SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Maybe the accompanying social media graphic wasn’t ready. Maybe the timing just didn’t feel quite right.
But after Duke transfer Riley Leonard took virtually all of the No. 1 reps at quarterback on Wednesday during the first practice of Notre Dame preseason training camp and junior Steve Angeli worked largely with the 2s, head coach Marcus Freeman held off on a formal coronation of his game 1 starter, Aug. 31 at Texas A&M.
And he even tap danced around providing a firm timeline for doing so when pressed for one in his post-practice press conference.
Related Content
► Notre Dame football star Benjamin Morrison on track for season opener
► Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman transcript following first camp practice
► Analysis | Notre Dame football preseason camp primer: 10 people to watch
► Notre Dame football depth chart projection as preseason camp begins
► Observations from Notre Dame's first preseason session
---------------------------------------------------------------
“This is day 1,” Freeman concluded, “and I'm sure there's a lot of learning. But I'm excited for what they did.”
What Freeman did offer substantively after the humid morning workout staged at the Irish Athletics Center was a new No. 1 right offensive tackle and some insight into his expectations for what figures to be the most scrutinized position group on either side of the ball during camp.
The offensive line.
Freeman acknowledged that junior Aamil Wagner overtook Sun Bowl starter and grad senior Tosh Baker at right tackle this summer. And Wagner worked with Leonard and the 1s during team periods on practice on Wednesday.
Three other O-line starters seem set, with junior Billy Schrauth at right guard, junior Ashton Craig at center and sophomore Charles Jagusah at left tackle. The spring competition at left guard between seniors Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler remains an ongoing standoff, with sophomore tackle Sullivan Absher moving to guard to either be a backup or expand the Coogan/Spindler battle.
Coogan is the only Irish O-lineman on the roster with a full season of starting experience. Wagner, notably, is the only one in the running to start with zero career starting assignments. Collectively, it’s not just about chemistry and cohesion but a much higher bar as far as Freeman is concerned.
“We still have an identity on offense of wanting to be able to run the ball,” Freeman said. “And we have to be able to run the ball. One of the challenges we've had for the offensive line is to create a new line of scrimmage. We want to play football on the defense’s side of the line of scrimmage.
“And so, that's what I want to see, more than anything —can we get movement against our D-line? I feel like we have the ability to do that and we have the ability to get movement on any defense we play. But that's the challenge. That's the mindset of and challenge, is that we have to be able to create movement in the run game and to make sure we can run the ball effectively.
“And then the second part would be to protect the quarterback. We have to protect the quarterback. We know that. The mindset of the offense is that we have to be able to move the ball and run it.”
Notre Dame’s experienced and deep defensive line, led by returning All-America nose guard Howard Cross III, was more than up for the task Wednesday of testing the Irish O-line, as were the blitzing linebackers.
At last Leonard was healthy enough, following two winter-semester ankle surgeries, to show the elusiveness in the pocket that he did at Duke. That followed a strong summer on campus and off, with Leonard winning the Air It Out Challenge at the renowned Manning Passing Academy in June over a collection of the nation’s top quarterbacks.
“Cut it loose the whole summer,” Freeman said when asked if there were any post-spring physical restrictions on Leonard. “He was free to cut it loose.”
Wagner cut it loose as well, which has never been his challenge. His has been gaining body mass. It’s something he’s been methodically adding to his 6-foot-6 frame since arriving at ND two years ago weighing in just under 260.
Keep in mind he started his career at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, as a 6-4, 180-pound freshman wide receiver.
Wagner was 290 heading into summer school, a figure Notre Dame has yet to update on its official roster for any of its players.
“I have a lot of confidence in what our offensive line is going to do,” Freeman said. “And you know what? Iron sharpens iron.
“And so, if you're going against a really deep defensive line and also an experienced defensive line and a defense that’s running a lot of pressures early in practice and stuff like that, you’ve got to know that it's going to make them better. And so, this is a journey to get ready for the season, and I’m very confident in the play of our O-Line.”
Wide receiver experiment
Jordan Faison returned from a spring in which helping the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team to a national championship, with Freeman’s blessing, took precedence over football to find a crowd at his slot receiver position.
Including, fast-ascending Marshall grad transfer Jayden Harrison, whose reputation at his old school was tied to being an elite kickoff returner. Also in the slot is arguably the most improved receiver on the team, sophomore Jaden Greathouse, as well as promising freshman Logan Saldate and a No. 1 running back, Jeremiyah Love, who took some spring reps there too.
So Wednesday was about experimentation and getting a look at Faison — the reigning Sun Bowl MVP — as an outside receiver, where there’s not as much proven production. Florida Atlantic transfer Kris Mitchell topped the depth chart there at the end of spring, followed by sophomore KK Smith and early enrolled freshman Cam Williams.
“We're trying to figure out what's the best six —to put them in whatever positions we need to put them in and get them on the field,” Freeman said of paring down the 11 wide receiver options. “And we know what Jordan can do in a slot. We're trying to give him a chance to go outside and see what he can do outside.
“But at the end of the day, we're going to play the top six, seven wideouts. We just didn't want to have three-deep in the slot and not get Jordan the reps that he needs to make sure he's ready for this upcoming season. He missed, obviously, spring ball, so he's going to play a lot for us. Where he plays is to be determined.”
And that goes for Love, ND’s No. 1 option at running back but also an intriguing piece in the passing game.
“You have to find ways to get Jeremiyah Love the ball,” Freeman said. “That’s where we have a creative offensive coordinator and a creative offense that we’ll do that. As we get towards game week and those type of things, we’ll game-plan specifically how we get the ball into his hands. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know in our offense you have to find ways to get Jeremiyah Love the ball.”
Kia out with ACL tear
After missing the past two seasons while taking a Mormon Mission, linebacker Kahanu Kia will now miss a third consecutive season of college football after a promising season at vyper end and on special teams back in 2021, when Brian Kelly was still the Irish head coach.
Freeman said the 6-2, 230-pound Kaneohe, Hawaii, product suffered a torn ACL tear in his knee this summer and will be out for the season. Because of a redshirt year and because the NCAA clock pauses during Mormon Missions, Kia will still have three years of eligibility, beginning in 2025.
He’ll be joined on next year’s roster by younger brother and fellow linebacker Ko’o Kia, who is set to sign with the Irish in December.
An ‘A’ for the summer school teacher
First-year director of football performance Loren Landow has more access, by far, to the Irish football players during June and July than does Freeman or any of his assistants, per NCAA rules.
And that means not only is Landow charged with having the Irish physically and mentally prepared for training camp, he’s tasked with setting and maintaining the culture.
Freeman lauded praise on Landow on both fronts.
“I don't know if it was today as much as these last couple of weeks since I've been back, just watching the train, watching them gel together,” Freeman said of Landow’s impact on the team. “There's a true brotherhood that has formed in summer, through tough times. I was really pleased by the brotherhood that was created this summer.
“And their capacity to run — their lung capacity, how they run, how they've conditioned, [I] was able to watch a little bit of that in the past couple of weeks. And they're a well-conditioned team, and they showed that today. We got a little bit winded at the end of practice, but you can never truly be ready for practice until you start practicing.”
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports channel on YouTube.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND and @TJamesND.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsports
- SDE
- OT
- CB
- OLB
- OT
- OT
- CB
- S
- DT
- TE
