Notre Dame practice diary: Interceptions and other minute-by-minute impressions as camp opens

New York Times

31-07-2025

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame opened preseason camp on Thursday morning with equal levels of potential and expectation surrounding the program. That's a change for head coach Marcus Freeman as he enters his fourth season, now that he has last year's run to the national championship game as proof of concept. The Irish are defined not just by what they might be but by how they back up what they've already shown.
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So, how did Notre Dame follow one of the program's best seasons in a quarter century? With its quarterbacks combining for four interceptions.
There are more than a half-dozen starting jobs open, beyond who replaces Riley Leonard behind center. There's a new defensive coordinator and a batch of young defensive backs pushing for playing time. All that would make for an interesting camp if Notre Dame hadn't just played for a national title, but that brush with a championship will color how the Irish are viewed.
'They're valuable lessons that you learn from last year, but I continue to remind them: 2024 has nothing to do with this 2025 team,' Freeman said. 'Yes, let's utilize the lessons. Let's utilize some of those good and bad things that we learned from last year, but you do that no matter what the previous experience was. They understand that we try to stop talking about that '24 year.
'I guess it's about the 2025 team and this journey to accomplish reaching our full potential.'
Notre Dame's first practice was open to the media, the lone chance to a see a full workout during the preseason. Below, The Athletic's running diary of what Notre Dame showed, the questions the Irish created and the answers the program must find before kicking off at Miami on Sept. 31.
10:03 a.m. — The absolute first impression of Notre Dame as the team goes through warmups? The Irish may have more defensive line pieces than any one team could possibly use. There appeared to be 22 defensive linemen during Notre Dame's warmups, stretched from sideline to sideline. Yes, injuries happen. They already have. Boubacar Traore isn't fully back from last season's ACL tear. Jordan Botelho is still limited. But Notre Dame is ahead of the curve with its defensive line depth, thanks to portal adds and recruiting pickups. The Irish won't be short in the trenches.
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10:05 a.m. — Not stretching with the team? Quarterback CJ Carr, who's working on footwork and throwing comeback routes on the other half of the sideline.
10:06 a.m. — Offensive lineman Charles Jagusah spends the opening periods of practice on a stationary bike, held out with an arm fracture he suffered in an UTV incident this summer. After practice, Freeman said Jagusah would return to action this season, but he didn't put a timeline on it. Freeman also defended the group of players for getting away together in Wyoming. He said he'd be more concerned if the players all went their separate ways on breaks as opposed to bonding together.
10:07 a.m. — It's the first look at Virginia transfer wideout Malachi Fields in a Notre Dame uniform, and the comparisons to Miles Boykin feel even more spot on. Fields appears bigger and stronger than Beaux Collins last season, but he's not a physical standout on the level of Chase Claypool, either. As a college-level boundary receiver, Fields looks like he can give Notre Dame's offense exactly what it was missing on the perimeter: basically, senior-year Boykin, who made a living on back-shoulder fades and using his body to box out defensive backs … even if he wasn't always running by them.
10:10 a.m. — As Notre Dame gets into ball security drills before positional work, tight end Eli Raridon stands out simply by standing still. This might be a reach, but Raridon physically looks similar to a former Notre Dame tight end who also wore No. 9 and played for Mike Denbrock in a previous iteration of this program.
10:22 a.m. — With the roster split by position groups, Tyler Buchner returns to the quarterbacks. Kenny Minchey takes the first reps, which he did all practice. Carr worked with the second team and appears to have bulked up heading into his sophomore season. Carr used to be a wiry young quarterback. He doesn't look like a young player anymore.
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10:37 a.m. — First look at Arkansas transfer tight end Ty Washington, who enrolled this summer. He's listed at 6-foot-4, 248 pounds and seems to be more of an H-back than a tight end. That might say more about the body types Notre Dame already has at that position than it does about Washington. Denbrock had some coaching points for Washington in terms of route running. Later in practice, Carr missed Washington in the flat, and it was clear Carr wanted Washington to extend his route further. It's a reminder that summer transfers don't hit the ground running in their first practices.
10:38 a.m. — First up with the receivers as Notre Dame moves into passing work: Fields (boundary), Jaden Greathouse (slot) and Jordan Faison (field). Raridon works at tight end. Second group: Micah Gilbert (boundary), Will Pauling (slot) and KK Smith (field), with Washington at tight end.
10:42 a.m. — Notre Dame moves into more 11-on-11 work, which means a first glance at defensive coordinator Chris Ash's starting lineup … at least for today. Traore, Josh Burnham, Gabe Rubio and Donovan Hinish make up the defensive line. Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed work at linebacker. DeVonta Smith, Christian Gray, Leonard Moore, Adon Shuler and Luke Talich fill out the secondary.
10:44 a.m. — No offensive coordinator gives away the playbook on opening day with the media present, but Denbrock used plenty of two-back sets on Thursday with Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price together. Love often motioned out of the backfield or lined up at receiver, usually drawing a nickel in coverage. Advantage, Love. Forget about it with a linebacker. It's not clear what Notre Dame's best personnel grouping will be this season, just that Love will be a part of it.
10:45 a.m. — Carr throws into the flat, but sophomore defensive end Loghan Thomas bats the ball down. Most years, a player like Thomas would be a classic 'player on the rise' or 'X-factor' on defense. This year, with this defensive line? It's hard to see where the reps can be found. But it's easy to see why Thomas deserves a chance at 6-4 and 220 pounds with great length. All this depth is a blessing for Notre Dame. It's also a challenge for defensive line coach Al Washington to maximize it.
10:48 a.m. — Kicker Noah Burnette gets some field goal work, with mixed results. It was difficult to chart makes versus misses because many of kicks seemed to be either just inside or just outside the uprights. He made most of his attempts. Among the kickers, the strongest leg might be walk-on Marcello Diomede.
10:50 a.m. — Notre Dame moves into 7-on-7 work, with Minchey getting the first-team reps. His mobility stands out, something Denbrock values in a quarterback. When the call is a quarterback draw, Minchey is a threat to the defense and gives Notre Dame an extra weapon in the run game.
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10:51 a.m. — It's the pass game that's in question, as Minchey throws a bad interception straight to Adon Shuler over the middle. It's not clear what Minchey was seeing pre-snap or post-snap, but it's the kind of interception young quarterbacks throw when they don't have the entire picture of the play.
10:57 a.m. — Tight end Jack Larsen hits the seam with enough speed that Tae Johnson gets caught flat-footed and holds Larsen to stop a big play from developing. Freeman is all over Johnson for it — not jumping on the sophomore safety per se, but coaching him with enough volume to let Johnson know the head coach was watching. That's a good thing. Because Freeman will soon like what he sees.
10:58 a.m. — Jeremiyah Love on an angle route out of the backfield is an early contender for 'Most unstoppable play' for this year's offense. Carr finds Love on one with backup nickel Karson Hobbs in coverage. Hobbs doesn't get close to Love, who looks like a sports car weaving through cones.
11:01 a.m. — Some quick field goal attempts show Tyler Buchner working at holder. File that away.
11:03 a.m. — In a period focused on the punt game and punt return, Jaden Greathouse, Aneyas Williams and freshman Dallas Golden get reps at returner. However, they don't field many punts. James Rendell and Notre Dame's other punters spray the ball so wildly that the sidelines are put on alert for shanks. One punt strikes a lamp post. Another drops into the media. The quarterbacks had some difficult interceptions, but the punters struggled even more.
11:10 a.m. — Minchey hits super senior Kevin Bauman for a short gain, a reminder that with Cooper Flanagan lost to a torn Achilles suffered against Georgia (Freeman said Flanagan would be available to return at some point this season) Notre Dame needs the sixth-year Bauman to stay healthy and produce. He doesn't need to start and might not be the first tight end off the bench, but when Freeman talks about 'trust' within the roster, few should have earned more of it than the New Jersey product. He just needs to stay healthy after multiple season-ending or season-altering injuries the past five years.
11:11 a.m. — Adon Shuler might be a player Notre Dame loves to have and opponents hate to play against. As Jadarian Price catches a short pass in the flat and gets bumped down, Shuler offers a hand to help him up. Price takes it. Then Shuler strips Price of the football as soon as he's upright. Never miss a chance to create a turnover, even if it's July 31 and the play is over.
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11:12 a.m. — The second-team defensive line takes the field with Bryce Young, Loghan Thomas, Jason Onye and Jared Dawson. It's just opening day, but Young and Dawson don't feel long for the reserves.
11:13 a.m. — Carr throws a hopeful deep ball late and over the middle, which Tae Johnson picks off with relative ease. It appears that Mark Zackery IV was in coverage; the freshman cornerback looks much more stout than he appeared in high school highlights. The play looked like a bad decision by Carr more than a great play by Johnson.
11:15 a.m. — Johnson picks Carr again, but this play looks like how another No. 9 from Fort Wayne in the middle of the defense used to look. And yes, that other No. 9 was Jaylon Smith. Johnson jumped up so quickly and with such length that Carr could be forgiven for not seeing the safety or thinking he could throw over him.
11:17 a.m. — Josh Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka work as the starting defensive ends during team periods, which feels both temporary (for now) but significant (for the long haul). Traore didn't take any team reps as he continues to work back from last September ACL's tear. Young worked with the second team. Botelho is out with the pectoral injury. When all three are available, they're Notre Dame's top three defensive ends.
Yet Burnham would start at most programs and is a player with leadership ability. Tuihalamaka is an example Freeman holds up of someone always being ready to play because opportunities don't keep a schedule. Those seniors can be a productive pair, whether that's off the bench or starting like they did Thursday. Burnham sniffed out a screen pass to Jadarian Price and gave the offense no chance.
Notre Dame is fortunate to have this pair, no matter how much pro potential the others have.
11:21 a.m. — Notre Dame has already future-proofed its cornerback room for the departures of Christian Gray and Leonard Moore, whenever they happen. Dallas Golden, Mark Zackery IV and Cree Thomas all took reps with the second-team defense during 11-on-11 periods. Golden worked as the field corner. Zackery worked in the boundary.
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It's notable when freshmen work with the varsity on opening day because the practice reps are split among players in the mix for game action and younger players/scout team guys. While the varsity group scrimmages on one field, the deeper reserves train on another. Golden, Zackery and Thomas stayed with the varsity.
11:27 a.m. — Carr finds Micah Gilbert deep, with Cree Thomas seemingly losing the junior receiver in coverage on an outbreaking route that took time to develop. Good protection. Good read. Good throw. It's common for young quarterbacks to want to make the bigger throws before checking down to the small ones, but this kind of chunk gain is the upside of that mentality.
Getting Gilbert involved in the offense feels critical to the health of the offense, as the Irish aren't quite sure what they have beyond their top four receivers of Fields, Greathouse, Pauling and Faison. Moving somebody (or somebodies) into that trusted category during camp would be a win for receivers coach Mike Brown. Gilbert is as good a bet as anyone to make the move.
11:28 a.m. — On the final play of the practice, Carr hits KK Smith in the right flat with Dallas Golden in coverage, but the junior receiver bobbles the pass and falls down, inadvertently kicking the football up after he drops it. Credit Karson Hobbs for hustling to the point of the reception, because the sophomore got a highlight interception out of it, diving to the football. While the interception goes on Carr's stat line, the receiver actually owns it.
Freeman didn't want to assign blame for the interceptions after practice, but it's not like he didn't see them happen. Freeman didn't say it, but it's probably worth remembering that for how much Minchey and Carr have been present around Notre Dame, they played a total of eight snaps last season. And all eight came in that blowout of Purdue.
When asked about the quarterback competition and how it will end, Freeman said Minchey and Carr will determine the finish line with their play. For one day at least, that finish line appears over the horizon.
Opening night is still one month away.
(Photo of Kenny Minchey: Michael Clubb / South Bend Tribune / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)