Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 33 sive linemen Aamil Wagner, Ashton Craig and Billy Schrauth, running backs Gi'Bran Payne and Jadarian Price, and tight end Eli Raridon. Then there are de- fensive linemen Donovan Hinish, Joshua Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka, and linebacker Jaylen Sneed. Among them, six are projected to be starters. They're all expected to play quite often. There's a correlation there; if you're a senior who's been with the same school that you signed with out of high school in the year 2025, then you're probably a pretty important player for that school. That's just how it works. So many of those 10 weren't integral pieces for Notre Dame from the very start, though. That's what makes them still being in South Bend all the more meaningful. Wagner, for example, didn't start a game in his first two seasons. Then he started all 16 as a junior, the only Notre Dame offensive linemen to do so in the longest season in the history of the sport. On the other side of the ball, Tui- halamaka has only started four games in three seasons. But he's appeared in 42 games in those years — a 100 per- cent appearance rate. He's shown you don't have to hit the transfer portal if you aren't playing as much as you would like. You can choose to stay and be a model of consistency instead. He was rewarded for that when he had 2.5 tack- les for loss, including one of the 3 sacks in his career, and a fumble recovery in Notre Dame's 23-10 victory over Geor- gia in the quarterfinal round of the Col- lege Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl. Tuihalamaka's path is a powerful example for so many student-athletes during this time. Stay the course — you just might have it pay off in a big way. ✦ Players Signed: 22 Players Available In 2025: 10 (11 transfers, 1 NFL Draft pick) 2022 Recruiting Rankings: No. 6 by Rivals, No. 7 by 247Sports, No. 7 by ESPN Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Steve Angeli QB 6-2 208 Only made one start in three seasons at Notre Dame. Transferred to Syracuse with a career statistical line of 58-of-80 passing for 772 yards with 10 touch- downs and 1 interception. Jayden Bellamy CB 6-1 180 Did not play as a freshman at Notre Dame. Transferred to Syracuse for his sophomore and junior seasons. Is now a redshirt junior at Central Florida. Joshua Burnham DL 6-4 260 Became an integral part of Notre Dame's edge-rushing corps in 2024 because of injuries to teammates. Stepped up with a career-high 30 total tackles last fall. Ty Chan OL 6-5 320 Couldn't ever ascend the offensive depth chart in his three seasons at Notre Dame but still played quite a bit on special teams. Transferred to UConn. Ashton Craig OL 6-5 310 Won the starting center job in 2024 but only held it for three games until suffering a season-ending knee injury. Should be the starting center again to begin 2025. Tyson Ford DL 6-4 290 Played in three games in two seasons at Notre Dame before being dismissed ahead of the 2024 season. Announced a transfer to Cal in December. Aiden Gobaira DL 6-5 255 Never saw the field in two seasons at Notre Dame. Is now a member of the James Madison defensive line with two years of eligibility remaining. Donovan Hinish DL 6-2 277 Played in all 16 games for Notre Dame in 2024, starting in three. Has 45 total tackles and 6 tackles for loss in his career. Bryce McPherson P 6-2 191 Was Notre Dame's starting punter in 2023. Transferred to Maryland ahead of the 2024 season. Averaged 45.1 yards per punt in a full season at both programs. Tobias Merriweather WR 6-5 195 Caught 15 passes for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns in two seasons at Notre Dame before transferring to Cal ahead of the 2024 season. Jaden Mickey CB 6-0 185 Played in 28 games with three starts at Notre Dame before deciding to enter the transfer portal in the middle of his junior season. Now at Boise State. Benjamin Morrison CB 6-0 190 Was a Freshman All-American who intercepted 6 passes in 2022. Missed most of the 2024 season with a hip injury but was still selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Gi'Bran Payne RB 5-10 205 Missed the 2024 season because of an ACL injury. Had 47 carries for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns plus 2 receiving scores in his first two seasons. Jadarian Price RB 5-11 210 Hasn't ever been Notre Dame's No. 1 running back but has still accumulated 1,018 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 167 carries in his career. Eli Raridon TE 6-7 252 Missed major time in his first two seasons because of an ACL injury. Appeared in all 16 games in 2024 and caught 11 passes for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns. Billy Schrauth OL 6-4 310 Missed four games in 2024 because of an ankle injury but was one of Notre Dame's best offensive linemen across the 12 games he started. Jaylen Sneed LB 6-2 230 Has only started seven games in three seasons but is the only senior in his posi- tion group in 2025 and could be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. Holden Staes TE 6-4 248 Caught 16 passes for 187 yards and 4 touchdowns at Notre Dame before trans- ferring to Tennessee, where he had 15 catches for 131 yards and 1 touchdown in 2024. Joey Tanona OL 6-6 305 Did not see the field in two seasons at Notre Dame because of a head injury stemming from a car crash. Played in 10 games at Purdue in 2024. Junior Tuihalamaka DL 6-2 255 Has never missed a game in his three seasons at Notre Dame. Has 49 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception in his career. Aamil Wagner OL 6-6 300 Was the only Notre Dame offensive lineman to start all 16 games in 2024. Should be the Irish's full-time right tackle starter again in 2025. Nolan Ziegler LB 6-3 234 Battled a medical/mental health issue in 2023 and left Notre Dame at the end of that season. Transferred to Central Michigan but left there to continue recovery. SENIOR CLASS REVIEW