Tight end and receiver are BIG question marks for the Irish in 2025

AtoZ Sports

Ryan Roberts breaks down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end and wide receiver rooms and questions if they can perform well in 2025.

Transcript

00:00Spring football is behind us the summer fall camp in front in the 2025 college football season

00:06Notre Dame has a lot of expectations heading into next year but there are a couple positions that I

00:11still have a little bit of worry heading into the fall let's talk about the couple spots that I

00:16think still need some answers to be found the rest of the offseason

00:20Ryan Roberts from A to Z sports breaking down everything Notre Dame football folks spring ball

00:27is behind us now we just have the summer and then fall camp to worry about for this 2025

00:32Notre Dame fighting Irish team obviously heading into the 2025 season with a whole lot of expectations

00:38and talked about in a video on this channel recently about the things that I felt best about

00:44comparative to where I was before spring practice so something that happened in spring that really

00:49made me feel better about a particular position talked about the quarterback spot among others

00:55but I really wanted to focus now on the couple question marks that do still remain and I

01:00wanted to go to three positions but honestly I just didn't feel I just didn't feel passionately enough

01:07about like defensive tackle for instance yes there's still some questions as far as what the rotation

01:12looks like and who's your dudes in that room and everything but there's just so much talent overall

01:18I'm not overly worried about what defensive tackle is going to look like I thought about left tackle

01:23just for the consistent conversation about Anthony Knapp potentially beating the starting left tackle

01:27and what he'll look like as a sophomore but I really wanted to hone in on two different positions

01:31both on the offensive side of the football that I still have major question marks in I want to start

01:36at tight ends and I know some people will just kind of dismiss this one because hey one Notre

01:42Dame's going to a more wide receiver centric type of offensive system with CJ Carr or Kenny Minchie

01:49under center for the fighting Irish but I would just like to say first and foremost tight end is

01:55one of the big strengths for this Notre Dame team historically and I do think that from a just general

02:01ideological perspective that Notre Dame will always be built around the tight end position

02:07and some people also left the spring feeling great about where Eli Raritan was able to do and to take a

02:14step forward and while I am also I actually am a big fan of Eli Raritan there are still some remaining

02:19question marks in that room and let's start with Eli Raritan as we kind of break down the tight end

02:24position he is extremely talented there's a reason that he was a high level four star athlete coming

02:30out of high school six foot seven 250 pounds the kid is extremely athletic and we've seen flashes at

02:37times but here's the problem with Eli Raritan being your dude for sure in a room one he hasn't had a ton of

02:45production 11 receptions 80 some 90 something yards excuse me last season and also if he is that guy that is

02:52the foregone best player in your room it has to leave you a little bit uneasy just based upon the past injuries

02:59that he has dealt with multiple knee surgeries during his Notre Dame career so it doesn't mean Eli Raritan can't be a

03:06heck of a player for Notre Dame in the blue and gold this year but it does give you a little bit

03:11uneasiness at top and you're one bad injury away from Jack Larson maybe being tight end one this Ty

03:17Washington from Arkansas the transfer come in during the summer and make a big leap I mean I don't know

03:23he's had one game in his career that that made up like 40 something percent of his career production in

03:29his multiple years with the Arkansas program so have no idea what to expect from him can James Flanagan come

03:35in as a true freshman in the summer and make an impact it's just an unsettling position because I

03:40still think the depth is a major issue at wide receiver it's actually a completely different

03:44conversation I think the depth at wide receiver is in a good spot for Notre Dame but leaving the spring

03:50I'm still uneasy about some things that I've heard some things I've learned because I was hoping what

03:56was going to happen was we got a couple of the young guys that had opportunities in the spring

04:01and they took a massive step forward whether that be Cam Williams whether it be KK Smith whether that

04:07be Micah Gilbert's and unfortunately Micah Gilbert was limited in the spring with the hand injury

04:11Cam Williams you heard some good things but not enough you heard some good things about KK Smith

04:16but not enough I came out of the spring actually the guy that people are talking about most is Will

04:20Pauling the transfer from Wisconsin which is fine in a vacuum but when you really kind of sit back and

04:26think about it think about the two players that were hyped up most this spring one was Will Pauling

04:31who has production in his career sure but he also led all of FBS in drop passes last season so

04:37the most recent film we have of him at Wisconsin was not very good and the other guy people keep

04:42talking about is Elijah Burris true freshman and this is all due respect to Elijah Burris but Elijah

04:48Burris right now today is 180 pounds true freshman who runs somewhere in the four sixes if that is the

04:55guy that is getting talked about most in a wide receiver room I think that that is a slight red flag

05:00being raised again doesn't mean that Elijah Burris can't end up being a good football player at Notre

05:05Dame at some point but I really was hoping you were going to hear more about some of the quote-unquote

05:10more talented players in the room now this conversation could completely morph in the summer

05:15Malachi Fields is coming you still have Jaden Greathouse but I am still a little bit uneasy and

05:22on the edge of my seat to see what this wide receiver position looks like because you hear great

05:27things about it in practice but the things I'm hearing I still have question marks as far as how

05:32impactful that route will be especially with a young quarterback breaking in this fall folks put in

05:37the chat right now we're going to be a little bit pessimistic on this show today okay put into the

05:41chat what is one or two things that you are still worried about for this Notre Dame team going into 2025

05:47what are the question marks that still remain make sure that like button and subscribe on the way out

05:51and as always go Irish

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