Notre Dame defense takes control in jersey scrimmage: Spring practice diaries (2024)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Marcus Freeman wanted to see it all on Saturday during Notre Dame’s jersey scrimmage, which basically amounts to a spring game played in an empty stadium where starters get more than a quarter’s worth of work. So the Irish head coach stood on the field during the roughly 80-play scrimmage that included a couple of pick sixes, a mid-year enrollee quarterback making a future move and evidence that experience matters at coordinator.

For what it’s worth, the defense won the scrimmage in a modified scoring system that awarded points for three-and-outs. But it was how the defense went to work that mattered most to Freeman, not how it was rewarded with the choice of jersey color during practices next season.

Because defensive coordinator Al Golden is back for a third season, combined with a veteran defense that could start seniors at eight positions, Notre Dame should be in position to win on more than a random Saturday in April.

“This is going to be one of the best defenses in the country,” Freeman said. “That’s what our offense is going against every day. But at the end of the day, that’s going to make you better.

“We talk about it all the time, these bloody wounds. This is going to make them better. I know it might be frustrating today. You don’t win the blue jerseys. Man, there are sometimes that the defense presents some challenges, but at the end of the day, this is going to make our offensive team better.”

If Freeman’s logic holds, the scrimmage doesn’t need to be a zero-sum game.

The Irish have a potentially top-notch defense. That doesn’t mean Notre Dame is saddled with a ceiling on offense under Mike Denbrock, though, not with quarterback Riley Leonard sidelined, four new starters on the offensive line and a wide receiver group still adjusting to new roles and new surroundings.

Notre Dame flashed enough on Saturday during its practice — open to the media — to look like a College Football Playoff contender at worst. It showed enough to think getting there wouldn’t be a smooth road either.

“We need to improve in everything. Everything,” Freeman said. “But that’s the mindset of this program. We’re not satisfied. You’re never satisfied.”

The Athletic offers a running diary of what Notre Dame showed in spring practice and what it might mean to the season come fall.

Notre Dame just wrapped up a full open practice in the stadium, with the jersey scrimmage covering most of it. Guys that stood out at first glance:

CJ Carr
Boubacar Traore
Jaylen Sneed
Cam Williams
Jaden Greathouse
Xavier Watts
Al Golden's pass rush

— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) April 13, 2024

See Also

Does This Ever Work? Part 1Hansard Transcript 2024-Apr-16 vol. A

11:23 — Jeremiyah Love opens the scrimmage with a short run behind Notre Dame’s starting offensive line as it’s been most of the spring — Charles Jagusah (left tackle), Pat Coogan (left guard), Ashton Craig (center), Billy Schrauth (right guard) and Tosh Baker (right tackle). The play was predictive of the line most of the day, decent in the run game but often overwhelmed in pass protection.

There are decent pieces up front — Jagusah, Craig and Schrauth come to mind — but the group needs work and Golden made sure the group got it. Much of that is by design with a third-year defensive coordinator facing an incoming offensive coordinator with an injured starting quarterback. But as Freeman said, there are some “hard lessons” for Denbrock and the offense.

11:24 — All scrimmage, Leonard takes mental reps, lined up 15 yards behind whichever quarterback is in action. Freeman said this was Leonard’s idea. Notre Dame needs the Duke transfer to get whatever work he can. It’s worth noting Leonard practiced during warmups, making throws with the starting offense, despite ankle surgery late last month.

11:25 — The defense mixed and matched linebackers much of practice and tried out Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (Mike), Jaylen Sneed (Will) and Jaiden Ausberry (Rover). That lineup might still be a year away from clicking — Drayk Bowen did plenty of good during the scrimmage, too — but it feels like Notre Dame will be able to pick up where its last generation of linebackers left off eventually.

The position was a strength all scrimmage, especially against the second-team offensive line. Sneed had killer pressure on Kenny Minchey. Viliamu-Asa got after the quarterback in sub packages with the first-team defense. Ausberry offered a little bit of everything.

11:29 — Minchey runs the second-team offense but doesn’t see nickel Jordan Clark coming off the edge. It’s a sack, the kind that’s on the quarterback more than the line. Clark had a solid practice. It’s not hard to figure out why Clarence Lewis departed. The job will be Clark’s. Can he be Thomas Harper 2.0? Clark looked it Saturday.

11:31 — Cam Williams makes back-to-back catches from Minchey, the first receptions of the scrimmage. The freshman receiver didn’t get any first-team work, but he was productive with the twos.

A signal Notre Dame’s receivers are better? A five-star recruit doesn’t need to contribute for the offense to be productive this year. Jaden Greathouse (slot), Kris Mitchell (field) and Micah Gilbert (boundary) worked with the starting offense with Jayden Thomas (hamstring) and Jayden Harrison (plantar fasciitis) sidelined. Thomas entered last season as Notre Dame’s best receiver and was never threatened in training camp. He will be this year.

Watch live as @Marcus_Freeman1 steps to the podium inside Notre Dame Stadium #GoIrish☘️ https://t.co/4rCv37BeCW

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 13, 2024

11:33 — CJ Carr’s first work of the day starts with a completion to Williams.

Let’s get this out of the way. The freshman quarterback was the best of his position on Saturday. Much of that had to do with playing exclusively with the second/third teams. But not all of it. Carr’s natural ability to scramble and keep his eyes down the field looks like a college junior’s. He’s got the arm and accuracy of a fringe five-star prospect. The game seems to come to Carr in a way it doesn’t for most quarterbacks.

11:37 — After an 8–yard completion to Cooper Flanagan, quarterback Steve Angeli is sacked by Jordan Botelho, even if it’s not whistled as one. Angeli picks up 30 yards on a scramble after the play isn’t called dead. A play later, Angeli hits Greathouse for a 24-yard gain. The rising sophom*ore was the best of the receivers on Saturday, which begs the question of where he fits when Jordan Faison returns from lacrosse duty.

There’s a natural ability to get open by Greathouse, combined with a strength to make competitive catches. Notre Dame’s receivers didn’t do much of either last season.

11:38 — Jaden Mickey intercepts Angeli for a pick six. Unfortunately, the media was sequestered in the press box, so we couldn’t hear Mickey’s trash talk while running 75 yards for the score. The cornerback probably delivered a monologue. Angeli was very late throwing to Mitchell and the pass never had a chance. It was the kind of mistake that gets you beat. It’s one we haven’t seen Angeli make often.

11:40 — Minchey works with the second-team offense and fields a bad snap from center Sam Pendleton, who struggled with delivering the ball all day. The entire second-team offensive line struggled, but Pendleton’s issues need to be corrected first.

11:46 — Junior Tuihalamaka unblocked off the edge and gets to Minchey, who throws the football away. Unblocked pressures were a theme of the scrimmage more than offensive linemen simply getting beat. It’s hard to know if that’s on the quarterback or more of Golden getting the defense in a good look. But it happened a lot.

11:48 — Minchey gets first-team work against the starting defense and picks up the pace. Even though he missed a wide-open Eli Raridon, the quarterback still scrambles for a first down. The possession includes a short completion to Flanagan and a 10-yarder to KK Smith. It also included Love trucking Adon Shuler as if he were Audric Estime.

The series ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by Minchey that almost looked like a quadruple option. With trips left, Greathouse motions right, threatening a jet sweep. There’s a handoff fake to Gi’Bran Payne. There’s a receiving option to Minchey’s left. And Minchey is a threat to run it, too. Which he does for the score.

Nice catch 1️⃣1️⃣@__KalebSmith | #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/6NKpGqEeRN

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 12, 2024

11:55 — Carr runs the the second-team offense against the second-team defense. He hits Williams for a 17-yard gain. When the defense jumps offside, Carr takes the free play, lobbing an end zone shot to Deion Colzie that’s incomplete. After Bowen beats back-up left tackle Sullivan Absher for a sack, Carr throws a rope to Williams for a 17-yard touchdown. It’s the best throw by a quarterback in the scrimmage … until Carr tops it later.

12:05 — Angeli is back with the starters, but working against the second-team defense. After a deep shot to Mitchell draws a pass interference on Micah Bell, Angeli is sacked by Boubacar Traore, who looked like Notre Dame’s best natural pass rusher on Saturday. Back-to-back 20-yard completions follow, one to Greathouse and the next to Mitchell. The Irish even show some tempo after the first big gain as the defense fails to keep up.

12:07 — Viliamu-Asa gets pressure up the middle, but Angeli finds Flanagan for an 11-yard gain. Then it’s Traore with another sack, this one forcing the offense into a third-and-9 at the 12-yard line. Angeli can’t make something happen because Golden’s defense is too sharp for it. Trying a stay screen to Angeli’s right where the blocker slips out for a deeper ball after faking the block, the defense doesn’t bite. The pass into the end zone has no chance.

12:08 — Mitch Jeter hits the upright on a 30-yard attempt. He made all five field goal attempts in the warmup but missed badly here.

12:10 — Minchey leads the second-team offense against the starting defense. It doesn’t go well.

Looking for Flanagan to his left, Minchey throws straight to a breaking Xavier Watts — the safety broke on the pass a full second before Minchey threw it — and it’s a pick six. There are moments where Minchey looks like he’s finishing up his freshman year of college. But it’s noticeable that Carr seems to avoid them.

Either way, Watts is a returning All-American for a reason.

12:11 – Carr is back in, leading the third-team offense versus the third-team defense. Bryce Young gets pressure on Carr, but is not close enough to tag him down. Carr, who never drops his eyes to the rush, rolls left and hits Williams for a 17-yard gain. This is not natural for a freshman quarterback.

12:14 — After a few nondescript run plays, Carr makes the kind of throw that would turn heads if he was a college junior. Sensing pressure, Carr keeps the play live while moving in the pocket, then goes through multiple reads to find walk-on Jack Polian deep over the middle for a 20-yard gain on third down. Polian is decently covered. But it didn’t matter because the ball was perfect for the almost-touchdown.

12:15 — From the 1-yard line, Carr fakes a handoff on inside zone, then walks into the end zone to his right. Even the media couldn’t spot the fake until it was too late.

12:22 — Angeli gets the final series, starting offense versus the starting defense, opening at the 50-yard line. Traore immediately puts the offense in a hole with what amounted to a strip sack (or debatable incompletion) by getting around Jagusah. After a 10-yard Angeli run, it’s Viliamu-Asa’s turn to light up the quarterback, who wasn’t protected much by the red jersey.

12:24 — Notre Dame resets the possessions at midfield and Angeli hits Greathouse for 24-yard and 11-yard gains. No receiver did a better job of getting open that Greathouse on Saturday.

12:25 — Traore gets around the left edge again, forcing Angeli into a scramble. The rising sophom*ore was a terror all practice. Notre Dame hoped he would eventually be the next Isaiah Foskey type of pass rusher. He flashed a little last season. But Saturday was more than a flash. Spring ball is really about younger guys moving from potential player to production player. Traore, check.

12:28 — The scrimmage ends with Angeli rolling right from the 7-yard line, trying to fit a ball into a tight red zone window. Shuler gets it instead, ending the scrimmage and salting away a win for the defense. Even without Benjamin Morrison (shoulder surgery) and Rod Heard (eligibility) plus limitations on Howard Cross, Rylie Mills and Jack Kiser because they don’t need the work, the defense dominated. To think the group will be better come fall should excite Freeman. This defense already looks like one picking up where last season’s left off. That can keep Notre Dame in a lot of games until the offense gets up to speed.

(Photo: Greg Swiercz / USA Today)