Intel: What sources are saying about standouts from Notre Dame spring ball

Much of this writer’s focus in the month of June will be on a very busy month for Notre Dame recruiting, but before we enter that period, how about an insider report with notes on the football team?

The media got to see limited portions of spring practices, and the Blue-Gold Game itself is nice, but the meat and potatoes of the training happens behind closed doors.

Blue & Gold talked with various sources to put together a report on some of the standouts from spring ball.

— Let’s start with the quarterbacks, a position that impressed this spring. The biggest downside of this group was the fact that ex-Duke signal-caller Riley Leonard had very limited reps due to his injury issues. It’s our understanding that Leonard is training with a private coach this month while the student-athletes are away from the university in May, but in terms of work with the team in a practice setting during spring ball, he wasn’t able to take part in any 11-on-11 scrimmages, at least to our knowledge. Leonard will go into fall practices the likely starter — of course — but there’s nothing else to add on him at this point. He just hasn’t done much with ND yet.

Freshman quarterback CJ Carr got extremely strong reviews from the media and what the coaches said publicly, and sources are echoing that. Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey improved throughout the spring as well; there’s a lot of confidence in the depth of the quarterback room. I’m told that Angeli was key in filling a leadership void on the team with the guys the Irish lost to the NFL.

ORDER NOW: Purchase the 2024 Blue & Gold Illustrated Football Preview at a discounted rate

— Freshman offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp played offensive tackle at the high school level, but since he committed last spring, the feeling has been that he’d bulk up and slide inside at Notre Dame. One source told me that Knapp could legitimately play tackle, guard or center for the Irish. He showed off his athleticism and toughness this spring.

— Former Arizona State defensive back Jordan Clark impressed throughout the spring, per sources. If he can be a lockdown nickel like I’m hearing he has the potential to be, it would certainly give an already strong defense a big boost.

— Micah Gilbert got strong reviews from the media throughout the spring, and the early enrollee receiver received praise from various sources, too. Running back Aneyas Williams, linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and defensive lineman Bryce Young also were named as impressive spring performers among the freshman by a source.

— Sophomore wide receiver KK Smith is a dark horse to make a big impact this fall. Sources rave about Smith’s craftiness as a route runner, speed and change of direction. Stop me if you’ve heard this before — the Irish have a lot of bodies at receiver but it’s an unproven room. Smith has a real shot to break through.

— Offensive lineman Guerby Lambert hasn’t enrolled yet, but I’m already hearing how excited Notre Dame is to have him get to work this summer. He has first-round potential written all over him.

The post Intel: What sources are saying about standouts from Notre Dame spring ball appeared first on On3.