Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2024 23 13. RB JADARIAN PRICE He's not coming off an Achilles injury like he was at this time last year. He's not playing behind Audric Estimé. It's time to unleash Price for all that he has to offer, which by just about everybody's account is a whole lot. Price was right behind Estimé in yards per carry at 5.8 last year. He showed his speed with a kick return touchdown against USC. He averaged 13.0 yards per reception, best among all Notre Dame running backs. There are just so many things to like about Price's well- rounded game. With a larger sample size coming in 2024, he'll have more oppor- tunities to display all of them. 14. WR JADEN GREATHOUSE When he's healthy, he's one of Notre Dame's best wide receivers. He scored 3 touchdowns in a two-game stretch and 2 touchdowns in a two-game stretch as a true freshman. In between those out- bursts he was slowed by a hamstring is- sue. If the Irish can get the full-strength version of Greathouse for a full season, he's got the tools to lead the Irish in sev- eral or all of the major statistical receiv- ing categories. 15. WR JORDAN FAISON The former walk-on and lacrosse na- tional champion was Notre Dame's best wide receiver in the second half of the 2023 season. He caught 19 passes for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns in seven games. The Fighting Irish don't really have anyone else like him on the roster. He's only 5-10 and 182 pounds but he's oh so tricky to stay in front of if you're a defensive back. He can beat you with slot fades. He can beat you with slants. The Irish even force-fed Faison with opportunities to run off the edge. Is he Notre Dame's fastest straight-line runner? Prob- ably not. Is he Notre Dame's twitchi- est, quickest option in condensed areas? Probably so. 16. LB JAYLEN SNEED One of 12 players who made every top-25 list submitted, Sneed showed significant improvement during spring practice. The Irish envisioned him as a versatile defensive weapon last season, but they never fully trusted him to be in the right spots. This offseason, Notre Dame has seen a mature and ready-to- go Sneed. Sneed might be listed as a "starter" if the Irish leave the rover position on the depth chart, but his real value will be on third downs. If he can fulfill that vision as a pass rush/coverage matchup night- mare, he could make Notre Dame's at- tacking third-down defense even more dangerous than it already is. 17. OT AAMIL WAGNER Three out of four voters (the fifth did not vote for either candidate) expect Wagner to beat Tosh Baker for Notre Dame's starting right tackle job. Wag- ner started fall camp taking first-team reps. With the season-ending injury to Charles Jagusah, the would-be win- ner of that competition is less of a focal point. Wagner is likely bumped into a starting position no matter what. Wagner stands at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds, and his weight has been a topic of conversation for years. What has never been up for debate is his athleti- cism and motor, two traits Notre Dame values in a system that traditionally re- quires its offensive tackles to get out and run. If Wagner can gain the requisite 10-15 pounds to hold up against physi- cal competition this season, his ceiling might be higher than some think. It's way more important for him to come close to it now that Jagusah is out. 18. C ASHTON CRAIG After Craig replaced Zeke Correll down the stretch last season, the Irish liked his performance enough to name him the permanent first-team center for 2024. The other options are not plentiful. Sophomore Sam Pendleton took sec- ond-team reps there this spring, and he struggled with his snaps. Notre Dame likes Pendleton as a developing interior offensive lineman, but nothing kills of- fensive rhythm quite like poor snaps. If Craig is the only player on the roster who can both block and snap well, losing him would raise red flags for Notre Dame. 19. DE JORDAN BOTELHO Botelho will start at vyper for the second straight year. Despite an under- whelming 2023 season for Botelho, Notre Dame has reinforced its confidence in the ex-linebacker several times. Botelho finished both his junior and senior seasons on a high note af- ter multi-sack performances in Notre Dame's bowl game. He more than dou- bled his career snap count from a year ago. Can he recapture the low-volume magic of the 2022 season, when he was one of the most efficient per-snap pass rushers in the nation? Time will tell, but if he does, he would certainly raise the ceiling for Al Golden's defense. 20. OG BILLY SCHRAUTH Schrauth entered fall camp last sea- son as a projected starter, despite com- ing in with zero career snaps. One year later, he now has 257 and appears to have THE POLL The top 25 was put together by five Blue & Gold Illustrated staffers who each sent in their own personal top 25 ballots. It was tabulated the same way as the Associated Press Top 25: a first-place vote received 25 points, a second- place vote received 24 points and so on until the 25th-place vote received one point. The players with the 25-highest point totals made the list. The lone tie was broken by awarding the player with the highest individual vote the better placement. Rk. Name, Position Points 1. Riley Leonard, QB 123 2. Benjamin Morrison, CB 111 3. Xavier Watts, S 113 4. Howard Cross III, DT 113 5. Mitchell Evans, TE 102 6. Charles Jagusah, OT 95 7. Jack Kiser, LB 93 8. Jeremiyah Love, RB 88 9. Rylie Mills, DT 82 10. RJ Oben, DE 71 11. Kris Mitchell, WR 64 12. Christian Gray, CB 49 13. Jadarian Price, RB 48 14. Jaden Greathouse, WR 47 15. Jordan Faison, WR 44 16. Jaylen Sneed, LB 42 17. Aamil Wagner, OT 36 18. Ashton Craig, C 36 19. Jordan Botelho, DE 32 20. Billy Schrauth, OG 31 21. Drayk Bowen, LB 30 22. Jordan Clark, S 26 23. Rod Heard II, S 24 24. Jayden Thomas, WR 22 25. Pat Coogan, OG 19 Others receiving votes: DE Boubacar Traore (15), WR Beaux Collins (13), CB Jaden Mickey (13), QB Steve Angeli (13), OT Tosh Baker (7), K Mitch Jeter (5), DT Jason Onye (4), LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (4), WR Jayden Harrison (2), OG Rocco Spindler (2), TE Eli Raridon (1)