Notre Dame Post-Spring Depth Chart

Notre Dame has wrapped up the 2022 spring, the first of the Marcus Freeman era. The Notre Dame offense had a solid outing despite missing several key players, including at least three likely starters.

With the spring now in the rearview mirror it's time to take a first glance at the potential depth chart for the Notre Dame offense.

QUARTERBACK

A starter at quarterback likely won't be named until sometime in fall camp, if not leading up to the season opener against Ohio State, but based on everything Irish Breakdown has learned from sources the battle isn't close at the conclusion of the spring.

Right now Tyler Buchner is the player with the big edge at quarterback, assuming he can stay healthy. A rough spring from Drew Pyne is concerning and can't be ignored, but we also shouldn't ignore what he showed coming off the bench last season to rally the offense against Wisconsin and Cincinnati.

Freshman Steve Angeli had a quality spring and is a bit ahead of where I expected him to be, and I'm not even talking about his spring game performance. Sophomore Ron Powlus III might have the strongest arm on the current roster.

RUNNING BACK

This is arguably the most fluid depth chart on the roster, and for good reasons. Notre Dame is absolutely loaded at running back. I essentially went with seniority top to bottom, but a case could be made for all three of the returners being the top back, and freshman Jadarian Price had an outstanding spring.

At the end of the day it doesn't really matter who you list at the top, and fans should avoid jumping on Team Tyree or Team Diggs or Team Estime or Team Price, which I'm seeing happen. The reality is they are all going to play, they are all going to have chances to make big plays and at some point this season all four of the players on the current roster will make impact plays this season.

WIDE RECEIVER

Sophomore Lorenzo Styles spent the spring playing a lot in the slot and he's capable of playing some in the boundary as well. With Avery Davis returning in the fall as the slot I'm projecting that Styles moves to the X position, but it wouldn't shock me to see Braden Lenzy stay in the top spot and Styles moving to the boundary if one of those players don't emerge. Either way, both Lenzy and Styles are both going to play a lot this season.

Davis should slide right back into the starting role in the slot, assuming he is healthy. If he's not ready for a full-time role I expect Styles to move back outside. Sophomore Jayden Thomas had a very good spring and capped things off with a strong performance in the Blue-Gold Game. I could see Thomas playing all three positions in the Irish offense, and I put him here because it made the most sense, but I could see him easily move to the boundary position as well.

If Joe Wilkins Jr. was healthy I would assume he'd be first here, but Deion Colzie showed flashes in the spring game. If quarterbacks made better decisions he would have scored two touchdowns. He was inconsistent this spring according to sources, but when he flashes its very impressive. He'll need a strong summer and fall to remain in the top spot as I could see Styles, Thomas and Wilkins all pushing him.

Incoming freshman Tobias Merriweather is projected to start out in the boundary, but he took could play both outside positions. If the boundary players don't step up don't be surprised to see Merriweather take more and more reps away from them thanks to his size, athletic talent and advanced feel as a route runner.

TIGHT END

Sources have indicated to IB that Mitchell Evans had the better spring, and Kevin Bauman injuring his knee in the Blue-Gold Game is the latest physical setback for him. If he's healthy this battle will continue to rage for the backup spot in the fall. Cane Berrong missed the spring while recovering from a fall knee injury, and if he's healthy he'll push Evans and Bauman in a big way.

Notre Dame will welcome a pair of very talented tight ends this summer, and both Holden Staes and Eli Raridon (who is also recovering from a knee injury) have big time potential, so the returners better be on their game this fall.

OFFENSIVE LINE

There's a lot of upside at this position but right now Joe Alt is clearly the top player at the position. Tosh Baker had a good spring according to sources, but he's not close to Alt at the moment.

This is likely the one interior position that will see the biggest battle rage in the fall. Andrew Kristofic is the returning starter after he manned the job at a quality level for the final seven games of the season. Kristofic was a bit up and down this spring, but he's a solid player that can handle the left guard job.

After a rough start to the spring, sophomore Rocco Spindler finished the spring on a strong note. He performed well in the Blue-Gold Game and sources indicated he was very good in the second half of the spring. If Spindler can continuing improving his conditioning and footwork there is no doubt he'll have a chance to make a push for a starting role in the fall.

Once Jarrett Patterson proves he is healthy I could also see one of the backup centers moving to guard and competing for that role. Zeke Correll looked like his old self in the spring, which was an incredibly encouraging revelation. He was thicker, physical and played with a lot more confidence. He started the first six games of the 2021 season at left guard but struggled mightily. With better coaching he looks so much better, and he shouldn't be discounted as a possible move outside to guard if that position remains open. At the very least he established himself as the center of the future once Patterson departs, and Correll still have two seasons of eligibility remaining beyond the 2022 season.

Michael Carmody started two games at tackle last season but moved to center this spring. He got better and better at center but he's still learning the position. Carmody is also a player who could move out to guard if the need arises.

Josh Lugg seems entrenched as the starter, but if he goes down you'll likely see one of the centers or the runner-up of the left guard battle move to right guard. Freshman Billy Schrauth missed the spring, and I'm interested to see how he performs in fall if he's healthy.

Blake Fisher could be a breakout player for the Irish this season after impressing in the two games we saw last season. He has star potential. Caleb Johnson had a quality spring but he's still trying to add weight. I project that freshman Ty Chan will start his career at right tackle, but he could also be a candidate to move inside.

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