30 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED
BY TYLER HORKA
O
ne of the greatest examples of
how volatile — and, frankly,
nearly impossible — college
football roster retention is in
this era is Notre Dame's senior class.
The Fighting Irish signed 22 recruits
in 2022. More of them have transferred
to other programs than remain on the
Notre Dame roster in 2025, 11 to 10.
It's worth wondering if the Irish ac-
tually got more wrong in the class than
recruiting services let on, too. It was a
top-10 haul — No. 6 according to the
Rivals Industry Ranking — but only one
of the players, cornerback Benjamin
Morrison, did enough in three years to
leave college early and get picked in the
2025 NFL Draft. He went 53rd overall
in the second round to the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers. All of his peers from his
signing class are still finding their way
in the collegiate ranks, and, as men-
HERE AND THERE
Notre Dame signed nearly two dozen players
in the recruiting class of 2022, but only two handfuls
of them remain in South Bend for the 2025 season
