Two Notre Dame football true freshmen that are already turning heads early in their Fighting Irish careers behind the scenes
Underrated Notre Dame true freshman who are turning heads early.
This time of year can be strange for Notre Dame fans, wanting to get as much information on the 2025 version of the Fighting Irish squad as possible, but that insight is going to be limited. Most of the fanbase is only going to be privy to only what the media sees in the limited opportunities they have to be at practice. Unfortunately for context purposes, that little bit of information is going to leave a lot to wonder.
While gathering as much information as possible, I came across a couple of true freshmen who have been turning some early heads, and those two are not the names that most Notre Dame fans would probably expect. Names like Dallas Golden, Will Black, and JaDon Blair are usually the talk of the 2025 recruiting class. That has caused some younger talented players to go a bit under the radar.
One name that has been creating some early buzz is cornerback Mark Zackery IV, who has been the victim of abbreviated analysis from the media. He has been on the receiving end of a couple of highlight plays from Malachi Fields, and that has caused some to think Zackery has struggled. In reality, he has been receiving rave reviews from the Irish staff behind the scenes due to his playmaking skills, football IQ, and explosiveness.
Zackery is a player who needs to add substantial weight to his frame, so that could limit a ton of opportunities in the 2025 college football season. If he can hold up physically at 175 pounds, it wouldn’t shock me to see Zackery play in a rotational role this season. This might be a bit of a hot take, but if they were both called upon to play in 2025 defensively, I wouldn’t be surprised if Notre Dame went with Zackery over Golden. That is no knock against Golden, who has been doing some great things, and has a chance to make plays as a returner on special teams as well.
The other player who was mentioned, and was somewhat of a surprise, was offensive lineman Matty Augustine. At 6-7 and 310 pounds, Augustine looks like the freshman offensive lineman who is most ready to play. We have even heard offensive line coach Joe Rudolph talk about Augustine, and his potential to contribute early if the need was there. He is also a player who possesses the size, length, and foot quickness to stick at offensive tackle. Augustine also has the power to potentially play inside at guard as well.
Both Zackery and Augustine being mentioned so fondly this early is a testament to the 2025 Fighting Irish recruiting class. They were both two of the most underrated players in the class overall. It was for Augustine from a recruiting rankings perspective, being pegged as a three-star player by the majority of the major recruiting platforms.
Zackery, in comparison, was highly rated. The problem for his hype was the presence of secondary mates like Golden and Blair. That caused Zackery to become an underappreciated overall football player. Neither is underappreciated by the Notre Dame staff.
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