Notre Dame defenders that need a big spring or they might get passed up on the depth chart quickly
Notre Dame football had an elite defense during the 2024 college football season, and was a big reason they were able to earn a spot in the National Championship Game. Even with some talent leaving, and a change at defensive coordinator, many expect the Fighting Irish to once again be stellar on that side of […]
Notre Dame football had an elite defense during the 2024 college football season, and was a big reason they were able to earn a spot in the National Championship Game. Even with some talent leaving, and a change at defensive coordinator, many expect the Fighting Irish to once again be stellar on that side of the football.
As we get ready for spring practice to begin, there are several positions that will have heavy competition this offseason. That includes some veterans who will need to do their best to hold off some younger talent behind them. We enter a huge few months to decide roles.
EDGE Joshua Burnham
Burnham has shifted between big end and hyper over the last two seasons. There is reason to believe that he will shift back to the former if Boubacar Traore and Jordan Botelho are healthy to begin the season. Burnham is going to have to be careful with sophomore Bryce Young continuing to trend upward. Either way, Burnham will be an important part of the rotation, but if Young does take a huge step, it could eat into his snaps and overall role.
LB Jaylen Sneed
Like Burmham, Sneed is going to play for Notre Dame in 2024. With Jaiden Ausberry and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa continuing to trend upward, there’s a chance that the younger talent could eat into his snap share. If someone like true freshman Madden Faraimo makes a strong impression then he could hurt Sneed’s level of impact as well. Sneed is naturally a pretty niche player anyway, which doesn’t help.
S Luke Talich
When people talk about the safety battle position outside of Adon Shuler, former Virginia Tech transfer Jalen Stroman is usually the first person mentioned. Then you will get a combination of JaDon Blair, Brauntae Johnson, and Kennedy Urlacher mentioned next. That’s interesting considering that Talich was listed on the depth chart a ton last season, and is pretty talented himself. If players like Blair, Johnson, and Urlacher earn more reps than Talich, that is a really bad sign.
