With Notre Dame football's Blue-Gold (and spring session) in the rear view mirror, it's time to try to figure out who just might make an impact in the fall. While freshmen who show out during the spring game don't always make noise when it's time to get ready for the regular season, there were several first-year players who definitely showed a thing or two.
One true freshman that Irish fans were excited to see in action instead gave them a scare. Joey O'Brien made noise quite a bit over the weeks of the spring practice, but he left the scrimmage early with an injury and later showed up on crutches.
O'Brien's injury was definitely a bummer, but there were other freshmen, especially on offense, who showed just enough that there's at least some excitement heading into the summer and fall for Notre Dame football fans.
3 Notre Dame freshman that made a statement in the Blue-Gold game
Devin Fitzgerald
Devin Fitzgerald was generating quite a bit of buzz all spring long. Most encouraging is that the buzz had more to do with his play than with the fact that he's the son of Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Midway through the scrimmage, Fitzgerald hauled in a long pass from backup quarterback Noah Grubbs from about 28 yards out for an easy touchdown reception. He also tied for the team lead in receptions on the day, grabbing a total of 3 catches for 54 yards. It was a very positive way to end a fantastic first spring in South Bend.
Jonaz Walton
At the moment, the expectation is that Aneyas Williams will get the first shot at taking over as the starting running back for Notre Dame after the departures of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. However, Williams wore a no-contact jersey for most of the spring and that allowed guys like Jonaz Walton to make their case.
The freshman running back actually led the team in carries with 11 and tallied 34 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown that showed his ability to run between the tackles. He also had 1 catch for 7 yards, demonstrating he can be a receiving threat out of the backfield. If Notre Dame goes with more of a two-back system like they did the last two seasons, Jonaz Walton has put his name forward as the guy to complement Williams.
Rodney Dunham
Like Fitzgerald, Dunham has been the focus of much talk from Fighting Irish coaches. During the Blue-Gold game, he demonstrated what Chris Ash and others saw over the last few weeks.
Dunham had two tackles and was credited with half a sack. More importantly, he helped the Notre Dame defensive line mostly bottle up the Irish running game. On 32 carries, the offense managed just 96 yards rushing. The quarterbacks never looked all that comfortable in the pocket on Saturday either, prompting offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to voice his displeasure after the scrimmage.
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