What comes to mind while watching Notre Dame football do football stuff in April?

[ASFN Admin]

SOUTH BEND – Random thoughts while watching the Notre Dame football spring scrimmage (the real spring game) Saturday and wondering if there might be one or two or eight parking tickets on the windshield by the workday’s end ...

• It still feels like the 2024 season ended days and not months ago. It may feel that way right up to the 2025 opener August 31 back down in South Florida.
• Nine practices to date weren’t enough, and nine more likely still won’t be, to decide a starting quarterback. The guy who starts that first game might not be the guy who starts the sixth. Might be one of those deals. And seasons.
• Weird to watch Notre Dame football spring practice and not see a clear-cut No. 1 at quarterback. Even when Riley Leonard was scootering through stretch lines last April, you knew he was the guy.

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• Is a Notre Dame football practice/game official if we don’t see tailback Jeremiyah Love hurdle someone? Anyone? If so, Saturday’s 60-play scrimmage never happened after the junior was shelved early when he tweaked his right hamstring.
• Bubble wrap J-Love now. No need to see him do anything until August.
• Those 60 plays included more quarterback scrambles than anyone ever needs to see.
• When his group gets healthy, offensive line coach Joe Rudolph will have something every position coach covets — options. Maybe plenty of them.
• Same holds true for linebackers coach Max Bullough, who may have six capable/ready/worthy ‘backers for two available spots.
• Sophomore C.J. Carr worked with the No. 1 offense on Saturday. Don’t read too much (really, anything) into that.
• None of the quarterbacks did anything that said he should be the guy. Rhythm for the offense Saturday was a rumor.
• The roles of captains/leaders will sort themselves out of the next few months but expect the next wave to come from a group that includes the three quarterbacks (Steve Angeli, Carr, Kenny Minchey), offensive lineman Charles Jagusah, linebackers Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed and safety Adon Shuler. Marcus Freeman even threw sophomore corner Leonard Moore into that mix. He’s been that good this early.
• Sneed made one play — a chase down and tackle for loss of Jadarian Price — that was eerily similar to the first play of the Sugar Bowl when he dumped Georgia tailback Trevor Etienne for a two-yard loss.
• Speaking of Moore, keep an eye on sophomore Tae Johnson, who was slowed much of last season with a broken left foot, to possibly have the kind of out of nowhere whoa impact as Moore did last season. Johnson can play corner, nickel and safety. At his size and length (a loooong 6-2, 193), he’s someone who needs to be on the field.
• It’s odd to see No. 56 along the defensive line and not see Howard Cross III. His number now belongs to USC transfer, and fellow d-lineman, Elijah Hughes.
• It’s also different to watch the Notre Dame defense work and not see Jack Kiser or Xavier Watts doing what they’d long done. Take snaps, lead, make plays.
• Our first look at transfer kicker Noah Burnette wasn’t good. Burnette hooked a 28-yard field goal attempt to the left during Saturday’s scrimmage. Struggle all you might, just make them when they count, right Mitch Jeter?
• We saw none of punter James Rendell on Saturday, so we still don’t know if he’s closer to being the guy he was supposed to be when he arrived last season.
• One-on-one battles between anyone on offense and sophomore safety Kennedy Urlacher may always end badly for the other guy. Urlacher is a magnet/missile at finding the football and getting there with cruel intentions.
• It will be interesting to see how Virginia transfer Malachi Fields (who’s not on campus) fits come fall. Might be Beaux Collins redux from a needed production standpoint.
• Even from the balcony overlooking the practice field in the Irish Athletic Center, sophomore offensive lineman Sullivan Absher (6-8, 318) is a human eclipse.
• Playmakers still seem in short supply at receiver. Pencil in Jaden Greathouse for about 50 or so catches, but who’s next? Will Pauling has a chance. The young guys still look like young guys. Too many drops to go around for position coach Mike Brown’s (or anyone’s) liking.
• You see tight end Eli Raridon (6-7, 251) and wonder when it’s going to happen for him, then watch him take a middle screen and bust it down the field and nearly get into the end zone. That position is primed for someone to step in, and up. Why not Raridon?
• When sophomore Bryce Young exits the edge with the speed and the power and the determination to get to the quarterback as he showed Saturday, it’s not fair. Right tackles have no chance.
• Keep an eye on freshmen JaDon Blair and Ethan Long, two safeties who may force their way onto the field in the fall.
• Marcus Freeman insisted that he liked what he saw in Saturday’s scrimmage, but when he looks at the film, he’s not going to like the plethora of penalties. Too many yellow flags flew, even the ones that officials picked up.
• Defensive tackle Jason Onye continues to track toward the feel-good success story of 2025. Onye missed a chunk of 2024 dealing with personal issues but ran Saturday with the No. 1 defense.
• Sophomore Loghan Thomas (6-4, 213) still looks more like a No. 3 wide receiver than a No. 3 defensive end.
• Contrary to concerns, Rolfs Hall, the stand-alone basketball facility that sits across from the IAC, was not smoldering Saturday afternoon a few dumpster fire-like weeks to forget for both Notre Dame basketball programs.
• We saw more actual football Saturday in 90 minutes than we’ll see the next Saturday during the annual Blue-Gold game.
• As of Sunday, the 2025 season opener at Miami (Fla.) was 143 days away. We can wait. Enjoy spring and summer. The grind will be here soon enough. Always is.

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Never any shortage of April interest, intrigue around Notre Dame football

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