Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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32 PRESEASON 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED nation finished the season with more. For the next season and a half, if any- one proposed the question of, "Who's Notre Dame's best player?" the con- versation often started with Morrison. He wasn't the first Notre Dame player taken in the 2025 NFL Draft for no rea- son at all. There were plenty of reasons. A hip injury requiring surgery was the only thing that could derail Morrison's ascension. Whether he was picking off passes or not, opposing quarterbacks always knew where he was. They'd of- ten think better of throwing the ball in his direction. From the moment he tal- lied 3 interceptions in one game against Clemson as a freshman, Morrison knew the spotlight would shine brightly on him for however long he remained at Notre Dame. "This is the position I've been blessed to be in," he said. "I just know that as a DB, I want to become the best DB I can be." "He understands the expectation," Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens added. "He's a very competi- tive kid, a very mature kid." From Christian Gray to Leonard Moore and many more, Notre Dame has kept producing the competitive, ma- ture types at corner in recent seasons. Just remember who set the standard for them to try to live up to. It was Morrison. THOSE WHO REMAIN Morrison and Angeli are gone, for different reasons, as are 10 others from their signing class. But there are still 10 more who have stayed and will put on the Notre Dame uniform in 2025. How much they contribute to the cause will largely determine if the Irish can match or exceed the success of 2024. The split of the 10 remaining players from the class of 2022 is almost even right down the middle, six on offense and four on defense. There are offen- Cornerback Benjamin Morrison was the only player from Notre Dame's 2022 signing class who was selected in the 2025 NFL Draft following his junior season. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Tight end Eli Raridon enters the 2025 season as Notre Dame's top option at his position, a place he's never been in during his whole career. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER