There is a lot we have to learn about Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman , but one thing we do know is that he and his staff can absolutely recruit. We don't know if Freeman is a coach capable of restoring the championship tradition that has been missing the last three decades, but yesterday was a perfect example of the reality that Freeman, general manager Chad Bowden , and the rest of the Irish staff have certainly upgraded the team's depth and talent in a very short period of time.
Freeman and Bowden have only had two full recruiting classes, and that group makes up the current sophomore and freshman classes. That group has made an early impact at Notre Dame, and the success on the trail has allowed the program to overcome an abnormally high number of injuries and still be able to beat a really good Louisville team yesterday.
The high amount of injuries is something that must be looked into and addressed, but that's a different conversation for a different day.
Coming into the season, Notre Dame had a depth chart that had nine true sophomores projected to start, with six coming on offense and three on defense. On top of that, the two-deep added eight more true freshmen or sophomores into the conversation. From the beginning of the season the younger classes were going to have an impact, but it's gone even beyond that.
An injury to true sophomore Charles Jagusah thrust true freshman Anthonie Knapp into the starting lineup. An injury to veteran Jordan Botelho thrust sophomore Boubacar Traore into the starting lineup. An injury to sophomore Christian Gray thrust true freshman Leonard Moore into the starting lineup. From a depth standpoint, the aforementioned injuries at Vyper also thrust freshman Loghan Thomas into the rotation, and the same is true at defensive end with freshman Bryce Young .
In the win over Louisville, Notre Dame had 15 true freshmen or sophomores play meaningful snaps on offense or defense. Notre Dame also had several first or second year players starting on special teams, and freshman Kennedy Urlacher recovered the muffed punt that led to Notre Dame's third touchdown of the game.
It's not just about filling spots for Notre Dame. The young players are making an impact for the Irish this season. Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love has been arguably the most dynamic weapon for the Irish offense, and classmate Jaden Greathouse is second on the offense in catches and receiving yards. Sophomore cornerback Christian Gray was outstanding for the Irish defense in the first four games of the season, and his replacement against Louisville - Moore, a freshman - earned player of the game honors for how he performed in the win.
Sophomore linebackers Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry rank 2nd and 3rd on the team in tackles, respectively. Freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa ranks 5th in tackles, and he earned his first career sack in the win over Louisville. Traore leads the Irish defense with three sacks on the season, and when Thomas stepped in for him against Louisville he had a key pressure and returned a fumble for a touchdown before the call was reversed by replay. Sophomore safety Adon Shuler has been an impact player for the Irish in the secondary as well, registering three tackles, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry in the win over the Cardinals.
Notre Dame's young classes have been a huge part to the team's early success, and the depth of talent in that class has gone a long way towards Notre Dame being able to sustain the early rash of injuries. Notre Dame is getting close to the point where too many more will be far more problematic, but the ability of the younger classes to come in and not only fill spots, but play at a high level, has been huge to the team's 4-1 start that includes a pair of Top 25 victories.
The future certainly bodes well for the Irish when you consider all that talent, but the recruiting success of Freeman, Bowden and this staff is paying huge dividends in the present.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2024 Scholarship Chart
2024 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2025 Scholarship Offers
2025 Commit Rankings - Offense
2025 Commit Rankings - Defense
2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
BECOME A MEMBER
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook
Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter
Local News
Comments / 0