Notre Dame Football Mailbag: Final thoughts on Ohio State, a Benjamin Morrison return, and how to replace Al Golden potentially
Notre Dame football is set to hopefully make history on Monday night when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national championship. It would be the first national championship since 1988 if the Fighting Irish win. This playoff run has given a ton of confidence in the trajectory of this program. In order […]
Notre Dame football is set to hopefully make history on Monday night when they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the national championship. It would be the first national championship since 1988 if the Fighting Irish win. This playoff run has given a ton of confidence in the trajectory of this program.
In order to get you all ready for the game, what better than a little Notre Dame mailbag? This week’s questions ranged from some Ohio State questions, a hypothetical Benjamin Morrison return, and how to replace Al Golden. Let’s wake up the echoes.
Does Notre Dame have a chance?
Some Notre Dame fans may be tired of this question being asked, but it’s understandable why it continues to be. People still have a large part of the Brian Kelly era on the backs of their minds, always expecting the Irish to fall short in the biggest games. The fact that Notre Dame has won three straight playoff games against three Top-10 teams, including the first victory in their history over Georgia. seems to have already been forgotten, and pessimism has taken over.
The short answer is yes, I believe that Notre Dame is going to compete tonight and it will be a close one that could go either direction. Head coach Marcus Freeman has instilled supreme confidence in this program. It would be hard for me to believe that this team will walk into this national championship game and lay a good egg. This group just feels different.
The BMo ripple effect
First and foremost, I don’t see star cornerback Benjamin Morrison returning in 2025. After some early positivity in that regard, the most recent information lends me to believe that he is most likely going to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft. For the spirit of the question, let’s stick with the hypothetical.
If Morrison were to return, there is a chance it could cause some younger cornerbacks to explore other options. I actually don’t think it would affect the outlook for either Christian Gray or Leonard Moore, but merely reconfigure what it looks like on the back end. My ideal lineup would be Morrison in the boundary, Gray at field cornerback, and Moore as a hybrid nickel safety so that he’s always on the field. At 6-2 and 191 pounds, Moore is the best tackler of the group and presents some unique versatility.
Ranking the safeties
This is a very interesting conversation. Obviously, a great college player doesn’t necessarily mean they will be a great prospect, and vice versa. As far as college players go, it would be Xavier Watts, Caleb Downs, Lathan Ransom, and Adon Shuler right now. I don’t think the top two are overly debatable based on accolades, while the Ransom versus Shuler conversation is a bit interesting. For the latter, the longevity of Ransom won out.
When it comes to draft projections, it’s a very difficult debate. Each player is at a very different stage of their careers, and that makes things tricky. With that future projection considered, it would be (in order) Downs, Shuler, Watts, and then Ransom. Some might be surprised by the Shuler over Watts ranking but I just believe that Shuler has a bit more athletic upside. I can see him being very well thought of for the next level.
Talking some 2026 recruiting
I’m obviously more detached from the recruiting landscape than I was at my previous place of employment, but there are still some 2026 prospects that I consider “can’t miss” for Notre Dame. On offense, it’s Potomac (Md.) The Bullis School wide receiver Connor Salmin. The 6-1, 190-pound pass catcher is a track and field standout, and has run a personal best of 10.44 seconds in the 100-meter dash. This Irish team needs more of that type of speed on the perimeter.
On defense, Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park pass rusher Rodney Dunham would be right near the top of my list. At 6-4 and 227 pounds, Dunham is an ideal Vyper in the Notre Dame defense. He’s explosive and extremely bendy, giving the Irish a skill set they need more of. Notre Dame has also been on Dunham for some time now, which should help in the end.
Potential Al Golden replacement
If Al Golden does take the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job, I’d be very surprised if it was anyone other than Mike Mickens. This has been the track for Coach Mickens, who is one of the very best secondary coaches in all of college football. He’s someone that Coach Freeman believes in, and very much feels like the heir apparent for the defensive coordinator spot whenever it comes open.
Some believe that the national championship game could be the last game for DC Al Golden at Notre Dame
Could Notre Dame DC Al Golden be on the move this offseason?
