Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 APRIL 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Daelen Ackley— Track & Field The junior from El Dorado Springs, Mo., secured the con- ference title in the mile with a strong finishing kick at the ACC Indoor Championships March 3 in Louisville, Ky. After clocking a time of 3:59.10 in the prelims, he cruised to the finish line in 4:02.11 in the finals. Ackley previously earned a silver medal as part of the Fighting Irish's distance medley relay at the 2023 indoor league meet. Sebastian Dominko — Tennis The junior from Maribor, Slovenia, opened ACC play in fine fashion, winning all four of his matches in Notre Dame's losses at Georgia Tech Feb. 28 and at Clemson March 2. In addition, he and double part- ner, junior Noah Becker, swept their two doubles matches. Dominko won both of his singles matches in straight sets against ranked opponents — the No. 104 player in the nation for Georgia Tech and the No. 47 player for Clemson. Jadin O'Brien — Track & Field The graduate student from Pewaukee, Wis., continued to rewrite the program pentath- lon record books at the ACC In- door Championships March 1 in Louisville, Ky. She racked up 4,580 points to break the school and ACC records. O'Brien won four of the five events (the 60-me- ter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 800 meters) en route to earning her fourth consecutive ACC pentathlon title — only the fifth conference ath- lete to achieve that feat. Madison Rassas — Lacrosse The freshman midfielder from Sterling, Va., continued the torrid start to her career with 2 goals in an 8-4 win over Elon March 2. The per- formance extended her streak of games with multiple goals to five, including 5-goal efforts in consecutive outings versus Central Michigan Feb. 9 and Eastern Michigan Feb. 15. Through six games this season, Rassas led the Irish with 17 goals and 20 points. — Todd Burlage TOP TOP OF THE CLASS OF THE CLASS Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom ✦ GIMME FIVE Notre Dame made the national championship game despite playing true freshmen more than just about any team in the country. According to Pro Football Focus, the Irish ranked fourth in offensive and defensive snaps by true freshmen throughout the 2024 season. Offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp and cornerback Leonard Moore led the way with 843 on offense and 736 on defense, respectively. They combined for 25 starts, with Knapp setting the program record for starts by a true fresh- man with 15. Knapp stepped into the starting left tackle role in August following sophomore Charles Jagusah's torn right pectoral muscle. He held that job until midway through the Orange Bowl, when he suf- fered a season-ending ankle injury of his own. At arguably the most difficult position to play as a true freshman, Knapp struggled early and had a rough game or two in the College Football Playoff against top competition. But he held his own and finished with an above-average PFF offense grade of 62.5. Moore, meanwhile, will enter the 2025 season as one of the top cornerbacks in the country. He was named the FWAA's Freshman Defensive Player of the Year for being a stalwart in coverage and against the run, following his own insertion into the starting lineup due to Benjamin Morrison's season-ending hip injury. Three other Irish freshmen played significant snaps on offense or defense and were key players throughout the run to the national championship: Defensive end Bryce Young (374), linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (343) and running back Aneyas Williams (213). Their highlights included a sack for Young in the first round against Indiana, as well as 3 quarterback pressures for Viliamu-Asa and 5 receptions for 66 yards for Williams in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. Notre Dame's recruiting class of 2024 ranked 11th in the nation, but few — if any — made a bigger impact in Year 1. MOST TRUE FRESHMAN SNAPS PLAYED BY TEAMS IN 2024 Courtesy Pro Football Focus Rk. School Snaps Season Result 1. Clemson 3,494 10-4, CFP (first-round exit) 2. Oklahoma 2,913 6-7, Armed Forces Bowl (L, Navy) 3. Auburn 2,891 5-7, no bowl game 4. Notre Dame 2,843 14-2, CFP (national championship game) 5. Alabama 2,305 9-4, ReliaQuest Bowl (L, Michigan) CHARTING THE IRISH NOTRE DAME PROJECTED AS A TOP-FIVE TEAM IN 2025 Coming off a national championship game appearance, Notre Dame was No. 5 in ESPN's initial SP+ rankings, which college football writer Bill Connelly released Feb. 27. The initial SP+ projections are based on three factors: Returning production, recent recruiting and recent history. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is projected to feature a well-balanced team in his fourth season, with the 37.3 offense SP+ rating coming in at 10th in the country and the 13.9 defense SP+ rating coming in at eighth. Notre Dame's overall SP+ rating is 23.4. In addition to information about the Irish themselves, the initial SP+ ratings also shine some light on Notre Dame's 2025 schedule. Notre Dame is projected to play six teams in the top 50, with two tiers emerging at the top: Texas A&M (No. 12 in SP+) and Miami (No. 14) in Tier 1 and USC (No. 30) and Boise State (No. 31) in Tier 2. Arkansas (No. 35) and North Carolina State (No. 45) round out the Irish opponents in the top 50. SP+ is buying the Hurricanes, whom Notre Dame will face in Week 1, and projects them to feature the No. 1 offense in the nation behind veteran Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck. The Irish have a bye in Week 2 and then a date with Texas A&M in Week 3, which SP+ buys as a member of the SEC's "up- per middle class." If the Irish can get past the early part of their schedule with two wins and keep their focus the rest of the way, they should make the College Football Playoff again. — Jack Soble ESPN'S INITIAL SP+ RANKINGS FOR 2025 Rk. School SP+ 1. Ohio State 28.0 2. Alabama 26.1 3. Penn State 25.3 4. Georgia 24.5 5. Notre Dame 23.4 6. Oregon 22.6 7. Texas 21.9 8. Tennessee 21.3 9. Ole Miss 20.2 10. LSU 19.5 Anthonie Knapp