Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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8 NOV. 29, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Junior Tuihalamaka Did Whatever Notre Dame Asked By Jack Soble Shout-out to Pete Sampson's mailbag in The Athletic for the inspiration behind this debate, and while I would love to go in a different direction than he did, Junior Tuihalamaka is the obvious choice. Tuihalamaka began his career at Notre Dame as a linebacker, burning his red- shirt as a freshman before moving to vyper and later de- fensive end. He began his junior season (2024) as a third- stringer, completely out of the defensive line rotation. But instead of pouting and checking out, he stayed ready. When Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore went down with season-ending knee injuries, Tuihalamaka stepped into the starting lineup and played well. The Irish then moved Joshua Burnham to vyper and relegated Tuihala- maka back to a rotational role, but what did he say? "No problem, Coach." And in January, his hard work paid off. During the Sugar Bowl against Georgia, Tuihalamaka sacked Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton and finished the game with a team-high 4 quarterback pressures. He also recovered one of the most significant fumbles in recent Notre Dame history, after RJ Oben strip-sacked Stockton in the final minute of the first half. Then as a senior, when Burnham was banged up and Bryce Young wasn't as ready for a starring role as the Irish thought? Here comes Tuihalamaka to eat high snap counts, and he once again did nothing but produce. Tuihalamaka was the ultimate Band-Aid, filling whatever role the Irish needed to fill. He won't be a sought-after NFL prospect, nor will he win any end-of-season awards. But when history remembers Notre Dame's mid-2020s surge back to national prominence, Tuihalamaka's name will be part of that story. Tyler Buchner Is Team Glory Personified By Eric Hansen It's not that Tyler Buchner hasn't been an intermittent curiosity since re- turning to the Notre Dame football roster in the summer of 2024 from a one- semester detour to Alabama in the fall of 2023. But even so, from the outside looking in, Notre Dame's first-team quarterback at the very start and very end of the 2022 football season is the most undervalued senior among those running out of the tunnel for No. 9 Notre Dame's Senior Day matchup with Syracuse. From the inside, he's head coach Marcus Freeman's favorite mantra — Team Glory — personified. And it's not just agreeing to give up playing quarterback for a year to walk on as a wide receiver in 2024. It's doing whatever the team needed him to do when asked, and doing it at a high level. Like signaling in offensive plays. Like being the scout team QB in 2024 for the Army and Navy games. Like playing on special teams. Like accepting he'd be no higher than No. 3 on the depth chart at QB this season when moving back to the position, barring injury. Like opting not to play fall lacrosse this year or last, something that could have enhanced his role in the ensuing springs in a sport he might have a future in beyond Notre Dame. But it's not just doing whatever he was asked to do. It was going beyond that and making an impact beyond what was asked of him, like helping quarterbacks Riley Leonard in 2024 and CJ Carr this season navigate the glaring spotlight of being the Notre Dame QB and how to handle when the cheering stopped or faded. And who knows? If the Irish go on another extended playoff run, maybe one of those trick plays the armchair coaches have dreamed up might just become part of Notre Dame's reality. Point ✦ Counterpoint: WHO IS NOTRE DAME'S MOST UNDERVALUED SENIOR? Eli Raridon's Notre Dame career was shorter than it probably should have been. He tore his ACL five games into the 2022 sea- son, and he returned with six games left in 2023. Despite missing 12 games across two years, he didn't redshirt any of them and is out of eligibility after 2025 as a result. Looking back prior to Senior Day, though, Rari- don wouldn't change a thing. Blue & Gold Illustrated, as well as other local re- porters, caught up with Raridon before what will likely be his final game at Notre Dame Stadium. BGI: When you look back at your Notre Dame career, what are the prevailing emotions? Raridon: "It's going to be an emotional day on Saturday. My journey here has been, as you guys know, full of ups and downs and injuries and not playing as much as I wanted to. But looking back at it, I wouldn't want to have it any other way, and it's been such an awesome experience here. "The people I've met, the coaches I've had, and just this football program has changed my life and I'm so grateful." BGI: You had the injury season, but that wasn't a redshirt year. You played only four true years, and that doesn't really happen anymore. Raridon: "It's definitely a really weird feeling. I got hurt after five games and then came back, so I've really only had three real seasons. I don't know if it's made that fly by, but my time here has truly felt like it's just flown by. And it's crazy to think that senior night is Saturday." BGI: I know you get a lot out of each year, but does it almost feel like everything has been build- ing toward this year? Raridon: "A little bit in a way. When you're in the moment, you don't know what it's going to lead to. But this year has been a super cool year for me and I'm sad it's coming to an end. Playing here has been a lifelong dream of mine and I'm so grateful to live that out." BGI: Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke very highly of James Flanigan. What have you seen from him, from the beginning of the season to now? Raridon: "When you come in at the beginning of the season, it's so hard to put it together. You're thinking so much about what the play is when you first come and you can't really play as fast or as hard as you want to, but he's kind of put that together. "He's got the size. He's a super strong kid. He may not look like it right now — he's 245 — but he's such a strong kid. Super physical in the run game. He's got the right mindset. Super athletic. He's gonna be a really good player." BGI: You and defensive lineman Junior Tuihala- maka are the only true seniors who didn't have a redshirt year. What was that journey like for you, and do you wish you had an extra year? Raridon: "Maybe I was wishing back then that I had one more year. But as time has gone by, I think it was just the way God planned it to be. I think it's all led up to this year, and it's been such a blessing to finally be healthy and be making plays. "I think this is the way it was supposed to go. Obviously, it's felt like it's flown by. I've really only had three seasons. But I don't know, I'm super, super grateful for the journey and I wouldn't want to have it any other way." — Jack Soble Five Questions With … SENIOR TIGHT END ELI RARIDON Raridon's breakout season has gone as planned, with 30 receptions for 473 yards. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT TUIHALAMAKA BUCHNER