior Jayden Thomas leads the way on the boundary, with fierce competition from senior Clemson transfer Beaux Collins. Thomas made multiple deep receptions over star ju- nior cornerback Benjamin Morrison during practice July 31, and he appears to have chemistry with senior quarter- back Riley Leonard. Collins made a catch near the sideline in tight coverage during that team session, which stuck in Freeman's mind enough to earn a shout-out in the following press conference. Both he and Thomas look like viable big-bodied targets. In the slot, Greathouse is the starter but Harrison and Faison can be effective there. A large part of trying Faison out at the field spot is the effectiveness of the first two, as well as the need to keep the two-sport standout involved. "[Faison is] going to play a lot for us, but where he plays is to be determined," Freeman said. And starting at the field spot, one player stands out with the potential to be a vertical threat along the lines of Will Fuller the last time Denbrock called plays in South Bend. "I'm hopeful that [Florida Interna- tional grad transfer] Kris Mitchell can continue to grow into that role," Den- brock said. Beyond the two-deep, sophomore KK Smith — who is essentially a first-year player after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury — is a "very talented young man," per Denbrock. He could fill that deep threat role down the line, if he continues on his current trajectory. Freshman Micah Gilbert has spent fall camp torching second-team defensive backs and looks like a future stud, even though his reps might be hard to come by in 2024. Bottom line: Notre Dame is bigger, faster, deeper and more versatile at wide receiver than it was last year. That, however, cannot be the bar. Only time will tell if this group is enough to help Leonard take the Irish where they want to go on offense. "I think all of them at times kind of flash at you," Denbrock said. "You go, 'OK, that guy could help us.' You look over here. 'OK, well, that guy could help us.' … The consistency of performance, I think, is what we're really working hard for. "I don't know that we're quite there yet, but I could see a lot of progress from where we were in the spring to where we are." PASS PROTECTION IS PARAMOUNT If you're a Notre Dame offensive lineman, move into or even look at the wrong gap in pass protection at your own peril. Second-year offensive line coach Joe Rudolph hasn't been afraid to verbally rip into those who do. The Irish were not happy with the way they blocked for quarterback Sam Hartman on obvious passing downs in 2023, head coach Marcus Freeman said outright in late May. That is likely at least part of why they have made blitz pick-up a major point of emphasis in fall camp. Notre Dame drilled gap responsibility and went over different pass protection calls over and over again throughout the first three days. During the full-squad period reporters watched July 31, defen- sive coordinator Al Golden threw blitz after blitz at the offense, particularly up the middle. The projected starting five of (from left to right) sophomore Charles Jag- usah, seniors Pat Coogan/Rocco Spin- dler, junior Ashton Craig, junior Billy Schrauth and junior Aamil Wagner were put to the test. Plenty of pressure reached quarterback Riley Leonard, but the group — with Coogan and Spindler splitting first-team reps evenly but the other four staying consistent — showed some encouraging signs as well. "I have a lot of confidence in what our offensive line is going to be able to do," Freeman said. "And you know what, iron sharpens iron." Unfortunately, the task became much more difficult after Jagusah suffered a season-ending right pectoral muscle injury Aug. 3. Baker is expected to move to the left side, but Jagusah will be sorely missed. Notre Dame will also miss junior run- ning back Gi'Bran Payne, who suffered a knee injury in the Blue-Gold Game, more than most think. Payne, as Irish running backs coach Deland McCullough puts it, was a "situ- ational master." Notre Dame trusted him to get the job done in pass protection. With Payne out for most — if not all — of 2024 with a torn ACL suffered in the Blue-Gold Game April 20, the Irish are evaluating their backs on pass blocking perhaps more than anything else. "That right there is a big spot to ad- dress," McCullough said. Senior tight end Mitchell Evans, who caught 29 passes for 422 yards in just eight games last year, is expected to be 100 percent by Week 1 against Texas A&M. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER