Author: Leprechaun Express - Steve Welsh

Highlights of ‘Notre Dame’s’ 28-7 win over Boise State. The Fighting Irish averaged 7.2 yards per play on offense, outgaining Boise State 389 yards to 315, despite running only 54 plays compared with 71 by the Broncos.

‘Notre Dame’ Football media has indicated that all players are available for the Irish in their game at Arkansas, with the exception of preseason All-American Leonard Moore being a game-time decision with his recovery from an ankle injury.

That could mean they might be stronger on field goals with starter Noah Burnette back. And if DeVonta Smith can play, that should strengthen their options in the defensive secondary on pass defense.

The @NDFootball availability update for today’s game at Arkansas (12 p.m. ET, ABC):

CB Leonard Moore (right ankle) is a game-time decision.

All other student-athletes on the two-deep this week are available.

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 27, 2025

Full replay of the Irish victory over Purdue on Sept. 20, 2025.

Sophomore Cornerback Leonard Moore and fifth-year defensive back (Nickel Back) DeVonta Smith are listed as questionable on the injury report, as well as Placekicker Noah Burnette, yet still are listed as starters on the depth chart.  In addition to the injuries, some additional ebbing and flowing has occurred on the depth chart among the defensive backs. (More details follow below the chart.)

[for original PDF click here]

[Jersey Number, Name, Height, Weight, [Eligibility-]Year, unofficial 40 Times (from third-party sources; 40 times not necessarily current)]

– CB –

15 Leonard Moore 6-2 195 So. – 4.5
18 Chance Tucker 6-0 183 Sr.
or 21 Karson Hobbs 6-1 189 So. – 4.4

– BOUND –

8 Adon Shuler 6-0 205 So. – 4.54
28 Luke Talich 6-4 210 Jr. – 4.5
22 Ethan Long 6-3 210 Fr. – 4.6

– FIELD –

9 Tae Johnson 6-2 192 Fr.
7 Jalen Stroman 6-1 201 Sr. – 4.57
11 JaDon Blair 6-5 205 Fr. – 4.56

– CB –

6 Christian Gray 6-0 190 Jr. – 4.45
24 Mark Zackery IV 5-11 175 Fr.
20 Cree Thomas 6-1 189 Fr.

– NICKEL –

0 DeVonta Smith 5-11 195 Sr. – 4.48
14 Dallas Golden 6-0 187 Fr.
13 Ben Minich 6-0 197 So.

– WILL –

3 Jaylen Sneed 6-2 230 Jr.
4 Jaiden Ausberry 6-2 228 So.
19 Madden Faraimo 6-2 235 Fr.

– MIKE –

34 Drayk Bowen 6-2 235 Jr.
27 Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa 6-3 230 So.
19 Madden Faraimo 6-2 235 Fr.

– VYPER –

5 Boubacar Traore 6-4 250 So. – 4.68
44 Junior Tuihalamaka 6-2 255 Sr.
or 12 Jordan Botelho 6-3 260 Sr.

– DT –

47 Jason Onye 6-5 302 Sr.
97 Gabriel Rubio 6-5 321 Sr. – 4.90
42 Cole Mullins 6-5 275 Fr.

– DT –

41 Donovan Hinish 6-2 277 Jr.
93 Jared Dawson 6-1 288 Sr.
56 Elijah Hughes 6-3 300 Jr.

– DE –

95 Bryce Young 6-7 271 So.
40 Joshua Burnham 6-4 260 Jr.
10 Loghan Thomas 6-4 220 So.

Amidst the injuries, several changes ebb and flow in the depth chart at defensive back, some made more relevant by the injuries, even if the injured players are still nominally listed.

Sophomore Karson Hobbs, who reputably has 4.4 speed in the 40, was previously listed as third-string at Nickel Back, yet is now listed as an alternate back-up for Moore at Corner Back, which means he could actually really be a kind of 1(b) alternate starter at CB, if Moore continues being unavailable.

Meanwhile, freshman Dallas Golden, who was nominally listed as a back-up to Moore at CB, ended up starting against Purdue, not at CB, but rather at Nickel. He is now listed as the nominal back-up to Smith at Nickel, which means Golden would continue to be the starter at Nickel, if Smith continues to be out.

Meanwhile, at the “Field” Defensive Back position, freshman Tae Johnson and senior Jalen Stroman have flipped, where Johnson now has the starting position and Stroman is the backup.  Ethan Long is no longer third-string at Field, yet Long is third-string at Bound.

Replacing him as third-string at Field is towering, 6-5 freshman JaDon Blair.  Estimates Blair’s 40 time seem to range from roughly 4.4 to 4.6

[Note: Athough it had been reported in early 2025 that the program was moving beyond a Vyper concept, they do have “Vypers” on the current depth chart. The same players are listed as DE on the roster]

[official release for offense, defense, special teams at: fightingirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-Depth-Chart-Game-04.pdf

While their latest injury report lists two key defensive backs and a placekicker as questionable for Arkansas, the Irish offensive depth chart remains unchanged.

Average size interior offensive line: 6-6, 312
(average size OL starters 6-6, 314)

[for original PDF click here]

 

[Jersey Number, Name, Height, Weight, [Eligibility-]Year, unofficial 40 times (from third-party sources; 40 times not necessarily current)]

– QB –

13 CJ Carr 6-3 210 Fr. – 4.94
8 Kenny Minchey 6-2 208 So. – 4.78
10 Tyler Buchner 6-1 206 Sr. – 4.65

– RB –

RB 4 Jeremiyah Love 6-0 214 Jr. – 4.44
24 Jadarian Price 5-11 210 Jr. – 4.42
22 Aneyas Williams 5-10 205 So. – 4.46
23 Nolan James Jr. 5-10 215 Fr.

– WR –

0 Malachi Fields 6-4 222 Sr. – 4.5
14 Micah Gilbert 6-2 204 Fr. – “closer to a 4.7 … than … a 4.4”
5 Cam Williams 6-2 200 Fr. – 4.4

1 Jaden Greathouse 6-1 215 Jr. – 4.46
or 2 Will Pauling 5-10 190 Sr. – 4.39
19 Logan Saldate 6-0 189 Fr. – 4.47

6 Jordan Faison 5-10 185 Jr. – 4.4
11 KK Smith 6-0 176 So. – 4.59(?)
17 Elijah Burress 6-0 185 Fr. – 4.5 “range”

– TE –

9 Eli Raridon 6-7 252 Sr. – 4.68
7 Ty Washington 6-4 248 Jr. –
or 85 Jack Larsen 6-3 250 Fr. – 4.87

– LT –

54 Anthonie Knapp 6-4 300 So. – 5.33
71 Styles Prescod 6-6 292 Fr.

– LG-

74 Billy Schrauth 6-4 310 Jr.
55 Chris Terek 6-6 322 So.

– C-

70 Ashton Craig 6-5 310 Jr.
64 Joe Otting 6-4 308 So.

– RG –

76 Guerby Lambert 6-7 335 Fr.
or 75 Sullivan Absher 6-8 327 So.

– RT –

59 Aamil Wagner 6-6 300 Jr. – 5.15
76 Guerby Lambert 6-7 335 Fr.

[official release for offense, defense, special teams at: fightingirish.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-Depth-Chart-Game-04.pdf

Marcus Freeman talks with reporters as the Fighting Irish prepare to take on Arkansas in Fayetteville. Freeman cited growth in all three phases in a much-needed victory over Purdue. After celebrating, everyone has been getting back to work, looking forward to the opportunity to take on an Arkansas team who could easily have been undefeated, with a top-5 offense and solid defense. Freeman calls for continued focus on improvement, accountability, and ownership with acceptance of responsibility.

Highlights from Notre Dame’s 56-30 victory over Purdue in The House That Rockne Built, Sept. 20, 2025.

‘Notre Dame’s’ Dick Corbett Head Football Coach, Marcus Freeman, talks with reporters after Notre Dame’s 56-30 victory over Purdue, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.

This author, of course, already raised the prospect of thunderstorms disrupting the ‘Notre Dame’-Purdue game days ago, and reiterated the issue in the hours before game-time.

True enough, the game was suspended with 1:31 to go in the first half, due to lightning and thunderstorm activity across the Michiana region.  Under public safety protocols and NCAA guidelines, the stadium outdoor seating has been evacuated, and both teams and fans are taking shelter.

Hourly forecasts from The Weather Channel indicate that thunderstorms might continue in the area for another one or two hours, which would have to be followed by an additional half-hour wait.

The Irish lead the Boilermakers 28-13, with a little more than a minute to go in the first half.  Now that the game is essentially going to be a two-mini-game doubleheader, it will be interesting to see which coaches and players do a better job of adjustments, with all this time to study the first half.

The Weather Channel presently predicts an 80% to 94% chance of thunderstorms running well past 6 p.m. ET. However, after, not long ago, predicting a 35% chance of “scattered thunderstorms” continuing past 7 p.m. ET, the forecast has shifted.  Now there is a forecast of cloudiness after 7 p.m. ET with a 24% chance that rain will continue.

So it looks like yet another primetime game might be in order for The House That Rockne Built, at least for the final minute-and-change of the first half and the second half.

Keep in mind, however, that even if the lightning moves on, everyone still has to wait a half-hour to resume play.

Curiously enough, NBC announcers said they knew about the weather issue before the game. One does not necessarily recall them highlighting it.  As the game began, NBC seemed to be showing bright, sunny blue skies with a campus shot that one presumes must have been shot earlier.  >Live scenes inside the stadium right before kickoff already showed overcast.

NCAA

“NCAA Guideline 1 E – Lightning Safety” is a part of the NCAA’s 2013-14 NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, at p.16 (as opposed to the 2025 NCAA Football Rules Book, which is a separate publication).

NCAA guidance calls for a game to be suspended, and an outdoor stadium evacuated, as a thunderstorm approaches. When lightning and thunder are within six miles, the stadium should already have been evacuated:

“… Lightning awareness should be heightened at the first flash of lightning, clap of thunder, and/or other signs of an impending storm such as increasing winds or darkening skies, no matter how far away. These types of activities should be treated as a warning or ‘wake-up call’…. Lightning safety experts suggest that if you hear thunder, begin preparation for evacuation …
* * *
The following specific lightning safety guidelines have been developed with the assistance of lightning safety experts. Design your lightning safety plan to consider local safety needs, weather patterns and thunderstorm types.
• As a minimum, lightning safety experts strongly recommend that by the time the monitor observes 30 seconds between seeing the lightning flash
and hearing its associated thunder or by the time the leading edge of the storm is within six miles of the venue, all individuals should have left the athletics site and be wholly within a safer structure or location. Individuals just entering the outdoor venue should be directed to the safer location.
• Please note that thunder may be hard to hear if there is an athletics event going on …”

(emphasis added)

If the storm is passing, the NCAA cites expertise calling for a 30-minute wait after both the last audible thunder and last flash of lightning are at least six miles away.

“To resume athletics activities, lightning safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and last flash of lightning is at least six miles away and moving away from the venue.”

In other words, after the storm starting leaving, everyone would need to wait until the lightning and thunder were at least six miles away, and heading off, and then wait another half-hour.

Of course, if lightning and thunder resumed later within six miles, the delay would have to start all over again.

(Steve Welsh – SCW 9.20.25)

A ‘Notre Dame’ Football official x/twitter profile announced that both preseason All-American starting cornerback Leonard Moore and lead “nickel back” (defensive back) DeVonta Smith are “game-time decisions” regarding their availability to play.  Both have ankle injuries.

Last week against Southern Cal, Purdue threw for more than 300 yards, in game that was 20-10 in the third quarter, with a final margin of 33-17.

The @NDFootball availability update for today’s game vs. Purdue (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC):

CB Leonard Moore (right ankle) & CB DeVonta Smith (right ankle) are game-time decisions. K Noah Burnette (right hip) is out.

All other student-athletes on the two-deep this week are available.

— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 20, 2025

Already listed as “questionable” on ‘Notre Dame’s’ injury list, preaseason All-American Irish cornerback Leonard Moore was reportedly observed, roughly an hour before game time, still in street clothes and not warming up.  According to Irish Illustrated,

#GoIrish cornerback Leonard Moore was in a hoodie and pants on the field, throwing passes to his teammates and did not warm up.

— Irish Illustrated (@irishillustratd) September 20, 2025

The Irish take on the Boilermakers in The House That Rockne Built at 3:30 p.m. ET, 2:30 CT, 1:30 MT, 12:30 PT, live on NBC and ‘Notre Dame’ Football Radio.