SOUTH BEND, Ind. — As the only Notre Dame freshman receiver not on campus for spring football, Logan Saldate’s first month on campus has been full of adjustments.
None bigger, it seems, than the time difference between South Bend, Ind., in the Eastern Time Zone and his native California.
“Waking up for the 6 a.m. lifts is definitely challenging,” Saldate told a group of reporters recently, “because it’s really like waking up at [3] a.m. for me. That was for the first week and a half, just getting adjusted to the time and stuff. Other than that, it’s been pretty good. The coaches help me a lot and the players guide me. It’s good.”
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And Saldate has been good enough that he’s avoided automatic redshirt status with his early impressions, even at a slot receiver position that goes four deep, with Sun Bowl MVP Jordan Faison, fellow sophomore Jaden Greathouse, preseason All-America kick returns/grad transfer Jayden Harrison and Saldate, a 5-11, 187-pounder with track and wrestling backgrounds (his older brother Chase is a grad senior wrestler at Michigan).
”They told me straight up that it’s going to be hard and the playbook is going to be rough,” Saldate said of the spring practice participants. “I’m experiencing that now. The older kids have helped me like Jaden Greathouse, Jayden Thomas — all of them really took me under their wing.
“Whatever questions I have, just ask them, and even like Micah [Gilbert] and Cam [Williams], the other freshmen, they help me too. Everyone wants to see everyone win. It’s a competition, but at the same time, you want to see your brothers win.”
Notre Dame has 11 scholarship receivers on the roster and a notable 12th in walk-on Tyler Buchner, the former Irish and Alabama quarterback who played for the national championship Irish lacrosse team in the spring after transferring back and who has returned to football this summer at a new position.
Including Buchner, seven of the 12 Irish receivers played somewhere other than Notre Dame last season, including grad transfers Harrison (Marshall), Kris Mitchell (FIU) and Beaux Collins (Clemson).
“Watching last year, we were limited to how many receivers we had,” Saldate said. “Bringing in these transfers definitely helped a lot. Honestly, it’s helping us younger receivers. They help us every day in practice.
“They’re not selfish. Our outside receivers move like slots, but they’re like 6-foot-3, so it’s just ridiculous, I think we’re definitely going to surprise some people.”
Change for a nickel
Freshman cornerback Karson Hobbs almost immediately moved from an outside cornerback position to a long-term audition at nickel upon his enrollment four weeks ago. Thus, he has a new go-to mentor in Arizona State grad transfer Jordan Clark, Notre Dame’s clear No. 1 option at the position.
“I talk to him every single day,” Hobbs said. “We were just on the field together yesterday. He is beyond just a great leader. He’s a great person at heart. I hope everybody gets to see what he brings to the table.
“He’s a technician. He’s physical and he’s under-looked. I really do believe that. He is a very talented player, and he’s teaching me a lot about technique at nickel that I needed to know in order to be successful.”
And preseason All-America cornerback Benjamin Morrison has been helpful to Hobbs, too — in more ways than one.
“Ben Morrison had bought me a bike the first day,” Hobbs said. “Me, Leonard [Moore] and Taebron [Bennie-Powell] — he bought us all a bike. Regardless of the money, even if he didn’t have it, if he had a dollar, he’d give you 50 cents. That’s just who he is.
“When you’re around people like that, it motivates you to be like that one day as well. I want the young guys to be able to look up to me like that and have a good impact and be a good role model for them.”
ND’s starting nickel last season, Thomas Harper, was a one-and-done grad transfer and is currently a rookie with the Los Angeles Chargers. ND’s backup nickel in 2023, Clarence Lewis, transferred to Syracuse in the spring.
Sophomore rover Jaiden Ausberry, freshman safety Tae Johnson and now Hobbs have all gotten work at nickel in the spring and/or summer.
“Definitely the hardest thing is not being able to just jam off the line and put hands on automatically,” Hobbs said. “The first day I went out there and competed with the guys, I had a great time,
“I felt like I had a great day and I’m learning. Continue to grow, study the playbook and just keep trusting God throughout the whole process, and things will end up going the way I want to. … I just hope to exceed his expectations this year.”
Embracing a high bar
June-enrolling linebacker Bodie Kahoun has an interesting term of endearment/respect for his position coach, Max Bullough.
“He’s a total badass,” Kahoun, who’s working primarily at middle linebacker, told reporters recently. “One thing I love about him and [defense coordinator Al] Golden, [in June] I messed up on a rep, and he pulled me out. I lost my chance. There you go.
“[Bullough’s] like, ‘Next man.’ And if Jack [Kiser] messes up, I’ll go in. One thing I like is that no one has a spot. It’s not guaranteed. It’s all about who works the hardest.”
Kiser, is a sixth-year grad who is by far the most experienced player in a mostly young, but ultra-talented linebacker group.
“Jack and I have mutual friends, so we actually played pickleball the other day,” Kahoun said. “He’s been one of the best leaders I’ve ever had, I feel like he’s an older brother.
“How he takes control. I mean, obviously, he’s way, way older, which is a good thing. I get to learn from one of the best linebackers in all of college football. If I mess up — even if I do reps correctly, he’ll find something I could even do better. ... Overall, I look up to him a lot.”
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