ND FOOTBALL: Spring practice displays a 'massive' line, catching and kicking consistency for Fighting Irish

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SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football held spring practice early Saturday morning at the Irish Athletics Complex.

The two-hour practice, which began at 9 a.m., was the second time this spring that the media was able to watch all of the allotted practice time and the Fighting Irish primarily spent its time going live with 11-on-11 action.

Scoring system irregularities aside, the offense closed out the practice with a pressure-packed kick for Purdue transfer kicker Spencer Porath. The 45-yard kick was accompanied by a tight circle of players and pumped-in crowd noise. Porath converted successfully for the 34-31 win for the offense, but more importantly, a perfect day for the transfer.

“Today is an evaluation day,” head coach Marcus Freeman said. “That’s what I told them. We have to evaluate our coaching, the way our players have received our coaching and are prepared and that’s what a day like today was for.”

“I saw some good on both sides of the ball,” he said. “On offense, the one’s did a good job of not turning over the ball. The two’s, we got sloppy. I think at least two turnovers by them. One was a safety and the other was the interception by Luke Talich. We have to do a better job of taking care of the football there.”

Sophomore quarterback CJ Carr took reps with the top group as 6-foot-4 freshman Noah Grubbs took time with the twos and threes as Carr’s backup Blake Hebert nursed a recent injury that Freeman doesn’t expect to be a problem going forward.

“Those live reps are valuable,” Freeman said. “Noah’s been getting most of the three reps, now some of the two reps with Blake being out. It’s a really good opportunity to get some reps with the twos. I loved the way he performed and how he handled today.”

SET IN STONE

A new feature of the Fighting Irish football program this spring is certainty around its starting quarterback. Freeman has taken a liking to transfers over his first few seasons before giving the keys to the offense to Carr as a freshman last fall after a tense quarterback battle that wasn’t decided until late in the fall.

Carr was sharp and efficient with the top group in Saturday’s practice, which normally faced the top group on defense. A sack created from pressure from Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young was about the lone win for the defense over the sophomore.

“Anything he does with his physical talent, the ability to put our offense into position to have success because of what the defense is presenting is probably one of his greatest strengths,” Freeman said about Carr. “I can talk forever about his arm strength and his film study, but he puts your offense in positions to have success. He’s able to understand a play, see what he’s doing, and put us in position that usually ends up in a positive way.”

The intriguing question for the offense has been how well it’ll be able to run without duo Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, who are expected to be top NFL Draft picks this week. Aneyas Williams is next in line to get the largest share of reps and Nolan James Jr. is the likely next option. James Jr. received a large share of the first-team reps Saturday with Williams getting the red jersey and some late touches due to an elbow injury suffered early in camp.

A FEW ‘MASSIVE’ ADDITIONS

Even with its expected offensive efficiency, Notre Dame’s defense has potential to be one of the best in the nation. With Christian Gray shifting to nickel and Leonard Moore and Tae Johnson continuing to lockdown receiving threats at the cornerback and safety positions, the defensive line could be the crucial key to completing coordinator Chris Ash’s group.

Young and Traore are two easy picks for the top players on that unit, but incoming transfers Tionne Gray (Oregon), Francis Brewu (Pittsburgh) and Keon Kelly (Alabama) have made the collective group look the part of a formidable force.

“I’ve seen and felt it throughout the spring,” Freeman said. “You can look at those guys and know it’s a massive line. We’ve brought in some massive human beings at that position and they play big too. They’re physical. Francis was out for a few practices with a bicep strain, so it was good to see him back. Tionne, he’s just a big human being. Watched one play that he made and it was a great double team and he just split it.”

OTHER STANDOUTS

Porath may have had just one highlight play in Saturday’s practice, but the overall consistency of the kicking game was a fresh sight in South Bend after a season of miscues at the position in 2025.

In the spring practice, the former Boilermaker was 9-of-9, converting most of his kicks from 30- and 40-plus yards out.

“Spencer, he’s had maybe one inconsistent day since he’s been here, but he’s been as consistent as any other kicker that we’ve had,” Freeman said.

Wide receiver Jordan Faison was in mid-season form with his elusive speed and downfield threat displayed Saturday. Faison, who played lacrosse his first two seasons at Notre Dame, is now a full-time member of the football team. This is his first full spring camp and caught seven passes from Carr during the live period.

“What you’ve seen today is what you’ve seen out of Jordan Faison the last couple of years,” Freeman said. “He’s a consistent football player, and consistent football players do that. He’s one of the most consistent guys in our practices. I’ve seen his play at a high level this spring [where] he just hasn’t been here [in past seasons]. We’ve gotten to that in the fall, but I think where he’s gotten at this point is going to help him maybe develop even more as we get into fall camp because he’s never had this winter and spring of football before.”

Faison joined Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham as two of Carr’s top receiving options. Grubbs on the other hand enjoyed getting the ball to freshman Devin Fitzgerald for two long touchdowns of 65 and 40-yards.

Fitzgerald is the son of NFL Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.

The Notre Dame Blue-Gold game is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 at 2 p.m. in South Bend at Notre Dame Stadium. The Fighting Irish will then await fall camp before its 2026 season-opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Sept. 6.

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