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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish released their depth chart as they prepare to head out west to play the USC Trojans in the season finale. The Irish will try to finish the season 12-0 for the first time since 2012, and defend the Jeweled Shillelagh against their heated rivals.
OFFENSE
Notre Dame *way too early* Depth Chart — Offense
| WR | TE | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | WR | WR | RB | QB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | TE | LT | LG | C | RG | RT | WR | WR | RB | QB |
| 25 Braden Lenzy | 89 Brock Wright | 74 Liam Eichenberg | 69 Aaron Banks | 55 Jarrett Patterson | 78 Tommy Kraemer | 72 Robert Hainsey | 13 Lawrence Keys | 4 Kevin Austin | 8 Jafar Armstrong | 12 Ian Book |
| Fr Jordan Johnson | OR 24 Tommy Tremble | 73 Andrew Kristofic | 76 Dillan Gibbons | 61 Colin Grunhard | 56 John Dirksen | 75 Josh Lugg | 18 Joe Wilkins | Tr Ben Skowronek | 34 Jahmir Smith | 7 Brendon Clark |
| - | Fr Michael Mayer | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 20 C'Bo Flemister | Fr Drew Pyne |
| - | OR George Takacs | - | - | - | - | - | - | OR Fr Chris Tyree | - | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | OR 23 Kyren Williams | - |
Nothing has changed here from last week. Dexter Williams has developed into the lead back we all hoped he would be, and Ian Book is leading this unit. What’s not listed is what they plan on doing with Brandon Wimbush — if anything at all. It was a bit of surprise last week when Brandon showed up in the backfield, and as exciting as that sounds to some, I hope it doesn’t take snaps away from a guy like Jafar Armstrong.
DEFENSE
Notre Dame *way too early* Depth Chart — Defense
| CB | FS | ROVER | DE | NG | DT | DE | BUCK | MIKE | SS | CB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | FS | ROVER | DE | NG | DT | DE | BUCK | MIKE | SS | CB |
| 20 Shaun Crawford | 14 Kyle Hamilton | 13 Paul Moala | 9 Daelin Hayes | 41 Kurt Hinish | 95 Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa | 91 Ade Ogundeji | 6 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | 40 Drew White | Tr Isaiah Pryor | 28 TaRiq Bracy |
| 16 KJ Wallace | 12 DJ Brown | 24 Jack Kiser | 29 Ovie Oghoufo | 54 Jacob Lacey | 57 Jayson Ademilola | 19 Justin Ademilola | 2 Jordan Genmark Heath | 52 Bo Bauer | 3 Houston Griffith | 15 Isaiah Rutherford |
| 9 Cam Hart | - | - | 94 Isaiah Foskey | 55 Ja'mion Franklin | 90 Hunter Spears | 18 NaNa Osafo-Mensah | - | - | - | 4 Avery Davis |
The defensive unit remains intact this week. The Irish will probably operate much more out of their base formation than last week — but the NICKEL will still be very much in play as USC likes to throw, and will no doubt need to pass once they get behind a few scores. The Irish seniors; Julian Love, Jerry Tillery, Te’von Coney, Jonathan Bonner, and Drue Tranquill will want to make their last trip to play the Trojans a memorable one.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Notre Dame *way too early* Depth Chart — Special Teams
| KICKOFF | PLACEKICKER | PUNTER | LONG SNAPPER | HOLDER | PUNT RETURNER | KICK RETURNER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KICKOFF | PLACEKICKER | PUNTER | LONG SNAPPER | HOLDER | PUNT RETURNER | KICK RETURNER |
| 39 Jonathan Doerer | 39 Jonathan Doerer | 19 Jay Bramblett | Fr Alex Peitsch | 19 Jay Bramblett | 18 Joe Wilkins | 25 Braden Lenzy |
| 98 Harrison Leonard | 98 Harrison Leonard | 98 Harrison Leonard | 65 Michael Vinson | 14 J.D. Carney | 23 Kyren Williams | 20 C'Bo Flemister |
No changes here either. Justin Yoon has been getting a workout as he has took over the kickoff duties at the end of the season, and Notre Dame’s redzone issues last week forced Yoon to kicked three field goals. Really though, it’s the units not listed here (the coverage and return teams) that will provide the biggest impact on Saturday. They need to continue to improve as they head toward the postseason.