Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 37 Knapp and Aamil Wagner return and sophomore Guerby Lambert will likely be on a fast track once he distances himself from rehab for spring shoulder surgery. In the first few days of camp, he worked at offensive guard with the third unit. DL Christopher Burgess Jr.: The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Chicago product's future is interior defensive line. But his present may be still on the edge, with the latter giving him a clearer path to be a depth piece in 2025. Burgess is perceived to be raw, yet he has shined at national showcases with elite competition in the past year, so he could surprise. LB: Anthony Sacca: Another player who may transition to a new position (defensive end) sooner than later. The 6-3, 240-pound four-star prospect, in most years, would have at least been knocking on the door for a backup role. But the Irish roll deep at linebacker in 2025, and it's quality depth. S JaDon Blair: Another position with so much depth that it's hard to envision the 6-5, 205-pounder playing high-leverage/high-pressure moments beyond special teams. But maybe there's a niche role in certain packages where he might fit this year. CBs Dallas Golden/Cree Thomas/ Mark Zackery IV: There are a lot of sea- sons at Notre Dame where any of them would have been in the discussion to start, but not once defensive backs coach Mike Mickens got his recruiting and de- velopment models to an elite level. All three, though, could still turn out to be key depth/rotational pieces. Thomas got a head start in the spring. Golden is the most dynamic athlete and could probably challenge for time at wide re- ceiver had that been a need. And Zack- ery, an outstanding basketball player too, might be the one with the most rotational snaps. But don't rule out any of them. BREAK GLASS IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY K/P Erik Schmidt: Special teams co- ordinator Marty Biagi had a hard time en- visioning Notre Dame ever getting away from only recruiting experienced transfer kickers, but Mitch Jeter's chronic injury in 2024 changed the calculus on that no- tion. Schmidt was signed to be an im- mediate Plan B for both North Carolina transfer kicker Noah Burnette and punter James Rendell, and perhaps evolve into a Plan A at some point in his career. PRIORITIZE REDSHIRT STATUS, BUT COULD BREAK THROUGH ON SPECIAL TEAMS WR Jerome Bettis Jr.: The bound- ary receiver position is loaded, with Vir- ginia transfer Malachi Fields at the top of a deep group. But Bettis may have a knack for excelling on coverage units. At the very least he'll get an audition. S Ethan Long: The 6-foot-3 Long really is impressive as a safety, but the numbers are against him finding mean- ingful snaps in 2025. LONGER-TERM DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE, WITH REDSHIRT YEAR IDEAL QB Blake Hebert: Even if he gets single-digit game snaps for the sea- son —like Kenny Minchey (4) and CJ Carr (4) did last season — quality reps in practice are essential. He's one injury away from being the No. 2 QB. RB Nolan James Jr.: New running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider has said his limit to stretch a playing rotation in the backfield is four. At most schools, James would easily make that cut as a freshman. At Notre Dame this year, he may be No. 6. OT Matty Augustine and OT Owen Strebig: Both are tall, rangy, athletic and with promising futures, but their time isn't now. C Cam Herron: Junior Sullivan Absher — all 6-8, 327 of him — tow- ered over the 6-2, 285-pound Her- ron in spring practice, but Herron did show the athleticism that Notre Dame scouted and converted during the re- cruiting process, and he has plenty of time to grow into the complete player the Irish coaches envision. WR Scrap Richardson: A 21-pound weight gain, to 190, over the course of Richardson's first semester at Notre Dame puts him closer to being in play, but having been primarily a defensive back in high school means there's still a steep learning curve for the speedy, raw project. N G D av i o n D i xo n : T h e 6 -2 , 324-pound early enrollee was sidelined in the spring by a pectoral injury. A year on the scout team is the most likely freshman path. LB Ko'o Kia: The prospects Notre Dame have gleaned from Hawai'i over the past decade and a half have consistently outplayed their star ranking. And both Kias, Ko'o and older brother Kahanu, who is coming back from injury, can eventu- ally follow that trajectory. Eventually. DE Dominik Hulak and DE Joe Reiff: The two Chicagoland prospects, both who enrolled in June, were rated similarly by Rivals. Walking in the door, Reiff is perceived to be ahead of Hulak as a defensive lineman. Hulak, a converted linebacker, may have the higher ceiling. If sixth-year graduate student Jordan Botelho comes back from injury as ex- pected in October, it doesn't seem like there's a path for either to have a sig- nificant rotational role in 2025. DT G o rdy S u l fs te d : T h e 6 -5, 260-pound June enrollee needs to add bulk before he can climb the depth chart of Notre Dame's interior defensive line. S Brandon Logan: Even though Logan didn't get selected in the Major League Baseball Draft in July, the former Vanderbilt baseball commit is serious about playing both sports at Notre Dame. G ive n wh o 's a h ea d o f t h e 6 - 0, 197-pound Logan on the depth chart and who's coming in with the class of 2026 — Joey O'Brien, Ayden Pouncey and Nick Reddish — Logan will likely get every opportunity to put baseball first if that's what he wants to do. ✦ Defensive end Christopher Burgess Jr., who was rated as the No. 6 defensive lineman in the nation by Rivals, could be a surprise contributor in a deep edge group. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER