Notre Dame Football: Spring Practice and Spring Game Thoughts on the Irish players

Spring practice is officially over and the Irish team is now getting ready for finals. Before we know it, the end of May will be here, students from Notre Dame will be heading all over the world for the summer, but soon enough the football players will be back on campus for summer workouts with the fall camp not that far after that.

Let’s give some very quick thoughts on the Notre Dame players (I did not get every walk-on, sorry). Here is a sentence or two as the spring camp ends:

Sam Hartman = QB1. Enough Said.

Tyler Buchner = Spring reports have been great, will be good for him to be constantly challenging to be the starter at QB.

Deion Colzie = Ready to be a consistent player for the Irish, summer workouts will be key for him.

DJ Brown = Savvy veteran in the secondary, will be a key part of the rotation in the fall.

Chris Tyree = Excited to see what he can do in the slot, he still has a lot of speed.

Tobias Merriweather = Reports out of practice are that he is ready to be WR1.

Clarence Lewis = Could play multiple positions in the secondary, great to have his presence back there.

Audric Estime = BEAST.

Marist Liufau = Is this the year where what we saw two fall camps ago comes true? Hope so.

Kenny Minchey = Looks the part of a heralded Freshman QB.

Eli Raridon = If he can get healthy, everyone is high on him to do big things.

Prince Kollie = Ready to see him solidify himself as an a key part of the LB corps.

Thomas Harper = Need him to get healthy as he will be a key part of the nickel package.

Braylon James = Talented incoming freshman WR who will look to break into the WR rotation.

Bryce McFerson = Booming leg, hope he is past his injuries, the punting job is his.

Ryan Barnes = Looking for him to provide depth in the secondary this year.

Rico Flores = Same thing, looking for him to break into the WR rotation, the reports out of camp were excellent.

Marty Auer = Walk on who will probably have a spot on Special Teams.

Benjamin Morrison = All-American.

Adon Shuler = Looking for him to get healthy and see what he can do this fall.

Ben Minich = Reports in camp were really good, just need him to get healthy.

Jack Kiser = Solid piece of our LB corps, can play multiple positions, but better suited for inside. Quiet leader on the team.

Jadarian Price = Can’t wait to see what a healthy JD can do for the Irish.

Preston Zinter = Spring game highlights were good, looks good in an Irish uniform.

Nana Osafo-Mensah = Veteran, leader on the team, could be a captain this fall as he looks to get more time on the edge.

Drayk Bowen = When he is fully healthy, expecting big things from this talented player.

Nolan Ziegler = He has put on a lot of good weight, he will be a fixture on special teams and will challenge for time at the LB position as well.

Junior Tuihalamaka = Excited to see what he can do off the edge this year, he is just a good football player.

Jason Onye = One of the biggest risers in the spring, he will be a key part of the DLine rotation this fall.

Blake Fisher = Reshaped his body, wants to be an All-American this year. He can be one for sure.

Ashton Craig = Going to provide good depth on the OLine this year.

Sam Pendelton = Will need time in the weight room, but looks like a good hit by the coaching staff.

Andrew Kistofic = Wants to be one of the starting guards this year, is this finally his time?

Pat Coogan = Continue to hear good things in camp, will he challenge for a starting guard spot?

Tosh Baker = He’s a beast from a size perspective, better suited for a tackle position, but the starters are set there so could move inside.

Holden Staes = Really like him and I think he could be a sleeper for a breakout player next fall.

Gabriel Rubio = The Irish will need him to be a key part of the middle of the DLine next year.

Rylie Mills = Will this be the year that all the talent and promise finally comes together?

Xavier Watts = Ready to be the leader of the secondary and one of the better safeties in the country.

Javonte Jean-Baptiste = He transferred to ND to start, will need a good fall camp to lock down that starter role.

Logan Diggs = BEAST.

Jaylen Sneed = One of the most athletic players on the roster, looking for big things from him next year.

Cam Hart = When healthy, he can be a lockdown corner so looking forward to him being ready to go in the fall.

Jaden Mickey = Has the attitude and chip on his shoulder to do great things, will challenge to be a starter in the fall.

Ramon Henderson = Looking for him to play a big role at safety this year and he could be the starter opposite Watts.

Jordan Botelho = I completely missed writing about him in my Blue-Gold recap so going to put a little more here, but he looked GOOD in the game. His time is now, can he challenge for double digit sacks next fall? I think he is going to have an awesome season coming off the edge for the Irish.

Gi’Bran Payne = Proved this spring that he is more than capable of getting carries for the Irish, so looking forward to his fall camp.

Steve Angeli = Looked good in the Blue-Gold game and will be ready if his number gets called.

Chance Tucker = Time is now for him to get some playing time in the secondary, the summer and fall will be key for him.

Jaden Greathouse = Proved that he is ready for the big time, he will be in the rotation at WR in the fall, no question.

Jaiden Ausberry = Looked really good and fast this spring, exciting things ahead for him as he develops at ND.

JD Bertrand = Leader, Captain, Playmaker. Epitome of what it means to be an ND football player.

Christian Gray = Looking forward to him getting healthy, the practice reports have been really good and he is going to be a player.

Matt Salerno = Continues to prove people wrong, he just makes plays.

Sam Assaf = Lacrosse and Football? The kid just works really hard and is a great representative of Notre Dame.

Tre Reader = Made some nice plays in the game and he wants to prove he is more than a walk on.

Davis Sherwood = He just hits people really hard and will have a role next year again within the offense.

Joshua Burnham = Just starting to scratch the surface, he will see time on the edge next year.

Donovan Hinish = He’s a Hinish, he will be ready to go.

Rocco Spindler = He wants a starting guard spot, he has come along this spring.

Quinn Murphy = Provides depth on the OLine and is a big body.

Howard Cross III = Ready for another productive year for him, he just makes plays and will be a key part of our DLine.

Amil Wagner = Really excited for him, he could be a year away from being a multi-year starter on the OLine.

Michael Vinson = Consistent. Enough Said. Also...Got Milk?

Michael Carmody = Still needs to add some weight, but he could challenge for a guard spot.

Billy Schrauth = One of the odds on favorites for a starting guard spot, this summer and fall camp will be huge for him.

Joe Alt = All-American, Top 10 NFL Draft pick.

Ty Chan = When healthy, he looks to have the size to eventually be a tackle for the Irish.

Jayden Thomas = Wants to be WR1 and could just be that. Love his all around game.

Kevin Bauman = The potential is there, he just needs to stay healthy.

Mitchell Evans = His time is now to take over for Michael Mayer, he will be a huge part of the offense next year.

Alexander Ehrensberger = He needs to have a big summer in order for him to see time next fall in the rotation.

Aiden Gobaira = Excited to see what this kid can do, he might be a year away, but he is going to be a player.

Aidan Kenaaina = Hope he is around next year, he will provide size and depth on the DLine.

Zac Yoakam = Booms his kickoffs, can he challenge for the FG kicker as well?

Tyson Ford = Just scratching the surface, he could be a part of things next year on the DLine.

Devan Houstan = Big summer to get healthy and put on some good weight as he heads into his freshman year.

Lastly, here is Sam Hartman on his Blue-Gold game performance:

Enjoy the off-season and GO IRISH!!!