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On Friday, wide receiver and punt returner Matt Salerno announced on Instagram that he will be returning to play a 6th year for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
As a walk-on, Salerno earned a scholarship last year — and he will likely be on scholarship in 2023. He became a player that Tommy Rees trusted, and played quite a bit on offense in 2022. Through 12 games, Salerno has caught 5 passes for 62 yards and one touchdown.
Depending on what Brandon Joseph ultimately decides to do with his future, Salerno could be the most experienced punt returner on Notre Dame’s 2023 roster. At receiver, Notre Dame is still trying to get at least one player out of the transfer portal, and have four freshmen coming in. While the freshmen are certainly talented, Salerno’s experience is greatly valued by Notre Dame — as is the leadership he can bring to the young group.
2023 Notre Dame Football Scholarship Chart
| Position / Year | Freshmen | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | 5th/6th Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position / Year | Freshmen | Sophomore | Junior | Senior | 5th/6th Year |
| Quarterback | Kenny Minchey | Steve Angeli | - | - | Sam Hartman |
| Running Back | Jeremiyah Love | Jadarian Price, Gi'Bran Payne | Audric Estime | - | Devyn Ford |
| Tight End | Cooper Flanagan | Eli Raridon, Holden Staes | Mitchell Evans, Davis Sherwood | Kevin Bauman | - |
| Wide Receiver | Braylon James, Rico Flores, Jaden Greathouse, Kaleb Smith | Tobias Merriweather | Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas | Chris Tyree | Matt Salerno |
| Center | - | Ashton Craig | Pat Coogan | - | Zeke Correll |
| Guard | Sam Pendleton, Joe Otting, Chris Terek | Billy Schrauth | Rocco Spindler | - | Andrew Kristofic |
| Tackle | Sullivan Absher, Charles Jagusah | Ty Chan, Aamil Wagner | Blake Fisher, Joe Alt | Michael Carmody, Tosh Baker | - |
| Defensive Tackle | Boubacar Traore, Devan Houstan | Tyson Ford, Donovan Hinish | Gabe Rubio | Aidan Keanaaina, Rylie Mills | Howard Cross |
| Defensive End | Brenan Vernon, Armel Mukam | Joshua Burnham, Aiden Gobaira, Junior Tuihalamaka | Jason Onye | Jordan Botelho | NaNa Osafo-Mensah, Javontae Jean-Baptiste |
| Linebacker | Drayk Bowen, Preston Zinter, Jaiden Ausberry | Nolan Ziegler, Jaylen Sneed | - | - | Jack Kiser, Marist Liufau, JD Bertrand |
| Safety | Adon Shuler, Ben Minich | - | - | Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson | D.J. Brown, Thomas Harper, Antonio Carter |
| Cornerback | Micah Bell, Christian Gray | Jayden Mickey, Benjamin Morrison | Ryan Barnes, Chance Tucker | Clarence Lewis | Cam Hart |
| Specialists | - | Bryce McFerson (P) | - | - | Michael Vinson (LS), Spencer Shrader (K) |
| Totals | 23/85 (23) | 43/85 (20) | 56/85 (13) | 66/85 (10) | 83/85 (17) |
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