Notre Dame football missing five for entirety of spring practices

The Notre Dame football team has paused its spring practices after just one day, but when they do get back together, head coach Marcus Freeman has made it clear they’ll be without several players until the summer.

One player who is expected to be a big impact receiver in 2024 is among those who will sit out the spring practice sessions and the Blue-Gold game. However, while announcing that at least five guys will be sidelined during this spate of practices, Freeman also offered a happy update.

Tight end Kevin Bauman, defensive linemen Aidan Gobaira, Armel Mukam, and Loghan Thomas will be sitting out due to injuries they suffered in the 2023 season. And then there’s tight end Mitchell Evans, who, it’s a safe bet, most Notre Dame football fans would be ready for the spring.

It’s also a safe bet that of the five guys who will miss the spring, Evans is the bigger contributor—at least so far. He finished the 2023 season with 29 catches for 422 yards and 1 touchdown, but he also showed glimpses of greatness.

He had 7 catches for 75 yards against Ohio State and 6 catches for 134 yards against Duke. He was one of the only bright spots vs. Louisville, with 4 catches for 71 yards and his only touchdown.

Notre Dame football will see several players sit out spring practice

In the team’s 58-7 win over Pittsburgh, Evans suffered a torn ACL and it’s that injury that the standout tight end is still recovering from this spring and summer. 

That means that it’s not a huge surprise that the big tight end is still out. It would be a rather miraculous recovery if he were already back. 

There was one piece of good news mixed in with last week’s injury report. Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman believes that defensive lineman Gabriel Rubo will return to the team this summer. While he will also still be out in the sprin, his return will help a defensive line unit that could be among hte best in the sport.