Mike BerardinoSouth Bend Tribune
SOUTH BEND — With one of the nation’s most experienced returning defenses, Notre Dame football won’t have as much to sort out on that side of the ball once fall practice opens on July 31.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be competition up and down the depth chart for defensive coordinator Al Golden’s group as he enters his third season in that role.
Meanwhile, just four Week One starters return on offense from the 2023 blowout of Navy in Dublin, Ireland. Just two of those (tight end Mitchell Evans and left guard Pat Coogan) project as near-certainties to repeat that honor on Aug. 31 at Texas A&M.
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Here’s a breakdown of the top five position battles set to unfold at Irish fall camp:
Right tackle: Tosh Baker vs. Aamil Wagner
After backing up future NFL second-round draft pick Blake Fisher the past two seasons, Baker made his third career start in the Sun Bowl. Listed at 6-foot-8 and 320 pounds, Baker fared decently in pass protection but struggled as a run blocker against Oregon State.
Wagner, a third-year sophom*ore, now packs 290 pounds on his 6-6 frame and had the better spring. If both struggle in August, that could open the door for June enrollee Guerby Lambert.
At 6-7 and 318 pounds, the Boston Basher has the mobility and the mean streak to make things interesting.
Cornerback: Jaden Mickey vs. Christian Gray
With multiyear starter Cam Hart now in the NFL and Arizona State grad transfer Jordan Clark slated to start at nickel, Mickey and Gray will slug it out for the starting spot opposite preseason All-America Benjamin Morrison.
With Morrison limited to partial participation in August as he works back from a late March procedure on his right shoulder, the Irish will be able to give the junior (Mickey) and the sophom*ore (Gray) plenty of work against the first-string offense.
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Backup quarterback: Steve Angeli vs. CJ Carr
As long as Riley Leonard’s right ankle cooperates after a pair of offseason procedures, the only drama in camp will be who gets the bulk of the second-team snaps. Then again, with the Duke senior transfer only around for one season, the succession plan will be a front-burner issue from practice one of fall camp.
Angeli, who led the Irish to a Sun Bowl blowout of Oregon State in his first career start, would be the safe choice after eschewing the transfer portal in the spring. Carr, however, should not be discounted after displaying his advanced skills during bowl prep and throughout his first spring practice as an early enrollee.
Defensive end: RJ Oben vs. Josh Burnham
Oben, the Duke grad transfer, would fit snugly on an experienced front four that returns fellow super seniors Howard Cross III (nose), Rylie Mills (tackle) and Jordan Botelho (Vyper). However, in terms of per-snap production, it’s hard to ignore what Burnham could bring.
Now carrying 247 pounds on his 6-4 frame, the third-year sophom*ore offers a suddenness and a violence off the edge after learning under Ohio State grad transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste in 2023.
Oben, at 6-3 and 262 pounds, caused 27 pressures (five sacks) in his final season with the Blue Devils but need to show more stoutness against the run.
Midyear enrollee Bryce Young, son of NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young, could push for expedited playing time after holding his own during the spring. He wound up as the highest-rated recruit in the 2024 signing class for the Irish.
Middle linebacker: Drayk Bowen vs. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Now that three-year starter JD Bertrand plays for his hometown Atlanta Falcons in the NFL, a pair of precocious underclassmen will duel for the honor of the newly approved headset helmet.
Bowen, a sophom*ore, is the favorite after flashing on special teams last fall and successfully juggling baseball and football duties in the spring. The 2022 winner of the High School Butkus Award has been mentored for the past year and a half by fellow IndyStar Mr. Football Jack Kiser, the projected starter at weakside linebacker.
Viliamu-Asa, however, is a four-star menace who finished 2023 as the nation’s No. 42 overall recruit and its fourth-best linebacker.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com.
