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USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Watch what Notre Dame players said and highlights from Wednesday's fall practice
Practice and player interviews following Notre Dame football Wednesday fall practice He's still being a little cautious with that left arm, but this is a great sign for Jordan tore his pec in late May, but he dressed for practice in helmet and shoulder pads and participated in individual drills today. Notre Dame football returned to the practice field on Wednesday, and more than a few players were able to speak with the media and some footage of the action was shared on social media. The season opener against Miami continues to get closer and closer, as it seems like Aug. 31st is right around the corner. There still is a quarterback battle ongoing, as CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey are vying to take the field with the offense against the Hurricanes. We already highlighted Jaylen Sneed looking like he's taking over the a starting linebacker spot, but there was much more happening on the field as well. Check out below some practice clips and players speaking on different topics shared on social media. Jordan Botelho continues to get healthier A second injury in the last 12 months, Botelho can at least go through drills as he recovers from a pectoral surgery. He's definitely favoring his left side, but he looks quick. There's no current timeline for his return, but one he does come back, Botelho will make an impact. A punt returner emerging? Freshman CB Dallas Golden is getting plenty of work on punt return during fall was electric with the ball in his hands as a two-way player in high school. This might be a way for him to see the field in Year 1. Last year wasn't pretty for Notre Dame returning punts, as they averaged just 5.5 yards-per-return. Sure, it was really the only spot on special teams that wasn't elite, but that could be changing this fall. The Irish have been getting freshman cornerback Dallas Golden opportunities and it looks like he's impressed in the role. In high school he averaged over 7 yards-per-carry and over 13 yards in 74 receptions. He scored 58 total touchdowns, so Golden knows how to find the end zone. Boubacar Traore looking healthy Does Boubacar Traore have his explosiveness back?Aamil Wagner: "Definitely. I think that and more. I think he has his quick first step back, he has his explosion, his pop."Terrible news for opposing quarterbacks if true. Another player that the Irish lost to a season-ending injury last fall was Traore, but the expectation is that he'll be ready when the season starts. It looks like he's ready now, as his practice counterpart, offensive tackle Aamil Wagner told Jack Soble that the quickness is back. Billy Schrauth has supreme confidence in his unit WATCH: #NDFootball left guard Billy Schrauth believes this O-line is the best in the land: 'When you know you know.' #NotreDame Notre Dame's offensive line should once again be a strength this fall, and Schrauth thinks it's the best group in the country. Depth is all over at each position, as we saw last year, even with multiple injuries across the line, the Irish played at an elite level. There shouldn't be much drop off from last year, and this year could see them being even better. Kenny Minchey is ready for this opportunity Kenny Minchey doesn't feel any added pressure being in a QB battle that has national attention."This is what I asked for. I can't get too mad about what's on my plate." Having confidence as a quarterback is huge, and we are seeing that Minchey is not lacking in that department. It seems like he loves to be in this kind of environment, one that he wanted to be in. Carr won't make it easy for him to win the starting job, but if he gets an opportunity, Minchey could run with it and take over the job. Donovan Hinish reiterates that the culture is strong Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman has preached team glory to his program. Donovan Hinish has clearly embraced the allowed Notre Dame to make a National Title game appearance last year & it appears to be as strong as ever."You have to be selfless, plain & simple." One of the biggest aspects of the Freeman era that is significantly different than previous regimes, is that he's been able to have everyone in the program buy into his philosophy. The cohesion between all phases of the program was part of the reason why the Irish made it to the CFP championship game. It starts with the players, and Hinish sees the vision as well. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions. Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen
New York Times
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Notre Dame incoming freshman Dallas Golden maximizes his time and effort to play both ways
Dallas Golden arrives at Flex & Flow Fitness every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5 a.m. For an athlete used to routines, the kind that helped grow him into a national prospect who signed with Notre Dame over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia, this is simply the next one. The gym, located just south of the Tampa, Fla., airport, offers a stage for the former four-star prospect to play the part of an incoming freshman while still a senior at Berkeley Preparatory School. Golden may wish he could have done mid-year enrollment, but working out as the sun comes up in Florida will suffice for now. Golden will report to Notre Dame during the first full week of June, along with the 10 other incoming freshmen on the traditional summer schedule. 'Can't wait,' Golden said. 'So excited.' Notre Dame should be too, as it onboards an athlete with legitimate aspirations to play both ways. Golden has a stronger preference for jersey numbers — 'I want a single digit, hopefully No. 1 or No. 2' — than he does for positions. It's just not what you'd think. It's common for incoming freshmen to deflect when asked about their preferred position, basically falling in line with whatever gets them on the field fastest. And Golden does hope to play sooner rather than later. But instead of picking cornerback or receiver, he chooses and. Advertisement Basically, he wants to play both until someone tells him he can't. As a junior during Berkeley Prep's state championship season, Golden carried 205 times for 1,467 yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 32 catches for 394 yards and another five scores. On defense, he posted five picks. On special teams, he returned kicks and punts. A nagging foot injury limited Golden as a senior, to the point there was conversation about him shutting it down as Berkeley Prep struggled to defend its championship, stumbling to a 6-5 record. Golden kept playing. There were lessons there, too. 'We came into the season, we're gonna do it again, it's gonna be so easy. We found out real quick that it wasn't,' Golden said. 'You learn that being a leader plays a big role in how the team plays. You can't always be secluded. Sometimes you have to talk. Sometimes you have to make sure everyone is doing the right thing. 'I'm not gonna lie, I don't know if that's my natural personality. I'm more laid back. But sometimes you gotta be uncomfortable for the better.' Which is why Golden keeps showing up at Flex & Flow Fitness with his headlights on. Irish fans we on the way!☘️ Can't thank God enough!! @rasharddavis6 #GoIrish ☘️ — Dallas Golden (@DallasGolden8) March 18, 2025 When Golden arrives, he works with Jeremy Franklin, a trainer, former Florida State linebacker and longtime family friend. Golden and Franklin go back to youth football around Tampa, and Franklin has followed his career ever since. Golden already has a defensive backs trainer and sometimes gets wide receiver work via former Berkeley Prep star Nelson Agholor, who played at USC before a 10-year NFL career. And when it comes to old-fashioned conditioning, there's dad Pelham, who takes Dallas to run hills around Tampa on the weekends. Advertisement Franklin is here to help Golden get ready for the weight room more than the field, although mastering one probably gets him on the other. When Notre Dame sent its offseason workout program to Golden, he shared it with Franklin, whose goal is as much to get Golden stronger as make him more confident moving weight. Franklin went from walk-on to scholarship at Florida State. He understands there's only so much time the head strength coach can devote to a freshman. And there are only so many assistants, which can leave a freshman to follow the herd, ready or not. Does a freshman know how to do a three-position hang clean on Day 1? Some might try, just to keep up. 'You don't want to get in there and jerk it around because my teammates are doing it,' Franklin said. 'That's putting a band-aid on a bullet hole and you're gonna be hurt eventually.' Weight room technique is hardly the most interesting part of Golden's game, but it's something these morning sessions help get right. Considering he wants to be in Notre Dame's defensive back and wide receiver rooms at the same time, maximizing time makes sense. For Golden, it can get as technical as refining his squat, changing how he balances his feet in the rack. After doing an assessment, Franklin identified that Golden was putting too much weight on his heels, then adjusted his balance forward. Golden started to squat with more weight. 'It's watching the light go on. Do something foreign to him and then it clicks,' Franklin said. 'We did everything Notre Dame wanted him to do, plus more. He always asks for more.' That was Golden's reputation around Berkeley Prep, too. As a freshman, he tackled Arch Manning (Texas) and covered Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State). As a sophomore, he played wildcat quarterback when needed. The state championship came as a junior, including 183 yards rushing in the title win. And senior year turned into a test of leadership when the season started to go sideways. Advertisement 'As tremendously great as any young man I've coached,' said Berkeley Prep head coach Dominick Ciao, whose career included coaching Notre Dame's new general manager, Mike Martin, and former Irish tight end Gary Godsey. 'His humbleness, through all this, the power of him leading people, that's hard to do.' In barely one month, Golden will head to Notre Dame, not as the prospect who attended the 2024 home College Football Playoff game against Indiana or the one who returned for the spring game last month. He'll be taking the next step in his career, hoping everything leading to this point will have prepared him for it. From those 5 a.m. workouts to playing four years of varsity at Berkeley Prep, there's a good chance Golden will be as ready as any freshman could be. And with Notre Dame coming off a run to the national championship game with its growing reputation for developing top defensive backs, it's probably a good time for Golden to join, too. Unless he plays receiver, instead. But Notre Dame would welcome that just the same. 'They told me I could try both sides,' Golden said. 'Not just one. Do both, for sure. They want to get me on the field any way possible. Special teams, too.'
