SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Spring practice is just around the corner, marking the unofficial beginning of Marcus Freeman’s mission to build on a Notre Dame season notable for its journey to the national championship game.
This week’s mailbag features updates on injuries, questions whether recruiting faces a challenge, and addresses a captaincy query with help from Jack Kiser. We discuss planning and establish expectations for 2025 as well.
Let’s begin.
What is the status of Jeremiyah Love’s knee? What is the condition of CJ Carr’s elbow? — Lauren Fraser
Following last week’s introductory press conference by general manager Mike Martin, Notre Dame allowed head trainer Rob Hunt to provide an injury update on the entire Irish team ahead of spring practice.
To get straight to the point, Love and Carr are both cleared for spring practice, though the team will be cautious with Love following the knee injury he sustained against USC and re-injured against Georgia, which limited his impact in the College Football Playoff to just the 98-yard run versus Indiana and the 2-yard touchdown against Penn State. Hunt stated that there was no consideration of surgery for Love’s right knee. For a player who may be in contention for the Heisman Trophy, there is minimal benefit to exhausting more tread on his tires during spring practice.
Regarding Carr, Hunt mentioned that the quarterback was on a 10-to-12 week recovery timeline following the elbow injury incurred during practice in late September. According to Hunt, surgery was not considered for Carr. For those who observed Carr during his warm-up prior to the national championship game, he had shown significant improvement in velocity compared to two months earlier before the USC matchup.
Aside from updates on Carr and Love, the most significant injuries involve grad-transfer safety Jalen Stroman, who will be sidelined in spring due to collarbone surgery, and grad-transfer receiver Will Pauling, who will have restrictions as he heals from a fifth metatarsal injury. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp and guard Billy Schrauth will experience restrictions during spring practice as they heal from ankle injuries.
Hunt also indicated that a number of key Notre Dame players will effectively be on a pitch count throughout spring practice, in addition to Love. The group consists of Jaden Greathouse, Aamil Wagner, Adon Shuler, Leonard Moore, Christian Gray, Josh Burnham, Bryce Young, Drayk Bowen, and Jaylen Sneed.
Notre Dame will continue with its customary 15 spring practices, which will include activities following the Blue-Gold Game on April 12. However, it’s evident that there’s some thought regarding how much football is excessive for certain roster segments after the longest season in Notre Dame’s history. We’ve observed some of those changes during winter conditioning, when Loren Landow categorized players into tiers according to the workload they had last season. New enrollees and transfer students began their tasks first. Players such as Love, Greathouse, and Shuler received a few additional weeks for their recovery.
The Green Bay Packers have recently declared that they will be taking away season tickets from those who have repeatedly sold their tickets for every game. Can Notre Dame replicate this to prevent the opposing team invasions? — Danny C.
Negative. Primarily due to the principles of supply and demand.
Notre Dame is looking to expand its season ticket holders, unlike the Green Bay Packers, who allegedly have a waiting list of around 150,000 individuals. Reaching the top of that list takes years, while at Notre Dame, all it requires is a call to the ticket office. It’s important to mention that the Packers cancel tickets for fans who sell all of their tickets for several seasons. That’s distinct from merely selling a ticket to an Ohio State supporter while going to other games.
As I’ve mentioned previously, Notre Dame has attempted to limit the ability of rival fans to purchase tickets for key games and has achieved some success. However, in the end, Notre Dame must present a product on the field (inclusive of the schedule) that justifies the cost and makes giving up a profit opportunity to witness the Irish play worthwhile. This is further complicated by a fan base that is, on average, 500 miles away from campus.
I would regard the “invasion” of Ohio State supporters two years prior as a victory for Notre Dame. Implementing harsh ticketing policies when the fan base is more involved with the team than it has been in ten years — especially when fans are expected to contribute increasingly to support football — would be an unwise move by Notre Dame’s athletic department.
Is Notre Dame worried that upcoming schedules could become significantly more difficult if the SEC and Big Ten create a scheduling partnership and the SEC adopts a nine-game conference schedule? Considering Matt Rhule’s recent statements, Power 2 teams may hesitate to arrange a game with Notre Dame if they already face 10 contests against Big Ten-SEC rivals. — Tom N.
It’s a worry, which is not the same as claiming it’s a panic.
Similar to nearly everything in college football, forecasting the outcome of scheduling is challenging, but there exists a scenario where the Big Ten and SEC become so inward-focused that it limits matchups against ACC or Big 12 teams, and possibly Notre Dame as well.
Certainly, finances underpin all decisions in college football, and arranging games with Notre Dame continues to be profitable. The ACC has a purpose for seeking additional Notre Dame games for Clemson, Miami, and Florida State. It benefits ACC business, and it benefits the operations at those three institutions, particularly since the league’s success-oriented approach incentivizes television ratings. The more frequently you play Notre Dame, the higher your ratings become, leading to increased earnings.
However, it is also difficult to consider the possible yearly series with Clemson, according to Yahoo! Sports, and ponder if there’s any insurance in place should USC withdraw from its rivalry with Notre Dame. My coworker Antonio Morales, who reports on USC, recently interviewed Trojans athletic director Jen Cohen and inquired about the Notre Dame series.
Here’s what she stated.
“It holds great significance for our supporters and both academic institutions.” I’ve mentioned this previously and will repeat it: In a perfect world, we will continue to face off against one another. That said, the situation has shifted significantly. We’re currently competing in a conference that requires us to travel across the country every two weeks, along with the CFP expansion and the methods for accessing the CFP, as well as the seeding and selection processes. To me, those are significant questions that remain unanswered.
“We continue to engage in discussions with Notre Dame regarding the series.” I believe we mutually understand that we will keep assessing what’s best, and my responsibility is to determine what’s optimal for our student-athletes and our program. As we continue with this, we’re looking forward to returning to South Bend next year.
Interpret that as you wish, but the response indicates that USC doesn’t see the Notre Dame series as essential for its upcoming schedules. (Additionally, who could have foreseen that USC would need to travel back and forth across the nation by joining the Big Ten?)
If the Big Ten maintains its nine-game conference schedule and incorporates a yearly matchup with an SEC school, it’s difficult to envision the Notre Dame series continuing in its present format.
Could all of this lead Notre Dame to completely join the ACC? The Irish might rescue the conference and safeguard the home provided for its Olympic sports. However, in five years, the scenario might appear entirely different (again), suggesting that allowing the disorder to unfold elsewhere could be the tactical choice.
Just a reminder, Notre Dame has upcoming Power 2 matchups lined up against Michigan State, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, and Florida. Including a possible yearly game against Clemson, along with more frequent matchups with Miami and Florida State, it seems that Notre Dame will have a sufficiently challenging schedule. However, it would be unfortunate if USC did not participate in that.
How should we as supporters approach appropriately establishing and handling our expectations for 2025? Certainly, everyone desires teams capable of winning several playoff games each year, but we understand that this year’s squad will be less seasoned and face more challenges in different aspects (not just in terms of players but also opponents, their scheduling, and so forth).
Aside from another trip to the national championship game, what must the 2025 team demonstrate to prove that Marcus Freeman has established a program ready to compete regularly? — Will H
The simplest way to express this is that last year’s squad was assembled to compete in the College Football Playoff. This year’s team seems designed to secure qualification. Rather than hosting, which seemed like the least one could do to regard last season as successful, merely making the field suggests Freeman would have achieved a satisfactory rating.
Let’s assume Notre Dame finishes the season at 10-2 and suffers a defeat in the first round of the CFP against Tennessee. That may seem like a regression from reaching the national championship, but “compete consistently” begins with qualifying for the CFP on a regular basis. Are you running through it? Notre Dame won’t always have a team assembled for that type of season each year. Notre Dame experienced a considerable loss of experience from last year’s roster, along with its defensive coordinator. It’s difficult not to step back.
Within the organization, Notre Dame’s personnel considers this season as a transition year between two squads that have the potential for a deep playoff journey. The Irish remain confident they possess the talent to reach the CFP next season, but the 2026 season appears to present Notre Dame’s best opportunity for another attempt.
For the purpose of this discussion, assume Notre Dame finished 5-3 in the CFP between 2024 and 2026, reaching the national championship game, losing in the initial round, and falling in the semifinals. Aside from Ohio State and Texas, how many additional programs can claim five CFP victories during that three-year period? It’s a brief list. However, Notre Dame ought to be included.
It appears that Notre Dame has faced difficulties in attracting elite talent in both wide receiver and defensive tackle positions. In your opinion, which aspect do you believe is most crucial for them to improve their recruitment in order to advance as a program? I would lean towards defensive tackle, but Penn State’s absence of a receiving group likely eliminated their opportunity for a championship this season. — Tommy R.
Defensive tackle throughout the day. Regrettably for Notre Dame, recruiting for that position has been a harsh combination of inadequate acquisition and flawed evaluation. That doesn’t even address the challenge of locating elite talent in the portal, as acquiring players for the lines of scrimmage is a tough market.
Since Freeman took over, Notre Dame has secured commitments from 10 receivers, including notable recruits Greathouse and Rico Flores, with Micah Gilbert expected to be added to that roster this season. That compilation of takes omits Jordan Faison, who joined as a walk-on and quickly became one of Notre Dame’s top threats.
Defensive lineman? Notre Dame has secured nine commitments under Freeman, with just Donovan Hinish being a success. The Irish have not yet signed a genuine starting defensive tackle during Freeman and Al Washington’s tenure. Tyson Ford departed as a prominent failure. Brenan Vernon and Devan Houstan are facing crucial springs and could struggle to advance from the third team. Armel Mukam and Sean Sevillano were also Freeman selections, yet their narratives are quite similar to Vernon and Houstan regarding playing time.
Notre Dame has a rationale for bringing in two transfers at defensive tackle this cycle: Jared Dawson and Elijah Hughes. However, in contrast to the receiver transfers — Malachi Fields and Pauling — the Irish required assistance at defensive tackle just to maintain a functional defense.
If Notre Dame aims to be a steady CFP contender, three overall starts by defensive tackles signed by Freeman cannot be a recurring trend. Escaping this rut will require more than just securing one Elijah Golden, the leading interior defensive lineman on Notre Dame’s list for the next recruiting season. The Irish need to begin signing several Goldens. That seems like a significant request considering the previous four recruiting cycles.
Who do you consider as your initial choices for captains on this team? Whom do you envision stepping into the leadership gap created by the players leaving? — Quinn O.
Excellent inquiry. I asked Jack Kiser about it in a personal interview that will be published later this week. The initial name from the linebacker’s lips may astonish you.
“The individual who is confirmed is Steve Angeli.” He can draw players to him, enhancing the performance of those around him. The effort he puts in earns the respect of others. Charisma in the locker room that strikes a chord. Afterward, once your number is announced, he performs. I have a lot of respect for that. Sun Bowl, Orange Bowl. That’s the way Steve Angeli is. He possesses the confidence to challenge others and to guide them. He commands that respect in the locker room. Last spring, when Riley was absent, it was Steve’s team meeting. I don’t believe that will ever disappear.
“Next, there are eight to ten other individuals who possess the traits.” “Is it possible for them to become leaders?”
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