Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 13 UNDER THE DOME 44th 44th Was where The Athletic's Bruce Feldman ranked Notre Dame sophomore de- fensive end BRYCE YOUNG on his annual Freaks List. "At 6-7, 270, Young combines terrific length and size to go with high-end explosiveness," Feldman noted. "He's put on almost 30 pounds since arriving last year, but still managed to vertical jump 34½ inches and broad jump 9-5. He benched 335 pounds and cleaned 335." Irish senior tight end Eli Raridon also earned a spot on the list at No. 85, with Feldman noting that the 6-7, 252-pounder "displayed plenty of explosiveness this offseason, vertical jumping 34 inches and broad jumping 9-10. He's also quite strong, benching 350 pounds, power cleaning 335 and squatting 535." Overall, in 2025, Notre Dame has to play four teams that won at least 10 games last season and nine that qualified for the postseason in some capacity, be it the College Football Playoff or a bowl game. All five of its away games come against Power Four opponents. "It's not going to be an easy road back for the Irish. That first month presents a tremendous hurdle, and Notre Dame's record in that four-game stretch will likely define what kind of team the Fighting Irish are in 2025. "But scheduling such a challenging slate does come with some upside. Freeman's squad should have plenty of leeway as it navi- gates the path — so much so that, at the bare minimum, a 10-win Notre Dame team seems like a virtual lock to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field." — Will Backus of CBS Sports on Notre Dame's path back to the College Football Playoff 2.7 Percent chance to win the national title for Notre Dame per ESPN Analytics. The Irish were No. 9 on ESPN's list of 32 teams that could win the national championship this season. Notre Dame was also given a 45.6 per- cent chance to make the College Football Playoff in 2025. 2 Of the top 10 most valu- able non-quarterbacks in college football belong to Notre Dame, per On3's Pete Nakos: junior running back Jeremiyah Love and sopho- more cornerback Leonard Moore. The Irish duo was ranked sixth and seventh on that list. Ohio State was the only other school with two: wide receiver Jeremiah Smith at No. 1 and safety Caleb Downs at No. 3. [Jeremiyah] Love is something that we haven't really seen at Notre Dame. Brian Kelly had good, physical, tough, fundamentally sound teams. But they would go against some of the SEC teams in the playoff or in the national championship game and they didn't have the dynamic player that allows you to go out there and really compete. Well, guess what? Jeremiyah Love gives you that ability. He is a dynamic, athletic threat. And, for the Irish, this guy is outstanding." — FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt 4.9 Yards per run disruption for Notre Dame junior running back Jeremiyah Love in 2024, which was No. 1 among FBS play- ers with 70+ carries. Per Opta Analyst, you can't credit that to Notre Dame's offensive line because that stat measures the yards gained by a player on plays when a defender wins his matchup against a specific blocker(s) and is able to defend multiple gaps successfully. Rk. Player, School Carries Yards Per RD 1. Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame 163 4.92 2. Jaydon Blue, Texas 134 4.88 3. Damien Martinez, Miami 159 4.84 4. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State 374 4.75 5. NaQuari Rogers, New Mexico 74 4.62 Irish On Social Media With Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III leaving for the NFL, the Fighting Irish are looking for another player who can rush the quarterback. The answer might be sophomore Bryce Young, who certainly looks the part at 6 feet, 7 inches and 273 pounds. Last season, he played in all 16 games and had 23 tackles with a team-high three blocked kicks. Young has the right potential too. His father, Bryant Young, was an All-American at Notre Dame and a Pro Football Hall of Famer after a standout career with the 49ers. His mother, Kristin, ran track and field for the Fighting Irish." — ESPN's Mark Schlabach on Bryce Young Notre Dame's under-the-radar sleeper for the 2025 season PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER