Devin Fitzgerald benefited from squaring off against defenders who will see very little action once Notre Dame starts playing games that matter. Even so, it's clear the freshman receiver has caught the eyes of Fighting Irish coaches. Not just because of what he did in Saturday's "jersey scrimmage."
The younger Fitzgerald, wearing his Hall of Fame father Larry's famous No. 11 jersey, shook free for touchdown grabs of 65 and 32 yards during the early portions of the scrimmage on Saturday morning. Both TDs were against a walk-on who hasn't been a member of the Irish very long at all. But it's not just about schooling a guy who will almost certainly spend 2026 on the practice squad. He's impressed head coach Marcus Freeman all spring.
Notre Dame football coaches impressed by Devin Fitzgerald all spring
"You evaluate it every day," Freeman told the press after the practice. "Here's the mindset our guys must have, is that you gotta master what you get. "I don't care if it's against the threes, the twos, the ones. When you master what you have right in front of you, right, you'll get more."
The Notre Dame head coach also hinted that Fitzgerald has played well enough this spring that he's got a real chance to move up the depth chart and keep showing the staff what he can do against stiffer competition.
Notre Dame football freshman is challenging to move up the depth chart
"I don't care if it was against the threes, he made some big plays today. He'll continue to be put in elevated positions to continue to show what he can do against better competition. He's had a good spring. He's made big plays like that throughout the spring, and today, I wasn't surprised."
With a dad who knows how to go from college to the pros, Devin Fitzgerald has someone outside the program he can lean on and learn from. That's great news for a Notre Dame squad that is absolutely loaded at wide receiver. If the freshman can challenge for playing time, it's a win for everyone.
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