What Notre Dame freshmen are up in 2025?

An interesting note in an offseason edition of the Blue & Gold Illustrated magazine perfectly showcased the strong state of the Fighting Irish football program, and an attitude evolution under head coach Marcus Freeman compared to his predecessor Brian Kelly. 

Notre Dame won a program-record 14 games last season, and it made a run to the national championship game, despite playing true freshmen more than just about any other team in the country. 

Led by offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp with 843 snaps on offense, and cornerback Leonard Moorewith 736 on defense, Irish rookies tallied 2,843 total snaps during the 2024-25 season, which trailed only Clemson (3,494), Oklahoma (2,913) and Auburn (2,891) for the most freshman participation in the country. 

“We’ve got a lot of confidence, man,” Freeman said last season in celebration of his youth movement. “This is a young team now, with some injuries. But we’re confident in the guys that we put on the field.”

Staying ready

To Freeman’s point, Knapp and Moore both earned Freshman All-American honors last season, and Moore was later named the FWAA’s Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. 

Moore is back this season as a sophomore, and as the top returning cornerback in the country, per Pro Football Focus. 

A confidence and fearlessness to play first-year players took hold almost immediately when Freeman became the Irish head coach in 2022 and rewarded true freshman cornerback Benjamin Morrison with an opening-day starting spot. Morrison seized the opportunity and recorded 33 tackles and 6 interceptions to earn Freshman All-American honors, before becoming a second-round NFL Draft pick in April. 

Freeman’s youth movement spilled into the 2023 season when six true Irish freshman played in at least 12 games.

Then in 2024 — sometimes by design but often out of injury necessity — another robust group of true freshmen helped carry Notre Dame through their magical season and playoff run, including Knapp, Moore, defensive lineman Bryce Young, linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, tailback Aneyas Williams, and many others. 

So what about this season? 

Judging by spring ball and training camp, it appears many of Notre Dame’s 25 freshmen seem poised to make some sort of impact in the same way many other Irish rookies have under Freeman and Co. 

Tight end James Flanagan, safety JaDon Blair, cornerback Dallas Golden, linebacker Madden Faraimo, and wide receiver Elijah Burress — who ESPN recently put on its watch list for first-year players ready to make an immediate impact — are just a few Irish frosh to keep an eye on this fall. 

And every season, another Irish rookie or two emerge without any hype or warning. 

What’s interesting, the Notre Dame coaches don’t guarantee immediate playing time or make other false promises during the recruiting process while finding these impactful rookies. 

Instead, they show prospective players through proven freshman performance what’s possible, because the Irish staff puts talent and readiness ahead of grade level. 

“Keep preparing,” Freeman said. “Take care of the opportunity out in front of yourself, and then you’ll get the opportunity to do it in front of thousands, and millions of people.”