Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2024 11 UNDER THE DOME Several Notre Dame Players Land On National Preseason Watch Lists It's preseason watch list season. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman kicked it off July 8 when he was named one of 21 coaches up for the Dodd Trophy, which is given annually to a head coach of a team who enjoys success on the field while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity. Keeping with the theme of good sportsmanship, graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser is on the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy. That's awarded to a community service pioneer who is inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society. Freeman and Kiser were also named nominees for the AFCA Good Works Team for their unwavering commitment to community service and their "good works" off the field. Senior Riley Leonard is being monitored for the Maxwell Award. That goes to the most outstanding quarterback in college football. Graduate student safety Xavier Watts and graduate student defen- sive tackle Howard Cross III, meanwhile, are on the Na- gurski Trophy watch list. That recognizes the nation's most outstanding defensive player. Watts won it last season. Cross is also being looked at for the Outland Trophy, which ends up in the hands of the country's best interior line- man. Fellow graduate student defensive tackle Rylie Mills is on that watch list as well. Junior cornerback Benjamin Morrison and Watts are Jim Thorpe Award watch listers. That is doled out to the best defensive back of the year. Finally, graduate student wide receiver/kick returner Jayden Harrison is on the watch list for the Paul Hornung Award. That goes to the most versatile player in the sport. Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner last season. He ranked second in the FBS with a kick return average of 30.7 yards on 23 attempts. —Tyler Horka TWO IRISH DEFENDERS TO MISS SIGNIFICANT TIME WITH INJURIES The first day of Notre Dame fall camp came with bad news on the injury front. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman told reporters linebacker Kahanu Kia will miss the 2024 season due to a torn ACL he suffered this summer. Kia spent the 2021 season with the Fighting Irish before going on a two-year mission trip. He returned to the program in the spring and led all Irish players with 12 tackles in the Blue-Gold Game. He was going to be a long shot to see considerable playing time in a Notre Dame linebacking corps com- prised of five key players — graduate student Jack Kiser, junior Jaylen Sneed, sophomores Jaiden Ausberry and Drayk Bowen, and freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — who Freeman and defensive coordinator Al Golden said will all play in bunches this fall, but Kia was still tracking to make at least a marginal impact. Now he's facing another lengthy time away from the playing field. Senior defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio is facing time away as well. After leaving the team for personal reasons in the spring, Rubio returned in the summer, only to fracture his foot on the first day of camp. Free- man said Rubio had surgery but is expected to get back on the field at some point this season. The more time Rubio, who has compiled 29 tackles in three seasons, is out of the mix the more chances other Notre Dame interior defensive line reserves such as Donovan Hinish and Armel Mukam stake their claim as subs for the starters. Rubio was once seen as a potential starter, and he still very well might be. But his 2024 has not gone according to plan. The hope is he can get back to competing with the likes of Hinish and Mukam sooner than later. —Tyler Horka IRISH ON PRESEASON WATCH LISTS Name Watch Lists Howard Cross III Nagurski Trophy, Outland Trophy Marcus Freeman Dodd Trophy, AFCA Good Works Team Jayden Harrison Paul Hornung Award Jack Kiser Wuerffel Trophy, AFCA Good Works Team Riley Leonard Maxwell Award Rylie Mills Outland Trophy Benjamin Morrison Jim Thorpe Award Xavier Watts Nagurski Trophy, Jim Thorpe Award Sophomore linebacker Kahanu Kia, who recorded a game-high 12 tackles in the Blue-Gold Game this past April, will miss the entire 2024 season due to a torn ACL he suffered during the summer. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER EST. 1981 EST. 1981 APRIL APRIL 2024 • $5.00 2024 • $5.00 VOLUME 43 • ISSUE 1 VOLUME 43 • ISSUE 16 WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM WWW.BLUEANDGOLD.COM A LOT TO A LOT TO LOVE LOVE Notre Dame's sophomore class Notre Dame's sophomore class beams with big-time potential beams with big-time potential led by running back Jeremiyah Love led by running back Jeremiyah Love STACKED STACKED From freshman CJ Carr (front) From freshman CJ Carr (front) to senior Riley Leonard (back), to senior Riley Leonard (back), Notre Dame's quarterback Notre Dame's quarterback room is loaded with talent room is loaded with talent JUNE/JULY 2024 • $5.00 JUNE/JULY 2024 • $5.00 VOLUME 43 • ISSUE 18 • EST. 1981 VOLUME 43 • ISSUE 18 • EST. 1981 TWO EASY WAYS TO ORDER: CALL: 800-421-7751 10:00-4:00 ET, Mon.-Fri. Or call 919-688-0218 if outside the U.S. ONLINE: www.BlueGoldOnline.com Order 24 hours a day from our online store! 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