Notre Dame Freshman Defenders Could Make A Push In 2023

It wasn't that long ago that Notre Dame needed defensive recruits to come in and provide immediate help, but that isn't the case for the 2023 season. Notre Dame heads into the season with outstanding across the board depth, which means the freshman class isn't needed to help out right away.

But make no mistake, the freshman class will still make their presence felt. I won't be surprised if several rookies from the defense force their way onto the field, and the special teams should certainly be impacted by the freshman class.

Here's a look at the freshmen with the best chance to work onto the field in 2023.

Ben Minich, Safety - I will be more surprised if Minich doesn't get playing time this season than I will if he doesn't play. That is due to the feeling he could not only push for time at safety, but Minich strikes me as the kind of young player that will be a special teams ace for the Irish.

Minich was making a push up the safety depth chart during the spring prior to going out with a thumb injury. The Ohio native is not just a smart and instinctive player, he's also a quality athlete that made a lot of plays during the spring. This followed a breakout senior season for Lakota West.

The pickup of Antonio Carter II from the transfer portal means Notre Dame doesn't necessarily have a need at safety, assuming everyone is healthy, but I could see five safeties being used at times this season. If there's an injury or poor play that immediately opens up a spot for Minich, who at worst enters fall camp as the fifth safety behind the three veterans (Xavier Watts, DJ Brown, Ramon Henderson) and Carter. I have a hard time believing that at some point this season Minich won't put himself in position to be a factor at safety.

I would have considered Adon Shuler in this space as well if he had not missed the entire spring with a shoulder injury.

Drayk Bowen - Jaiden Ausberry, Linebacker - Ausberry was my top ranked defensive recruit in the Notre Dame 2023 class and Bowen was third, and both earned Top 100 grades and 5.0-star upside grades. In most years they would be incredibly hard to keep off the field as linebackers, but Notre Dame is pretty loaded at the position thanks to the return of starters JD Bertrand, Jack Kiser and Marist Liufau, and the presence of talented rising sophomores Nolan Ziegler and Jaylen Sneed.

Ausberry could use a year of physical development after checking in this spring at 6-0 and 215 pounds. But as we saw during the spring, he's an outstanding athlete and a smart football player. The ability to play Rover and Will also gives him positional flexibility. His speed and ability in coverage make Ausberry a good fit for some of Notre Dame's situational packages.

Bowen could find himself in position to quickly earn a No. 2 spot on the depth chart, depending on how certain players are aligned in the fall. If Sneed plays outside more then there will be a need for Bowen to be in the two-deep inside. If Sneed plays more at the Will spot then it will require Bowen to pass someone up to get into the two-deep. He's an athletic and physical player with the talent to play early, but he is still learning the nuances of linebacker play.

Even if these two talented athletes aren't in the two-deep at linebacker, both will likely be coveted by special teams coordinator Marty Biagi. There will likely be a desire to redshirt both players, but it could be hard to not have them starting on the Irish special teams.

Defensive Ends - Notre Dame's three ends in the class are Armel Mukam, Boubacar Traore and Brenan Vernon. They are all very long, strong and talented. They are also all quite raw still as players. All three have the kind of talent that a strong fall camp could allow that player to earn time in the field end rotation, which is the one spot where you could argue Notre Dame needs a freshman to step up.

That could give at least one of the rookie edge players enough of a window to push into the rotation in year one.

Christian Gray, Cornerback - Gray might have been at the top of my list if not for the knee injury he suffered in the middle of the spring. The St. Louis native was starting to hit his stride when he suffered that knee injury. Notre Dame is also very deep at cornerback with both starters (Cam Hart, Benjamin Morrison), a top rotation player (Jaden Mickey) and a pair of talented juniors (Chance Tucker, Ryan Barnes) all returning.

The path to playing time at cornerback will require a young player to be extremely talented, but that's exactly what Gray is. He was a Top 100 recruit after a brilliant senior season, and he was starting to shine in the spring before going down.

Gray also brings positional flexibility to the table, as the freshman could play the boundary corner spot, he could play field corner and he could also play in the slot. if Gray isn't playing as a freshman it means the Notre Dame returners are playing at a very, very high level. That's the only way that Gray won't see the field this season.

Classmate Micah Bell could also find a role on special teams thanks to his blazing speed, but Gray has the best chance to push his way onto the field at cornerback.

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