From knocking off Texas A&M at Kyle Field to losing to NIU under Touchdown Jesus, it's been a roller coaster of a season so far for Notre Dame Football. Another part of the descending track has been the injuries, and as of this past week, a transfer announcement. However, can those stepping in help turn this track back to an uphill trajectory? Or will the season derail?
Photo by The Irish Tribune
The Irish have got off to a wild start this season. These first four weeks have felt more like 12 weeks with the amount of drama and questions that have surrounded this team. Outside of the many issues we can discuss, I'd like to focus on one: the depth chart.
Via Notre Dame Athletics
The Irish came through the offseason relatively unscathed apart from losing DL Gabe Rubio for several months and OL Charles Jagusah for the season. Marcus Freeman touted this as one of the healthiest offseasons the Irish have had going into 2024. Despite that, after a dominant week 3 win at Purdue, not all was positive as the Irish lost DL Jordan Botelho and OL Ashton Craig for the rest of the season, paired with an extended absence for OL Billy Schrauth. Losing your best defensive end and two starting linemen, after losing a third before the season even started, was far from ideal. However, even with another disappointing performance from the offense this past Saturday, the players who came in for the injured held their own, and in some cases, even shined.
Let's start with Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler on the offensive line. The positive from the get-go was not only have both of these guys played before, but both of them had been starters in 2023. At a minimum, Notre Dame was going to get experience at these positions, but fortunately, they got more than that as these two joined the offensive line effort which led to the Irish rushing for 270 yards and only giving up one sack. It may have been Miami (Ohio), but it was still a positive performance from a young and injured offensive line. If the Irish are going to get this offense on track, these two players will be pivotal. If they both play up to their ability, the offensive line should be fine. However, if they have inconsistencies like they have had in the past, this line can struggle. Especially for Pat Coogan, who will now be more important than he was last season as a starting guard with him taking on the responsibilities of being at the center position this year.
The player who stepped up the most was on the other side of the ball and was DL Jordan Botelho's replacement, Boubacar Traore. Traore has been an exciting, high-ceiling player from the moment he stepped on campus. But after getting his opportunity as a starter last week, he did not look back. He finished the game with four tackles (All solo), a tackle for loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble. Seeing him play with such confidence and tenacity was a welcome boost after the gut-wrenching loss of Botelho who was finally putting it together and being the player Notre Dame fans were hoping would be when he arrived on campus. Traore is playing for his fallen brother and doing him justice. I have no doubts that as the season goes on, Traore is going to continue to make a name for himself on a national level as he gets more reps and more comfortable on the field. He is going to be something.
Fast forward to this week and the Irish received some more bad news. First, Cooper Flanagan was ruled out for Saturday's game against Louisville with an ankle injury he suffered against Purdue. Then, Marcus Freeman disclosed during his weekly press conference that CB Jaden Mickey would be redshirting the rest of the season and entering the transfer portal once he graduates in the spring. This was a tough loss on multiple levels. First, Mickey is a talented and experienced corner who served as a high-level backup to Christian Gray. Without him, the backup role will be given to a true freshman in Karson Hobbs. Don't get me wrong, Hobbs is talented and the Irish believe in him enough to put him in this position, but going from a veteran to a true freshman is not ideal when talking about depth. Outside of ability and experience, Mickey is a fan favorite and a true Notre Dame man. Last year he showed incredible maturity, grit, and grace following the tragic loss of his mother to cancer. It was something the entire Notre Dame community felt, and Mickey could not have handled it better. He and his family will be greatly missed, but I am happy to hear he still plans to graduate before his departure, leaving Notre Dame with a degree, not to mention a published book. On behalf of The Irish Tribune, we wish him nothing but the best!
So where do the Irish go from here? The offense has been a major concern, particularly through the air. With an already injury-riddled offensive line and now a talented tight end out for a big matchup with Louisville, will the Irish have enough to overcome this latest challenge? The short answer is yes. Marcus Freeman has done a tremendous job of building depth on this team. Every player that will start on Saturday is more than capable of making an impact. There are still no spots on the field that should be a glaring weakness. The biggest question right now shouldn't be whether or not these guys are good enough to compete, but rather are they going to be prepared and ready when the opportunity presents itself on Saturday? That one is on Marcus Freeman and his staff.
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