Notre Dame football and the Irish offense could receive a boost at a position of need a lot sooner than originally anticipated
Notre Dame football could be receiving a big boost at a major position of need soon. It would be much earlier than expected.
For the first time this season, Notre Dame football has listed junior tight end Cooper Flanagan as questionable for their home matchup against the NC State Wolfpack this weekend. The 6-6, 255-pound pass catcher suffered a torn Achilles injury during the team’s College Football Playoff matchup against the Georgia Bulldogs. With such a late-season injury and one of that severity, it was uncertain if we would see the California native during the 2025 college football season.
During the media availability with head coach Marcus Freeman on Monday, he was asked about the injury designation for Flanagan. According to Freeman, he is getting “very close” to being a full go, and he is expected to return sometime in the near future. From the Freeman availability, it didn’t sound like Flanagan would be ready to contribute this weekend against the Wolfpack. The fact that we are even talking about his return, however, is incredibly impressive.
A return from an Achilles injury can be a long and daunting process. Usually considered about a 12-month recovery (typically more), Flanagan has just passed the nine-month mark. Modern medicine and recovery timelines have certainly improved recovery timelines, but this would be a pretty incredible recovery. Some didn’t think we would see Flanagan at all in 2025, but he has continued to work his way back quickly.
Huge boost for Notre Dame
At the tight end position, Notre Dame has received some good play from Eli Raridon so far. The senior has managed to haul in 13 receptions for 233 yards in five games, an average of 17.9 yards per reception. It has been a quality start for the 6-7, 250-pound tight end, who was carrying a lot of offseason hype heading into the year. Raridon has certainly been an important part of the passing attack for redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr.
Outside of Raridon, the Irish offense under Mike Denbrock hasn’t gotten much contributions from the tight ends. Arkansas transfer Ty Washington has been the second tight end for the team, but he has been pretty underwhelming as a blocker. We also haven’t seen much of redshirt freshman Jack Larsen or true freshman James Flanigan. This feels as thin of a tight end group that we have seen in South Bend in some time.
When Flanagan does come back, it is unlikely that he will be back to 100 percent and be the best version of himself. Having a proven extra body in the room, however, could be a massive boost. If they are able to get a valuable contribution, at least in the run game, it would be a huge help to the offense going down the stretch of the season.
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