Notre Dame football’s “next man up” philosophy should be enough to get Marcus Freeman through Navy despite another crowded injury report. But with DJ McKinney out, Brauntae Johnson still sidelined, and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa among the questionable players, Chris Ash needs that list to shrink considerably before Miami arrives.
Despite the Fighting Irish coming off a bye week, head coach Marcus Freeman detailed several injuries that will hit Chris Ash’s unit hard. The good news is that none of the players who will miss time or be questionable are ones the team should need against Navy. The question is how healthy some of these guys will be in two weeks against Miami.
The injury that should make Notre Dame faithful most worried is DJ McKinney’s. The transfer cornerback was hurt late in the game against BYU, and the bye week apparently wasn't enough time for him to heal and get back to 100%.
On Monday afternoon, Freeman said McKinney is out for the Navy game with an ankle injury. That’s never good news, as that kind of injury can stick around for a while. A cornerback who can’t make cuts won’t keep up with receivers. That’s not an issue against Navy, but against Miami, especially Malachi Toney, it’s a big one.
Notre Dame football defensive injuries create bigger questions for Miami than Navy
Because Notre Dame knows Navy won’t tax its cornerbacks much, sitting McKinney this week isn’t a shock. It’s even possible that if this were Miami week, they’d be working to get him back on the field. The Irish won’t push it against the Midshipmen.
Another big injury update: safety Brauntae Johnson is still out. Notre Dame has hoped he’d be out for “just a couple of weeks” after he was injured in the first half of the season opener. However, with the season now in Week 8, people have to start worrying about whether he will play this year.
The injury list doesn’t end there. Freeman said that tight end Cooper Flanagan (hamstring), linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (thumb), defensive lineman Loghan Thomas (shoulder), and cornerback Mark Zackery IV (concussion) are all questionable.
The most interesting note in that group is that Notre Dame took quite a bit of heat for not playing Viliamu-Asa more against BYU. It’s clear now that one reason he wasn’t in the game more was that his thumb was still bothering him.
Of course, of all the injuries that might just be cautionary, KVA’s questionable status is the most likely situation where he could have been fine to play if Miami was this week. Notre Dame should absolutely be able to beat Navy even without Viliamu-Asa in the lineup.
Add us as a preferred source on Google