It was just over a month ago that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish marched off the field at Mercedes Benz Stadium in crushing defeat. Behind an unprecedented shock, Notre Dame found itself playing for a National Championship after losing to NIU at home months prior.
Now, the Irish find themselves in the midst of gentle ripples, patiently waiting for a second chance at redemption in 2025. But where’s the hope? What is there to be excited about as the gears shift into a new season?
It sounds almost ridiculous to be hyping up the start of kickoff, which remains five months away. After what was Notre Dame’s best season in decades, the Irish have become quite an intriguing squad to pay attention to during the offseason. The biggest question, though, who’s next?
In college football, you have the transfer portal, you have recruits, and you have the current roster. Let’s break it down from this standpoint: what do the Irish currently have to offer? Actually, much more than you might think.
The biggest question will undoubtedly be on the defensive side of the ball, as the Irish will have to replace many key starters. In recent news, All-Pro safety Xavier Watts, along with defensive linemen Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III, announced their declaration for the upcoming 2025 Draft. Along with them, All-Pro cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who missed most of the 2024-25 season, announced he would join these players in the Draft. Possibly the biggest loss of all these guys is Jack Kiser, the middleman, who did just about everything over the course of 6 years for the blue and gold.
So the question becomes, how can you possibly replace all this talent? It’s a lot, and as we saw in the Playoffs, there won’t be one “All-Star.” However, even as the roster thinned out, Notre Dame proved to have established depth. Marcus Freeman and his staff have displayed overwhelming trust in the young guys, and it’s more likely than not that Freeman will rely on those guys moving forward. I have a hard time seeing Notre Dame take firm action in the portal. Besides, the Irish deployed most of their starters from the CFP as guys who have been on the roster. Aside from RJ Oben and Jordan Clark, Notre Dame had a homegrown squad.
3 Guys to Watch for…
Drayk Bowen
Bowen will be the lone returning middle linebacker for the Irish. Coming off a highly impressive sophomore campaign, Bowen will likely become the field general that J.D. Bertrand and Jack Kiser were for years. This is the captain of your squad. Bowen possesses all the tools necessary to take that next step as a Junior. The guy already has loads of experience under his belt, which makes his upcoming season that much more promising. In 2024, Bowen racked up 40 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 3 forced fumbles. He possesses all the talent that Notre Dame will so earnestly seek to replace, given his physicality and awareness. No moment is too big for Bowen, and he will likely be the spark of hustle in the middle of the field.
Leonard Moore
This is the gem. Notre Dame has placed all its chips in on premier man-to-man coverage, and that’s what you are getting with Leonard Moore. He is your new Benjamin Morrison and more (no pun intended). Aside from all the hype, Moore exceeded all expectations on the field. Not only did he become a full-time starter as a freshman, but Moore also took the Nation’s honor of the “Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.” In 2024, Moore racked up 34 solo tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions, and 11 passes defensed. Expect much more in 2025 as Moore’s role will continue to increase on the opposite side of Christain Gray.
Jordan Botelho
Botelho is the biggest question mark here. Of course, out of the three I listed, Botelho has the most experience, as he will be returning for his fifth season. Botelho has taken strides since his freshman year, working his way up from the special teams unit to becoming a starting defensive lineman. Botelho is massive, measuring 6’2” and weighing 250 pounds. Along with these attributes, Botelho has loads of speed coming off the edge. Notre Dame’s biggest defensive worry will undoubtedly come up front in losing key starters. Alongside Adon Shuler, I have lots of anticipation for Jordan Botelho to be one of the focal points on the defensive line. Last season, Botehlo suffered a season-ending knee injury just three games into the season. With a healthy season, Botelho’s vast potential can shine bright.
In Notre Dame’s miraculous 2024-25 run, the team’s identity fell on the defense. Once upon a time, Marcus Freeman himself was a linebacker and defensive coordinator. The standard was set this past season, and Notre Dame will need to replicate that for any chances at another postseason appearance.
It all came to a halt against Ohio State in the National Championship, where the blazing Buckeyes offense led by Chip Kelly and a furious load of future NFL players torched what was a very solid Notre Dame defense. Notre Dame gave up 34 points in the National Championship, which was the second-most all season, only behind USC’s 35 points allowed.
Notre Dame already made its first major acquisition after losing an even bigger piece of the puzzle to the NFL. Following the season, defensive coordinator Al Golden left South Bend to join forces with the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Notre Dame signed former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash as the new defensive coordinator.
By all means, there should be reason to believe that Notre Dame has players on the defensive side of the ball. 2025 proved to fall just short of the reborn glory the Irish had hoped for. Although, that glory very much remains intact as Notre Dame will search to find another life in the College Football Playoff.