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New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Notre Dame's 10 most interesting players of August, from must-watch risers to buzzy backups
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame will open preseason camp on Thursday morning with head coach Marcus Freeman attempting the most difficult of encores. Whether Freeman pulls that off will come down as much to the program's front line talent as to the depth it has assembled, both from high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Advertisement With the season around the corner, these are the 10 most interesting Irish players to track during camp. There might only be a few starters from this group, but this collection of players can be key to rounding out the roster for the grind of a season Freeman hopes goes deep into January. Guards are rarely must-see viewing during training camp, unless they're Quenton Nelson. And Absher is not one of the best guards in college football history. But the junior will be very important to Notre Dame during the season's first few months and perhaps longer as Charles Jagusah returns from the broken arm suffered in a UTV accident in Wyoming earlier this summer. There is no like-for-like replacement for Jagusah, but Absher should get first crack at that job later this week. Can he hold it? Tosh Baker got the first crack at the left tackle job last August before Anthonie Knapp beat him out. The coaches have quietly liked Absher for the past year, which is perhaps part of the reason the Irish lost three interior linemen in the portal. The freshman with NFL bloodlines showed enough during spring practice to put him at the top of his class at his position and perhaps above Notre Dame's three sophomore receivers, too. In an ideal world, Notre Dame won't need a No. 5 receiver to play a significant role this season. But the team's top four receivers all have an injury history that suggests the Irish will have to go deeper than they'd like at the position. If Burress can give Notre Dame a reliable option off the bench, it would represent a significant camp development. Athletically, the sophomore might be Notre Dame's best prospect at the safety position. He just hasn't played it. It's a stretch to think Johnson would climb over Luke Talich or Jalen Stroman for a starting job next to Adon Shuler. But it was a stretch to think Shuler would beat out Rod Heard last August and suddenly look like a future pro, until that happened. Maybe Johnson is a situational safety and a special teams staple this season. But there's a good chance he flashes in training camp in a way that shows where his career might be headed in the secondary. Advertisement When Lambert went down with a shoulder injury during spring practice, it shelved one of offensive line coach Joe Rudolph's most talented athletes. The issue for the 6-foot-7, 341-pound sophomore was always going to be how he stacks up with classmate Anthonie Knapp at left tackle. Knapp feels like he would fit at any position along the offensive line. Lambert feels like more of a pure tackle, maybe more than Knapp or starting right tackle Aamil Wagner. And if that's true, it will be hard to keep Lambert off the field. It's not clear where and how he breaks into the lineup, but it feels like he will … eventually. As much as the starting quarterback job feels like it's going to CJ Carr, the junior Minchey might have been the bigger surprise of spring practice; if Carr felt inevitable, Minchey was more of a wild card. And with Steve Angeli off to Syracuse, that wild card will be one snap away from playing, at worst. Internally, Minchey is viewed as the kind of quarterback who makes stuff happen, even when stuff isn't there. Facing third-and-11? Minchey can move the chains, inside or outside of the offense's structure. Is there a package for Minchey if Carr wins the job? We probably won't know until the Miami game. For all the focus on Notre Dame's lack of a home run threat at receiver under Freeman, the position has also lacked a reliable chain mover, too. Pauling might be one, considering he posted 41 first downs at Wisconsin two years ago before injuries limited him last season to just 17. Could Pauling rotate with Jaden Greathouse in the slot or bump outside to challenge Jordan Faison for work? Notre Dame's recent receiver transfers haven't been much more than serviceable, but there's a chance Pauling and Malachi Fields can upgrade that. From the day he enrolled, Raridon looked like Notre Dame's next NFL tight end. He just hasn't played like it, held back by the physical and mental challenges of two torn ACLs dating back to high school. During spring ball, it looked like Raridon was finally all the way back, and not just when the media was watching. If Raridon can put it all together, he can become what many expected coming out of high school. Notre Dame's offense needs it. Raridon needs it, too. Notre Dame won't open much of training camp to the media, but one look at Raridon on opening day should reveal plenty about where this season can go. It's assumed Smith will follow the leads of Jordan Clark and Thomas Harper before him, a graduate transfer who will fill the nickel spot without much drop-off. Smith missed the back end of spring practice with an injury and was held back during the jersey scrimmage and the Blue-Gold Game. His Alabama tape was good enough that the Crimson Tide wanted him back this season. He also has an injury history that might be a trickle-down effect of his physical play. Can the Irish pace Smith during August to make sure he's healthy in September? At his best, Smith could eclipse his predecessors at nickel. Advertisement The question isn't how much Viliamu-Asa will play or how Notre Dame will move him around the defense. It's whether he'll make the jump from one of the better freshman linebackers in the country to one of the better linebackers in the country, period. It says something about how the staff feels about Viliamu-Asa that his season high for snaps played came in the national title game. And his second-best PFF grade on the season came against Penn State in the semifinals. Viliamu-Asa is a player on such a steep upward trajectory that it's not hard to imagine him being talked about as the best player on the defense by season's end. Young could give Notre Dame something it has lacked since Aaron Lynch's freshman year. The 6-foot-7, 273-pound athlete has the skills of an edge rusher with the power of a defensive tackle. How defensive coordinator Chris Ash moves Young around will show itself more during the season than during the open portions of training camp, but it's a good bet Young will be an every-down player, at least in the big spots. That means playing defensive end on most downs but maybe defensive tackle on third-and-long snaps. Blocking Young in tight quarters when it's an obvious passing situation seems to be an almost cruel assignment for guards and centers.
Indianapolis Star
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Most essential Colts No. 9: Quenton Nelson is ready to power the league's best run game
In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They relieve the pressure on everyone. Over the next few weeks, we'll be ranking the 15 most essential players to the Colts' success entering the 2025 season. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability. To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players: 1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month? 2. What does the Colts' ceiling become in 2025 and beyond if this player hits his? Unlike in recent seasons, the pressure appears to be ramping up on what this year's Colts team needs to accomplish. Anthony Richardson enters a critical third season with plenty to prove. The team is under new ownership with Jim Irsay's passing and the transition to his three daughters. And the Colts have now not made the playoffs for four seasons, with no playoff wins in six and no AFC South titles in 10. Thus, these rankings will skew a little more toward 2025 importance than they have in recent seasons. Here's the list so far: 10. Tyler Warren, tight end 11. Laiatu Latu, defensive end 12. Daniel Jones, quarterback 13. Kenny Moore II, cornerback 14. Zaire Franklin, linebacker 15. Alec Pierce, wide receiver Up next is No. 9, Quenton Nelson. Position: Guard Age: 29 Experience: 8th season Last year's rank: No. 10 Why he's here: Death, taxes and Quenton Nelson turning in a Pro Bowl season. For seven years since the Colts made him the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft, Quenton Nelson has reached the Pro Bowl. He's started and played every game in every season except for 2021. And he's consistently in the All-Pro discussion, with three first-team appearances his first three seasons and last year's second-team placement. A closer look into Nelson's play show that he was every bit as good last season as he was in some of those first-team seasons. He just didn't anchor a productive offense and a playoff team, the way the Colts cashed in during 2018 and 2020. His 1.9% blown block rate, per Sports Info Solution, was right in line with the 2019 and 2020 campaigns. The one knock is that he committed a career-high 11 penalties, with a few coming in critical and frustrating moments during the Colts' offensive slumps. But to play 565 pass blocking snaps and to allow one sack all season is nothing short of elite. It's something Nelson could display a little more in the run game if the Colts would deploy more of a man-gap blocking scheme rather than the zone concept that has him working in tandem with a rotating door at center. But with Nelson leading the way, the Colts still hit some great heights in the run game, with Jonathan Taylor rushing for 1,400 yards and Anthony Richardson showing flashes when healthy, such as with game-winning drives against the Patriots and Jets. In their final game together, the Richardson-Taylor backfield ran for 335 yards and four touchdowns against the Titans. Only one other player on this team has an argument to Nelson's consistency, durability and high-end play, and he happens to play a more impactful position than left guard. That positional argument does cap Nelson's upside to outside the top five. He plays an insulated position between the tackle and center and isn't tasked with being or neutralizing the premium players on the field. That's how the Colts offense can fall to the lows it did last season, even as Nelson played again at a Hall-of-Fame level. But the heights of the run game, the steadiness of the interior pocket and the effects on Bernhard Raimann's growth to answer the left tackle position are all reasons that make Nelson the bankable force he is year to year. And if the Colts are going to get to the level of a consistently dominant rushing team they desire, and if they're going to get Richardson to play more comfortably from the pocket as a passer, the future Hall-of-Fame left guard will have plenty to say as a helping piece.
USA Today
12-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL execs, coaches rank Colts' Quenton Nelson among best interior OL
No surprise here, but NFL execs and coaches rank the Colts' Quenton Nelson among the best interior OL. No surprise here, but NFL execs, coaches, and scouts believe that the Indianapolis Colts' Quenton Nelson is one of the best interior offensive linemen entering the 2025 season. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler compiled his ranking of the top 10 interior offensive linemen, and to do so, he spoke with the "league's true insiders." After coming in at No. 2 last season on this list, Nelson is No. 3 this year. "Nelson is building what could become a Hall of Fame case, making the Pro Bowl every year since 2018," wrote Fowler. "The Colts thought Nelson bounced back with a resurgent 2023 after a down 2022 (for his standards), and he remained solid in 2024 with a 94.4 pass block win rate and 77.1 run block win rate, the latter tying for first among the top 10 interior linemen." As mentioned, Nelson has now made seven consecutive Pro Bowls, and he was a second-team All-Pro in 2024 as well, his first time making an All-Pro team since 2021. Along with ESPN's metrics, PFF's data also illustrates what was a very good 2024 season for Nelson. He ranked 15th among all guards in pass-blocking efficiency, and he was fourth in run-blocking grade. Running back Jonathan Taylor averaged 4.8 yards per rush when running to Nelson's direct left and 5.3 yards per rush when running to his direct right. With second-year players Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves taking over at center and right guard, Nelson's experience and high level of play will be crucial in providing the Colts' interior offensive line with any needed stability with two relatively inexperienced starters next to him. Certainly, all eyes will be on Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson, but consistent success for either of those quarterbacks starts with the Colts' offensive line providing time in the pocket and a run game to lean on.
USA Today
04-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Where does Indianapolis Colts' Quenton Nelson land in PFF's 2025 guard rankings?
Where does Indianapolis Colts' Quenton Nelson land in PFF's 2025 guard rankings? Where does Indianapolis Colts' guard Quenton Nelson rank among his position group entering the 2025 season? Where does Indianapolis Colts' guard Quenton Nelson rank among his position group entering the 2025 season? Pro Football Focus continues on as they rank the top 32 players at each position group ahead of the upcoming year. When it comes to the guard spot, Nelson is listed at No. 4. Ahead of him on Mason Cameron's rankings are Chris Lindstrom at No. 1, followed by Joe Thuney and Quinn Meinerz. "While Nelson's grading profile had dipped slightly prior to this past season, 2024 was an impressive return to form for the veteran," wrote Cameron. "His 81.3 PFF overall grade ranked fourth among qualifiers, his highest mark since 2020. Even still, Nelson has produced above the rest of the league, posting the second-most PFF WAR (1.31) among guards over the past three seasons." This past season, Nelson made his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl team and was also named a second-team All-Pro--his first All-Pro nod since the 2021 season. He ranked 15th among all guards in pass-blocking efficiency, and he was fourth in run-blocking grade. According to PFF's tracking data, Jonathan Taylor averaged 4.8 yards per rush when running to Nelson's direct left and 5.3 yards per rush when running to his direct right. At No. 25 on these rankings was former Colts guard Will Fries, who is now in Minnesota. Outside of quarterback, one of the bigger question marks on this Colts' roster heading into training camp is how well Matt Goncalves will transition from tackle to guard.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Notre Dame All-American Quenton Nelson named one of the best players of the 2000's
One of the best offensive linemen in Notre Dame's history has been recognized as one of the top 25 college football players in the 2000's. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic named Indianapolis Colts left guard Quenton Nelson the 25th-best player during that span. In composing his list, Feldman conversed with dozens of coaches, television analysts and NFL scouts for insight. Advertisement Nelson was named an All-American during his final season in South Bend, and during his three years as a starter was consistently graded as one of the more accomplished guards both as a run blocker and a pass protector. In 2017, the Fighting Irish averaged 6.3 yards per rush as a team, which was the third-highest mark in all of college football. The Irish finished 10-3 and earned a bid to the Citrus Bowl, where they defeated LSU. Nelson was the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and has helped anchor the Indianapolis offensive line since. He has made seven Pro Bowls and is a three-time All-Pro. This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Quenton Nelson, former Notre Dame lineman, honored as one of the best
