Blue-Gold Game Takeaways: What We Learned About The Notre Dame Offense
Notre Dame wrapped up its spring yesterday by hosting its 92nd annual Blue-Gold Game. The Gold squad won 24-0 and there were some very impressive moments from the offense, and some areas that remain questions. Here are all my top takeaways from the offense in the game.
New Wrinkles - This was our first chance to see a Gerad Parker led offense, and while the Irish were purposely vanilla in some areas, we still got to see some of what Parker wants. Notre Dame mixed up its tempo a lot more in this game. When there was a stop in play (incomplete pass) or a short/negative gain the offense would huddle, but when they would make plays down the field the offense would push the tempo a bit more. I have always been an advocate for mixing up tempos, so this was a welcome site.
Notre Dame also ran A LOT of RPOs (Run Pass Options) as part of the run game. The quarterbacks executed them relatively well, and the wideouts did a good job quickly finding open spots in these looks. If this continues into the fall the end result should be the offense is more efficient with its pass game and it should take some of the pressure off the run game by putting defenses into more binds on the perimeter.
Speaking of the perimeter, we saw Notre Dame working hard in yesterday's game to stretch the defense for width and depth. Quarterback issues in 2022 limited the ability to do either, but the current depth chart is far more capable of taking advantage of this emphasis.
Sam Hartman Does The Little Things - I'm not really excited about seeing Sam Hartman throw a post route for a big play. I realize that's not something we've seen a lot from Notre Dame in recent seasons, but it's something I've seen Hartman do a lot during his Wake Forest career. One of my questions/concerns with Hartman was whether or not he could consistently do the "little things" in the pass game.
At Wake Forest he was a bit inconsistent in the short to intermediate zones. In fact, his yards per attempt on intermediate throws (7.9 YPA) was significantly lower than Drew Pyne's (10.7 YPA), and the average on short throws was the same (7.3 YPA). His ball placement in those instances was part of the issue, but in yesterday's Blue-Gold Game he was outstanding in this area.
Hartman was getting the ball out quickly on designed throws and RPOs, which allowed his receivers to have space to make defenders miss and get yards after the catch. His ball placement when throwing into tight windows was also top notch. Hartman looked very comfortable in the pocket, which showed me he has a lot of faith in the linemen to keep him upright, something we didn't always see at Wake Forest, where his line (based on their talent and the scheme) allowed Hartman to get hit, a lot.
This is what has me especially excited to see what Hartman can do in this offense, should he carry this performance into the spring. That would allow Hartman to not only continue being one of the best deep ball throwers in the game, but will allow him to make a big jump in yards per attempt, which will result in a far, far more efficient offense.
That could be scary.
Seeing Hartman - a North Carolina native who played five years of college in North Carolina - throw the ball as well as he did in cold, windy and wet conditions also made me feel good about his ability to play at a high level in October and November when the South Bend weather takes a turn.
Greathouse Is Big Time - It was puzzling to watch Jaden Greathouse's recruiting profile drop so much as a senior, and it started after he committed to Notre Dame. He went from as high as No. 69 overall by Rivals to out of the Top 100. His highest ranking came a month before he committed to Notre Dame, and he steadily dropped after that. 247Sports didn't think Greathouse was even a Top 50 player in his own state, which was absurd.
IB graded Greathouse as a Top 100 recruit with five-star upside, but I must admit, there are times when I see everyone else dropping a recruit that I have to ask myself, "am I missing something?"
Well, Greathouse showed yesterday that is a very talented player, and one of the more talented pass catchers in the 2023 class. He played like a veteran in the Blue-Gold Game, showing the ability to find soft spots in the defense and the athleticism to work himself open against man and zone looks. His ball skills were never a question, but after watching him in the Blue-Gold Game it was clear that the IB ranking for Greathouse is absolutely what he earned and deserved.
All three of the early enrollee freshmen had brilliant moments in the spring, but Greathouse shined the brightest in the Blue-Gold Game. The group of Greathouse, Rico Flores Jr., Braylon James and Kaleb Smith (who arrives this summer) has a chance to be part of something special in the Notre Dame pass game moving forward.
Jayden Thomas Shows Versatility - Last season there was a big difference in performance when then sophomore Jayden Thomas lined up inside and when he lined up outside. Thomas might have a body that works outside, but last fall he looked far more comfortable - and he was far more productive - when he was lined up in the slot.
The makeup of the Gold roster forced Thomas to play outside in the Blue-Gold Game, and he took full advantage. Notre Dame had been working on getting Thomas moved around more in the offense, and he looked far more comfortable playing outside. If Thomas can carry that into the fall it will allow the staff to move him around a lot more, which has multiple benefits.
For one, it allows the staff to move Thomas - who is their most dependable returning receiver - around in the offense, which makes it harder for the defense to know where he's going to be. It also allows the staff to move its entire depth chart around in order to get certain wideouts into favorable matchups.
Gi'Bran Payne Is Legit - Notre Dame is absolutely loaded at running back, and it's not because of the one-two punch of Audric Estime and Logan Diggs. A lot of teams have two good backs, but Notre Dame goes much deeper than that. Jadarian Price was the star last spring, and incoming freshman Jeremiyah Love was a Top 100 recruit.
The overlooked man in the backfield has been Gi'Bran Payne, who was banged up for much of his junior and senior seasons of high school. Running backs coach Deland McCullough bet on Payne twice, first signing him at Indiana and then bringing him with him to Notre Dame. Payne rewarded McCullough for that faith all spring, and he capped it off with a strong spring game performance.
Payne showed just how loaded the backfield is all spring, and his 51 yards on 11 carries led the team. He also added 14 yards on two catches and his pass pro was solid. He'll need to keep competing for time when the injured backs get healthy and Love arrives, but if Payne is ever part of the running back rotation I'll have confidence that the level of play at the position won't drop one bit.
Young Linemen Shine - I expect Notre Dame's starting offensive line to be good this season, but the Blue-Gold Game showed the depth could be better than I expected, at least inside and at right tackle.
Redshirt sophomore guard Rocco Spindler impressed me in the spring game. Spindler is massive and physical, we've always known that, but his movement skills looked much better. Spindler was coming off the ball well, kept his base low, kept his shoulders square and he moved well vertically and laterally. He executed a good second level block that opened up Payne for a 30-yard run.
His agility and foot quickness has always been my big concern with Spindler while at Notre Dame, which was a surprise based on what I saw from him in high school. It resulted in him getting buried on the depth chart his first two seasons, but if Spindler stays and builds on what we saw in the Blue-Gold Game he looked like a guy ready to go into the fall pushing for playing time, and perhaps starting role.
I was also very impressed with redshirt freshman right tackle Aamil Wagner. Despite being listed at less than 280 pounds, Wagner held up very well on the edge in pass protection and he got impressive movement in the run game. Wagner is expected to eventually replace star tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, and yesterday he showed the potential to be a "next in line" player that continues Notre Dame's outstanding tackle tradition.
He's still a year away most likely, but I was impressed with the athleticism that redshirt freshman center Ashton Craig showed yesterday.
Outside Receiver Questions - Notre Dame's expected starters outside are Tobias Merriweather and Deion Colzie, who combined for just 3 catches for 19 yards. Offensive line issues on the Blue team and spotty quarterback play factored into their lack of production, but even then neither Colzie nor Merriweather impressed even when the ball wasn't coming their way.
Both have had impressive moments throughout the spring, but they didn't end the season on the strong note I hoped they would. It's not something that has me concerned, because it's a spring game, but it is a reminder that both players still have a lot to prove on Saturdays.
That duo has a chance to be outstanding on the outside, but both still have development needed this summer and in fall camp to reach their potential. The tools are there, we just need to see it. It's one of the reasons I was a bit bummed that they weren't able to catch passes from Hartman in the spring game.
Tackle Depth Is A Concern - Wagner impressed me yesterday, and his upside has always been there. The Ohio native earned a 5.0-star upside grade from IB, but his lack of size has been the concern. He's getting closer and is now up to 278 pounds, but Wagner might still be a year away from being an every down, every week starter should that need arise.
Beyond Wagner there are some question marks coming out of the spring, and not just because of what we saw in the spring game. Tosh Baker has just not taken that next step, at least not in the spring game or in the open practice periods. Michael Carmody plays tackle but he's better suited to be an interior player, and he has struggled to stay healthy. Ty Chan got injured late in the spring and doesn't appear ready to compete for major minutes just yet.
There are a lot of questions at tackle should something happen to Joe Alt or Blake Fisher. This will be an important task for line coach Joe Rudolph over the next few months.
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