Notre Dame football started its 2024 fall camp practices Wednesday, exactly one month before the Aug. 31 season opener at Texas A&M.
More: What does the Notre Dame football depth chart look like ahead of fall camp?
There are several question marks surrounding the team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Here are some observations from the first practice, the only full practice open to the media all fall.
Offensive line starts to take shape
Having to replace two offensive tackles that were NFL Draft picks in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher are key for the Fighting Irish offense. Wednesday gave us a glimpse of who might be filling those spots to start the year.
Redshirt freshman Charles Jagusah was at left tackle, while redshirt sophomore Aamil Wagner suited up at right tackle. The two were joined on the line by redshirt junior Pat Coogan at left guard, redshirt sophomore Ashton Craig at center and redshirt sophomore Billy Schrauth at right guard.
More: Former Notre Dame women’s fencing captain Lee Kiefer added to her Olympic legacy on Sunday
The second-team offensive line, from left to right, featured freshman Anthonie Knapp, redshirt freshman Sullivan Absher, redshirt freshman Sam Pendleton, redshirt junior Rocco Spindler and graduate senior Tosh Baker.
Talented defensive line takes advantage of young offensive line
Although they weren’t wearing pads and couldn’t sack the quarterback, the veteran defensive line — especially interior linemen Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills — flashed in the 11-on-11 segments. Defensive ends Jordan Botelho and RJ Oben, a transfer from Duke, rounded out the first-team defensive line, giving quarterback Riley Leonard minimal time to throw the ball during the drill.
New linebackers around veteran Jack Kiser
While Kiser is all-but locked into a starting spot in the linebacker core given his multi-year starter status, those playing around him are still to be determined.
On Wednesday, the other first-team reps seemed to be split between four guys: redshirt sophomore Jaylen Sneed, sophomore Drayk Bowen, redshirt freshman Jaiden Ausberry and true freshman Kyngstonn Vilamu-Asa. Who nabs those final two starting spots will be one of the more interesting position battles in fall camp.
More: Hubbard’s biography ‘ARA’ reveals true greatness of legendary Irish football coach
Guys who missed spring looked strong
A couple pieces missing from spring practices that had strong first days Wednesday were wide receiver Beaux Collins and safety Rod Heard II. Both transfers from Clemson and Northwestern, respectively, showed why they’ll be key parts this season for the Irish.
More: Veteran defender Rod Heard II brings a ‘special’ versatility to Notre Dame football
Collins was a favorite target of Leonard in drills, with the highlight being when he burned past reserve cornerback Chance Tucker in 1-on-1 drills.
Heard II was playing with the first-team defense alongside reigning Bronko Nagurski Award winner Xavier Watts. They were joined by cornerbacks Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey, making a formidable secondary for Notre Dame.
Leonard also missed most of the spring with an ankle injury. He took the first-team reps at quarterback, with Steve Angeli taking second string snaps and CJ Carr third string.
Wide receiver, tight end depth chart comes into focus
If the order the wide receivers and tight ends stood in going through drills is any indication, expect wideouts Jayden Thomas, Jaden Greathouse and Kris Mitchell, alongside tight end Mitchell Evans, to be atop the depth chart when one is officially released.
The second-team grouping featured wide receivers Collins, Jordan Faison, Jayden Harrison and tight end Kevin Bauman. A third-team unit included wideouts KK Smith, Logan Saldate, Deion Colzie and tight end Cooper Flanagan.
Miscellaneous notes
-
It was a high-intensity day. A lot of screaming from the coaches, notably offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Head coach Marcus Freeman wasn’t afraid to raise his voice as well.
-
It appears graduate senior Mitch Jeter will be the team’s starting kicker, with Matt Salerno as the holder and Rino Monteforte as the long snapper. Sophomore Marcello Diomede is also competing for starting kicker duties.
-
The warmup lines were organized by position. In the past, each warmup line had a different player leading that would be eligible to be named a team captain. That was not the case Wednesday, as the defensive line group took up the bulk of the start of each line.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Instant observations from Notre Dame football’s first 2024 fall practice
South Bend Tribune
