Notre Dame football: Top 3 true freshmen in the spring game

Though the weather was rough during the Notre Dame football spring game, there were plenty of positives to be taken from the contest. Here are three true freshmen that looked fantastic in the early going of this season.

Notre Dame football: WR Jaden Greathouse

I’ve repeatedly said that Jaden Greathouse is my pick to be the best freshman that Notre Dame will use this upcoming season. Greathouse and his connection with Sam Hartman didn’t disappoint on Saturday, as he secured 11 catches for 118 yards. Jaden has the size, strength, route-running ability, and knowledge to be an instant impact player. It won’t surprise me if he does well enough this season to be selected as a freshman All-American.

Greathouse may not have the highest ceiling of the freshman wide-receiver group, but he has to be the guy with the highest floor. Out of Westlake high school in Austin, Texas, Greathouse played against the best of the best. As a result, he is more than prepared to be a consistent playmaker for the Irish this upcoming season.

Notre Dame football: LB Jaiden Ausberry

Ausberry was extremely impressive in that his speed was rather eye-opening in person, even while watching the replays. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find his specific stats, but if I recall correctly, he had a handful of tackles. His coverage ability was most impressive, though, and Ausberry almost had an interception of Tyler Buchner.

The Notre Dame linebackers group has some very talented guys but has been missing some speed since the days of JOK. However, Ausberry and Sneed are looking to change that narrative, and given the fact that Jaiden is only a freshman, his future is very bright in South Bend.

Notre Dame football: LB Preston Zinter

Zinter popped quite a bit during the Blue Gold game. For me one of the best traits a linebacker can have is his ability to be around the football consistently; Preston didn’t disappoint. He was constantly around the ball when he was in, making play after play. He secured a sack on Steve Angeli and made numerous tackles in that same drive.

These guys have bright futures in South Bend should they continue to work on their craft and elevate their play. If I had to choose today, I’d pick Ausberry and Greathouse as the potential best players from this class on defense and offense, respectively.