Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM APRIL 2025 17 24. WR JAYDEN THOMAS Blue & Gold Illustrated's ranking re- flected a belief that Thomas would win the boundary wide receiver job over Beaux Collins, which was mistaken. Thomas shouldn't have made this list, but he was still a useful reserve for Mike Denbrock's offense. In the CFP, Thomas caught a touch- down pass against Indiana and pushed Notre Dame into the red zone with an 18-yard jet sweep against Penn State. His run blocking was always appreciated, too. 23. DB ROD HEARD II Like Thomas, Heard is a player we ex- pected to win a starting job but did not. However, even though he gave way to Adon Shuler at safety, the Northwest- ern transfer might have had a case for a top-25 spot anyway. Notre Dame loved its three-safety "spear" package on passing downs, and Heard was a critical part of that. He played 29 snaps per game, not including Army and Navy. And his fourth-down forced incompletion toward the end of the Sugar Bowl helped the Irish win their first major bowl game in 31 years. 22. DB JORDAN CLARK Perhaps next year, Blue & Gold Illus- trated's staff will learn its lesson about underrating the nickel back. We ranked Thomas Harper 21st in 2023, which was too low. Clark, whom we ranked 22nd, had a case for the top 10. Aside from quarterback Riley Leon- ard, Clark was Notre Dame's most valu- able transfer addition. He was a plus run defender and extremely difficult to beat downfield in coverage; he allowed only 2 receptions of 20 yards or more all year. Notre Dame's defense would not have been the same without Clark. 21. LB DRAYK BOWEN Bowen started slowly in his first year as Notre Dame's starting Mike line- backer, but when the switch flipped on, there was no turning back. He had a terrific sophomore season and will be expected to take the reins as a defensive captain next year. Whether he was hitting Georgia Tech's quarterback to the point of phys- ical pain, setting the tone with a tackle for loss on the first snap of the CFP or getting the Irish back in the national championship with a forced fumble, Bowen played with a physical presence that was a necessary component of one of the nation's top defenses. 20. OL BILLY SCHRAUTH Schrauth injured his ankle in Notre Dame's third game of the season, and he did not play again until the last week of October against Navy. He wasn't the Irish's best offensive lineman through- out the year, but the injury certainly didn't help his development in his first season as a starter. He still did enough to warrant a designation of "likely starter" going into the 2025 season. 19. DE JORDAN BOTELHO Botelho was another one of the Week 3 casualties Notre Dame suffered in a blowout of Purdue, and his out for the season declaration hit as hard as any. He played the best 10 quarters of football of his career before he blew out his knee. At the time of his injury, Botelho had the highest Pro Football Focus grade of any Irish defensive player and led the team in quarterback pressures and QB hurries. He was absolutely a menace. 18. C ASHTON CRAIG It turned out to be a season of "what could have been" for Craig. He injured his knee in Week 3 and did not play an- other snap. In two and a half games, Craig looked pretty solid at center. There really wasn't much questioning if he'd get beat out by anyone else on the roster for the starting nod going into the year. It was his position, set in stone, and if he's healthy enough to be full-go by Aug. 31, that'll likely be the case again. 17. OT AAMIL WAGNER Nobody played more offensive or de- fensive snaps for Notre Dame in 2024 than Wagner. He started all 16 games at right tackle and was very effective in doing so. Among the Irish's regular starters along the offensive line, Wagner had the highest season-long Pro Foot- ball Focus grade with his 79.5. There were worries Wagner would not hold up because he's on the lighter side weight-wise for a tackle at this level. He squashed those fears emphatically and was more important than our preseason prognostication hinted he would be. Linebacker Drayk Bowen played with a physical presence that was a necessary component of one of the nation's top defenses last season. PHOTO BY MATT RUDOLPH