Star Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison not expected back by fall camp

We knew that it wasn’t remotely good news for the Notre Dame football team when Benjamin Morrison missed nearly the entirety of spring practice with a shoulder injury. However, now we know just how not good the news is. He might not return to the field until after fall practice begins. That means his availability for the season opener against Texas A&M is officially in doubt.

On Friday afternoon, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media for nearly an hour and covered a ton of different topics. One of those was that the Irish are getting a new walk-on receiver, Tyler Buchner, who is a familiar face. 

That certainly counted as a feel-good story for the Irish. However, the news that Morrison won’t be around when the team starts preparing for Texas A&M certainly counts as bad news.

There is still some hope that Morrison could eventually get ready for the game against the Aggies. Being a veteran certainly helps in that regard. 

Notre Dame football will miss Benjamin Morrison at start of fall camp

Freeman said Friday that Morrison will be a “partial participant” in summer workouts and at least part of fall camp in early August.

The Irish head coach expects Morrison to be fully cleared at some point close to Notre Dame’s season opener at Texas A&M on Aug. 31.

“I don’t know when that date is, but it won’t be for the start of fall camp,” Freeman told the assembled media.

It’s possible that Morrison’s injury early in spring practice has helped Notre Dame prepare for him not being 100 percent when the season kicks off. Guys like Christian Gray made some serious strides this spring. 

As we move through the summer and prepare for the start of the season, we should known more about just when Morrison will be back. But for now, Notre Dame is preparing to miss his veteran presence in the first few weeks of prep.