Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 29 most consistent runner, but the Irish will be thrilled they have him at some point this season. 23. DT JARED DAWSON Dawson is a bit of a wildcard for the Notre Dame defensive line. The Irish know what they have in guys like Rubio, Onye and Donovan Hinish when they are available. Dawson is a transfer from Louisville who, yes, played a lot there and was a productive player for the Car- dinals. But what if Dawson explodes onto the scene in South Bend and has the best year of his college career? That's com- pletely in the realm of possibilities. And if it happens, he'll have warranted a bet- ter placement in these rankings. 24. WR WILL PAULING Pauling, an ex-Wisconsin Badger, was an ideal fit in the transfer portal. Notre Dame wide receivers coach Mike Brown coached him at both Wisconsin and Cincinnati. He can play both slot and field. He has a 74-catch, 837-yard season under his belt. He knows how to get open underneath, which will help Carr or Minchey a ton early on. Even if Fields, Greathouse and Faison start, Pauling will still play a ton. His experience, particularly under Brown, should elevate the rest of the room even if he's not producing. Put it this way: Notre Dame's wideouts weren't great with details last year. That might have changed if they had Pauling. 25. S LUKE TALICH The 25th spot in this yearly routine is a lot like Mr. Irrelevant in the NFL Draft. It could be chalked up to a cour- tesy pick. It could be a lofty and hopeful projection. Or, it could be the prediction of a breakout. That's what this feels like with Talich. Someone is going to have to start alongside Adon Shuler at safety. And with Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stro- man not receiving any votes, the Blue & Gold Illustrated staff came to a consen- sus that it's going to be Talich who breaks free from his peers and becomes Shuler's running mate. In limited opportunities to this point in his career, he's shown flashes of being capable of it. ✦ These seven players received at least one vote in the top-25 ballots submit- ted by seven Blue & Gold Illustrated staff members. LB Jaiden Ausberry Ausberry is one of the most underrated players on the Notre Dame de- fense. Last season, he tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (6.5) and was third in run stops (26). If it weren't for an uncharacteristic string of poor performances in the College Football Playoff, we would be talking about Ausberry as a true difference-maker. DE Joshua Burnham Even coming back early from a September ankle injury before it was fully healed and playing to fill a need and not in his wheelhouse, Burnham still ranked behind only Rylie Mills last season in tackles for loss (6.5) as part of a 30-tackle, 2-sack stat line in 14 games. Three of his higher-rated film grades (per Pro Football Focus) came against Georgia, Penn State and Ohio State. QB Kenny Minchey Setting aside the fact that Minchey could still be Notre Dame's starting quarterback — which we shouldn't, because he can — he will at least be one injury away from the job. There is also the "Minchey package" concept, in which the redshirt sophomore could be part of the game plan in situ- ations that call for a quarterback run. DT Donovan Hinish Hinish steadily improved during his second sea- son, performed well when called upon and played in all 16 games. He finished second among all Irish defensive linemen in both tackles (35), and sacks (4.5), and he tied for the team lead with 4 quar- terback hurries. With an increased role waiting, expect Hinish to become one of the most important reserves on the roster. OG Sullivan Absher While Charles Jagusah's expected replacement might not have the same upside, Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph was very high on Absher in the spring. "There's no question he's going to play a lot of ball here," Rudolph said. Absher can maintain Notre Dame's standing as one of the top offensive lines in the sport, but if he goes down, guard becomes a major concern. RB Aneyas Williams Williams proved to be a valuable weapon for Notre Dame as a freshman last season. While his workload may not increase drastically, I think his presence is extremely valuable as both a running and receiving threat out of the backfield. Notre Dame can lighten the load on Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price because of what Williams can do. K Noah Burnette Two of Notre Dame's most important games of the 2024 season came down to Mitch Jeter field goal attempts. The Fighting Irish sealed a season-opening win over Texas A&M with a 46-yard make off the right foot of Jeter, and he essentially walked off the Orange Bowl vs. Penn State by drilling a 41-yarder. Burnette is likely going to be in similar spots this year. — BGI Staff Honorable Mentions Jaiden Ausberry is one of the most underrated players on the Notre Dame defense. Last season, the junior linebacker tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (6.5) and was third in run stops (26). PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER