Rakes Report #234: The color is gold and we're all feeling bold
Diving into the details of the depth chart as camp comes to a close, plus a quick Olympics wrap and schedule update.
~optional musical accompaniment~
Good morning, everyone. It’s Depth Chart Power Rankings Day, my favorite gimmicky format to do an expedited appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the roster.
This is far more art than science but there are two major components considered when putting this together. The first one is what is the upside of the group: Does it have a chance to be among the best in the country? Is there a clear All-American candidate or projected high draft pick? Ideally, is there a returning All-American? The second one, which I may weigh a little more because of how sore spots can cause things around them to falter, is the downside: How low is the floor when we lay things out to begin? What’s the disaster potential? If the top player goes down with an injury, how screwed would we feel?
Doing this exercise underscored that this is a very talented team. There are a couple spots where I’d prefer a little more depth or fewer questions about health but overall — with one exception you’ll be able to guess — there are no real trouble areas on paper. Lots of potential for upside mixing with a lot of seasoned veterans is an ideal construction of a college football team.
If you’d like to hear this list hashed out in audio form, please head to your podcast feeds (Spotify) (Apple) and listen to a deep dive with Irish Sports Daily’s Greg Flammang and 18 Stripes’ Michael Bryan. This is a great time of year to tell the ND fan friends in your life about the various (okay, two) Report products if you’re finding yourself enjoying them.
1) Defensive line
This may be the best defensive tackle tandem in the country with sixth-year senior Howard Cross (a second-team All-American last year and a guy who is on plenty of preseason lists this time around) and fifth-year Rylie Mills, and that’s a nice start to an effective defense. There’s depth behind them (the injury to Gabe Rubio nicking it a bit, sadly) and fellow fifth-year Jordan Botelho next to them. Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young are two of the most hyped prospects on the team while Joshua Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka have been in the mix a while and could take that next step.
Minor quibbles: R.J. Oben comes in from Duke with a reputation as a great pass rusher who could use some work on the run. That was Javontae Jean-Baptiste’s profile when he arrived from Ohio State last year and he excelled in all aspects so while we can hope Al Washington performs the same magic there are no guarantees. There isn’t anyone proven-proven at either reserve end spot but there are enough guys who have shown flashes it’s hard to imagine nobody steps up.
I’m putting a tier break here and in a normal year there would be a better case for the next few but this is exactly what you want from any group (established veterans, depth, a couple of young guys who could hit and take it to another level).
2) Quarterback
This is among the deepest quarterback rooms in the country and the only reservations about moving it up are lingering worries about Riley Leonard’s ankle and accuracy. If he stays healthy for 12 (or 16…) games and gets the completion percentage back over 60% then this offense is going to be really good and there’s a chance Leonard is a first-round pick. I am not totally sure Leonard is going to be a mix of Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson as suggested by Jayden Thomas last week but I won’t be upset if that ends up being the case.
Behind him, what can you say? Steve Angeli could easily have been the Sun Bowl MVP and has been nothing but polished and prepared since his first Blue-Gold Game. I don’t know if he has the top-end ability to run the table behind this offensive line if something were to befall Leonard but I do know he’s consistently proven doubters wrong to this point in his Irish career so wagering against him seems unwise. Kenny Minchey scrambling around in the Blue-Gold Game showed some legs to go along with an arm coaches have been praising to the point he could be a good candidate to get creative if “Run for your life” becomes a necessary skill in relief of Leonard. I don’t love the idea of starting a true freshman but C.J. Carr looked awesome all spring and has an elite pedigree.
3) Cornerback
4) Safety
If Benjamin Morrison’s shoulder works all season (he said last week he’s healed and doing everything in practice, which is wonderful news) and Christian Gray is comfortable with a big uptick in workload, this has the potential to be one of the top corner tandems in the nation. Jordan Clark should be solid as starting nickel and Jaden Mickey has shown promise but has to continue an arc of improvement while doing it in more reps.
Why isn’t this higher? Concerns over Morrison’s shoulder, Gray and/or Mickey being not quite ready for an expanded role and Clark perhaps not being quite as good as TaRiq Bracy/Thomas Harper (we’ve been blessed here the last couple seasons). The next man in is either a true freshman (Leonard Moore has been getting a great deal of buzz in camp, including high praise from Morrison) or a veteran who hasn’t played real snaps (Chance Tucker went down with an injury on Saturday so his status is unclear).
I’m connecting this with safety because issues at corner could affect the rest of the secondary. We begin this unit with Xavier Watts, who was a unanimous All-American and won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the best defender in college football. Pretty good! Rod Heard is coming in from Northwestern where he played a lot of nickel but the plan is to transition him to safety. (Heard was finishing up his masters degree and didn’t participate during spring practice so we have fewer data points.) Adon Shuler has looked good in the bowl game, Blue-Gold and most practices this year to the point he is competing with Heard for the starting spot. However, after that you’re going to need a sophomore (Luke Talich or Ben Minich) to make a leap.
The staff has said Heard could move back to nickel, meaning if Clark is injured or underperforming and nobody on the corner depth chart is ready to step up, it’ll be asking a lot from Shuler. (Al Golden said both Gray and Mickey can play the nickel as well.) Feels a person light, right? I am Danny Ocean at the bar coming to the realization that we need one more. I wish Clarence Lewis the best at Syracuse but really wish he was the steady hand ready to plug-and-play across both of these groups. I am admittedly weighing concern more than upside (Watts and Morrison could both be the best at their position; Gray could be excellent; Shuler and Heard could be steady, etc., etc.) here and don’t love it.
5) Running back
This coaching staff is infatuated with Jeremiyah Love and it’s easy to understand why with his combination of size, raw speed and versatility. Jadarian Price is a year further removed from his Achilles injury and at times last season showed why he was so beloved as an early enrollee freshman (his kickoff return against USC a personal favorite). This could be an absolutely lethal one-two punch that helps soften the blow of no longer having Audric Estime.
The only reason this doesn’t have a case for higher placement is that if something should befall either of them, the replacement plan (after Gi’Bran Payne tore his ACL this spring) is either a true freshman or Devyn Ford, who spent time this spring working as a defensive back. Both rookies (Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young) are very exciting blue-chip talents and the nature of running backs means they can contribute out of the gate more often than not so I’m not overly concerned but if we’re splitting hairs to why they’re not a spot or even two higher with the tantalizing potential of Love-Price that’s why.
6) Tight End
This could be way higher but it’s hard to set aside this many concerns about health. Mitchell Evans looked like the best tight end in football for stretches last season and if he’s truly recovered from his ACL injury that’s an elite weapon for Mike Denbrock and his quarterbacks. Eli Raridon is still more potential than anything at this point but (repeat after me) if he’s healthy that’s so much size and skill. Cooper Flanagan looks like he belongs and both Davis Sherwood and Kevin Bauman provide some veteran presence, particularly in short-yardage situations. True freshman Jack Larsen isn’t expected to contribute this fall but the future there is bright.
7) Receiver
This being ranked seventh is a testament to each of the units above having a clearer potential star because I really like what the staff did in rebuilding the room. There are six guys who either had a great freshman year and are getting considerable hype from the coaching staff (Jaden Greathouse), had a great freshman year despite confusing usage and then won the Sun Bowl MVP award and a lacrosse national title (Jordan Faison), have been various levels of productive at other schools (Kris Mitchell, Beaux Collins, Jayden Harrison) or have been productive in South Bend when healthy but just need their hamstring to keep working (Jayden Thomas).
On top of that, there’s another veteran with size (Deion Colzie), a sophomore speedster (K.K. Smith), some promising freshmen (mainly Micah Gilbert at this point, but a lot to like in Cam Williams and Logan Saldate) and of course another bowl MVP and lacrosse national champion who walked on (Tyler Buchner).
The floor for this group is so much higher than the last few seasons that it’s genuinely a relief. The ceiling depends on your belief in Greathouse’s ability to make a leap, or Faison’s, or for Mitchell or Collins to really flourish in a new location. Those things are possible but I’m mainly happy I don’t think we’ll run into a situation this season where we’re wondering if there are three healthy receivers to play in a game.
Asked about a true number one in this group, Denbrock said Saturday, “I don't know if there's necessarily one alpha that has kind of separated himself in that room. There's a bunch of really talented ones. And at times, they've flashed here, flashed there. They've all had their collection of different guys making good plays at certain parts of the scrimmage or a practice or whatever. So I think at least in the beginning, it's gonna be a little bit more of a mix and match.” Not exactly beating the “A better unit but questions remain whether there is an elite option or two mixed in” charges but things can evolve over the season.
8) Linebacker
I feel wonderful about this position considering its penultimate placement. Jack Kiser is the salty sixth-year captain, a guy loved by Pro Football Focus raters and a consistent producer as the clear third linebacker in recent years. (The last couple seasons it felt like the staff would just kind of forget to put him in, maximizing the snaps of Bertrand/Liafau/nickel and then being like “Ah yeah we wanted to get Kiser more reps, dang.”) Kiser also should bring the ability to play either linebacker spot, meaning you can tag team him with a wider variety of unproven but supremely talented options.
Sophomore Drayk Bowen has felt like a lock in the rotation since spring, then you've got Jaylen Sneed and Jaiden Ausberry providing speed. (Sneed as a third-and-long pass rush specialist is going to be nasty again. If he’s put the total package together, sky is the limit.) The most exciting possibility for upside among many is freshman Kyngstonn Villamu-Asa, one of the top prospects in this class who’s already being referred to as crafty in addition to possessing freakish athleticism. Remember this coaching staff has Marcus Freeman (a former linebacker and linebacker coach), Al Golden (coached linebackers for a Super Bowl team) and Max Bullough (the new position coach who everyone adores).
Downside here is if Kiser gets hurt or struggles with a big jump in snap count, you’re relying on a bunch of very exciting question marks to figure it out in tandem. I don’t know how low of a floor that is because while they’ll make some mistakes there is just so much talent here. Should this be higher? Maybe. Relevant Freeman quote on this group from Saturday’s press availability:
“It’s been wonderful. We've got five guys, and we have a lot of confidence. I think that creates a little bit of unity. Hey, whoever's on the field, they’re representing the entire room. We'll find ways to get them all on the field. We demand you play with an effort that I don't know we can only play with two or three linebackers the entire game. The effort that we demand of the guys on defense and [that] our entire team plays with, it's really hard to just have one group out there. And we'll find ways to get all five of those guys on the field.”
Another tier break here, unfortunately, and it’s a rather large one.
9) Offensive line
This was already last and unquestionably in its own tier prior to losing Charles Jagusah for the season. This reminds me of some of the recent years with wide receiver where you needed leaps of varying heights just to achieve stability. To put this into context, I am among the many people feeling good about Ashton Craig as a rock at center and he’s a junior who’s started three games in his career. Overall, I think the interior should be fine, as you should be able to get two more quality starters out of Billy Schrauth (seemingly locked in at right guard), Pat Coogan, Rocco Spindler, Sam Pendleton (maybe the new favorite to start at left guard) and Sullivan Absher.
At tackle? Well, you’re going from a guy who was basically a perfect college football player in Joe Alt to Jagusah (a sophomore whose only start came in the bowl) to Tosh Baker (a fifth-year senior who’s never been able to stick in the lineup) to probably Anthonie Knapp (a true freshman). Have to hope junior Aamil Wagner is ready at right tackle, because if they’re not sold on Baker, the depth on the outside will also be youthful (true freshman Guerby Lambert). Blake Fisher wasn’t perfect at right tackle last year but he was quite good to go along with being a second-round pick and I fear we will be reminded there are quite a few tiers below his level of play.
Denbrock was always going to have to scheme around left tackle in the early going of the season even before Jagusah had gone down, but now that impediment could linger even longer. Best case here is guys with pedigree like Schrauth and Wagner pop as juniors and Knapp is as good as some of the other true freshmen to start at tackle in recent years (Alt, Fisher, Robert Hainsey). There’s a chance this position group is near the top when we run this exercise next August but that’s not the world we live in at this very moment.
Overall, there is a lot to love about the roster and at least everyone on the coaching staff is very aware of the clear exception they need to work around. As far as specialists, it seems like giant Australian punter James Rendell should at least be a weapon in flipping the field and if he hammers out some of the more intricate parts of the craft that’ll be a bonus. Mitch Jeter was an accurate kicker at South Carolina so we can just hope and assume that carries over to his time in blue and gold.
If you have major differences in your rankings, please let me know as I'm curious where everyone’s head is at. I think QB at two is my biggest chance at error, as corner, safety and tailback all have elite upside and a new coordinator combined with a shaky offensive line could hinder Leonard and his backups. Additionally, Mitchell Evans alone could make the tight end spot too low.
Congratulations to the Notre Dame medalists from the Paris Olympics. Special shoutout to Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd, who won their second gold medals to go along with their two WNBA titles. We’ll see how the 3x3 tournament evolves but it’s possible Young and her Aces teammate Kelsey Plum will be the only people to have 3x3 and 5x5 golds. Young, of course, also has a national championship ring on top of all of everything else already mentioned.
Overall, had a blast with the Olympics, especially those basketball gold medal games and the U.S. men’s classic semifinal with Serbia. There is nothing like seeing the greatest players in the world pressed to that degree and responding. Lebron guarding Jokic while putting up a triple-double and Steph going absolutely nuclear over the tournament’s final 80 minutes, that’s as good as it gets, as was the gymnastics all-around final with Simone Biles and Suni Lee crushing with the pressure at its highest. If anyone knows how I can get on a kayak cross course (with ample lifeguards around), please give me a shout. Also how do we get team handball to be more of a thing in the United States? As a bonus, the lack of gambling lines being shoehorned into graphics and dearth of commercials for online casinos every break was a nice respite before football is upon us.
That’s it for now. Frosh O with Jamie Uyeyama is a lot of fun and will be out in two parts on August 20th and 21st, then next week will be the schedule preview, excitement draft and final preseason newsletter. If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Reminder to get your merch order in now if you want new gear for the September games. We’re so close to football but until it actually arrives take care of yourselves and each other.