Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 MARCH 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE J o rd a n C l a rk sa t m o t i o n l e ss i n the Notre Dame locker room. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes wet with tears. As a reporter interviewed his teammate, sophomore safety Adon Shuler, all Clark could do was stare at the wall across from him. When they returned to the locker room after their postgame press con- ference, Riley Leonard and Jack Kiser's eyes were as red as the confetti on the field. Jayden Thomas shouted expletives at a group of reporters, upset at a question about Ohio State freshman wide re- ceiver Jeremiah Smith asked to sopho- more cornerback Christian Gray. "Have a heart!" Thomas exclaimed. Gray covered his head with a towel as he made the short walk to the postgame meal station. His gaze never left his feet. No music played after Notre Dame lost the national championship game 34-23 to Ohio State. No one tried to in- ject levity into an awful situation. It was not a group of people who were grate- ful to be there and compete with the immensely talented Buckeyes. It was a group of people who came to Atlanta to win and believed they could do it. When it didn't happen, the Irish were distraught. "It's just gonna be a bloody wound for the rest of my life," senior tight end Mitchell Evans said. Some hugged each other. A few hit the showers as soon as they could. Oth- ers just looked frustrated, seemingly replaying the prior four hours in their heads and wishing they'd done things differently. Those who did talk to reporters, like sophomore wide receiver Jaden Great- house, did so with class. But even they hit their breaking point. "I think I'm done with interviews, guys," Greathouse said after answering a question about head coach Marcus Freeman's message to the team. "I'm sorry." That message: "Don't lose faith," Ev- ans explained. Freeman told his play- ers to keep their heads held high, and that he was proud of what they accom- plished throughout the season. He told them that doing it with your brothers at Notre Dame was special. For some, it was easy to heed that message in the moment. For others, it was not. "It sucks," Evans said. "This is what you worked for all year, and you're striving for this at this point in the sea- son. To not be holding that trophy up at the end with your teammates, it sucks." "It's just an empty feeling," sopho- more linebacker Jaiden Ausberry said. However, a few Notre Dame players kept perspective in their darkest hour. Pat Coogan was one. He said he had "peace of mind," because he knew he and his teammates gave everything they had. "It's a damn shame we couldn't pull out a victory, but like I said, [I'm] just really proud and honored to be part of this team and university," Coogan said. Coogan could barely speak. His voice cracked. He used a good chunk of that voice during a full-throated pregame speech that lasted a full minute. The rest left the chat during Notre Dame's attempted comeback. The senior center sacrificed every ounce of body and soul for a chance at a national championship. It was his last time putting on a blue-and-gold uniform. He subsequently entered the transfer portal Jan. 23 and will use his final year of eligibility at Indiana University. For many in that locker room, though, an offseason of healing and working to break a barrier that has existed since 1988 has just begun. "Biggest thing I'm thinking right now is, keep the pain," freshman defensive end Bryce Young said. "I know how it feels now. I know how it feels, and I don't want to feel it again." ✦ UNDER THE DOME After the scarlet-and-gray confetti littered the field in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Fighting Irish players headed to the locker room to deal with the harsh reality of coming up one game short of their goal to win a national championship. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Inside A Devastated Locker Room After The National Championship Loss