With Notre Dame possessing an experienced roster, there are very few question marks heading into the season. Nonetheless, there are some position battles that the Irish will need to figure out before heading to Kyle Field for Week 1 against the Aggies.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
As Notre Dame is nearing the beginning of fall camp, the Irish's overall roster is pretty much set in stone. When a team possesses such experience and talent as Notre Dame's 2024 roster, there are very few questions about playing time. Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts will man down the secondary. Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III will be anchors in the middle of the defensive line. Riley Leonard will be receiving snaps from Ashton Craig. Yet, in the midst of all this certainty lies some gray area that won't be answered until the Irish take the field against Texas A&M on Labor Day weekend.
Field Cornerback
Player A: Jaden Mickey
Year: Junior
Hometown: Eastvale, CA
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 178
Player B: Christian Gray
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: St. Louis, MO Height: 6'0"
Weight: 187
The biggest position battle heading into fall camp is at the field cornerback position. Benjamin Morrison, the unanimous All-American, will be playing opposite, and locking down the boundary corner position.
The fight between Mickey and Gray is as even as any. Both are extremely athletic corners that have gotten playing time during their underclassman years. Mickey is the older of the two, but has struggled in open-field tackling in the past.
Both players have an interception under their belts, as they both recorded a pick during last year's game against Pittsburgh.
If I was to guess who gets the starting nod as of right now it would be Christian Gray because he is more physical than Mickey, and is also the faster of the two; however, this will certainly be a matchup to monitor throughout camp, as Mickey is not one to shy away from competition.
Right Tackle
Player A: Tosh Baker
Year: Graduate Student
Hometown: Scottsdale, AZ
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 320
Player B: Aamil Wagner
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown: Yellow Springs, OH
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 290
At right tackle, the position battle is a bit more skewed. Tosh Baker, the graduate student, has had experience starting for the Fighting Irish. He was also the starting Right Tackle in last year's Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State.
The player battling Baker is Aamil Wagner, who provides an interesting skillset. Wagner is the smaller of the two tackles, but is faster and has extremely strong hands.
Baker, the bigger of the two and the more experienced, is currently leading the position battle, yet Wagner is truly making a play for the starting bid.
With a Week One game in a raucous environment, communication on the line will be imperative. Notre Dame's line is young, too. With Charles Jagusah as the projected starting Left Tackle, the Fighting Irish will be debuting a line that has only played one full game together.
With experience needed in a short amount of time, I'd lean towards Baker getting the starting nod at College Station.
Vyper
Player A: Jordan Botelho
Year: Graduate Student
Hometown: Honolulu, HIJor
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 258
Player B: Junior Tuihalamaka
Year: Junior
Hometown: Granada Hills, CA
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 246
Player C: Boubacar Traore
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown: Boston, MA
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 240
While rotations occur quite often at the Vyper position, there is still a case to be made at who deserves the most reps at the position.
Jordan Botelho is the experienced man of the group, totaling 10.5 sacks throughout his Notre Dame career.
Then, there is Junior Tuihalamaka, who has played since he stepped foot on campus during the 2022 season.
Lastly, there is Boubacar Traore, who is by far the most explosive out of the three, but is still trying to pack on weight before he can get more meaningful snaps.
As Notre Dame is trying to surpass the level of "good" teams in college football, and turning into that of an elite caliber team, the Irish need a more ferocious pass rush.
The last two Notre Dame teams to go undefeated in the regular season had two elite pass rushers on both ends.
Now, this year, the Irish have the luxury of having one of the best secondaries in the nation.
With Duke transfer RJ Oben absorbing most of the attention on the other edge of the line, the Irish need to find someone just as explosive to pair with Oben to bring pressure to the quarterback.
I predict Botelho will get the start for the first drive against the Aggies, but expect Tuihalamaka and Traore to get far more reps than they have in years past.
By the end of the season, I predict Traore will have the most sacks out of the three of these rushers. His physical upside and developmental curve point toward him having the most successful season of the bunch.
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