Hot and Cold: A Deeper Look Into Notre Dame's Christian Gray
- Noah Wehby
- 11 minutes ago
- 4 min read
It is no secret that the Notre Dame defense has severely struggled to start the season, especially the secondary. Christian Gray is a big part of that secondary, and like the rest of his unit, Gray needs to improve quickly if Notre Dame wants to right their wrongs.
Art by The Irish Tribune
Last season, Gray burst onto the scene in his new role as a starting cornerback. Paired with Benjamin Morrison and Leonard Moore, Gray was the ball hawk defensive back who made that entire secondary a dangerous one to throw at, and it was apparent from the start. In the opening game against Texas A&M, it was Gray who jumped a slant route perfectly on fourth down to seal the game. As the season went on, Gray's role also grew due to Morrison's season-ending injury. This meant that Gray was going to see a lot of the other team's best receiver, and that is where problems began to show themselves.
Against USC, Gray struggled for much of that game, as USC seemed to pick Gray out as a player who could attack. It worked for a while until Gray came up with the game-sealing pick-six. It was a highlight of the entire season due to its huge significance; Gray's interception delivered Notre Dame to the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Fast forward to the Orange Bowl, Gray came up big once again late in the game. With the game tied and Penn State with the ball, Gray jumped a route, resulting in an interception.
That interception gave Notre Dame the ball and the field position they needed to win the game, another highlight of the season. That was the theme for Gray in 2024. He was a solid player who would get beaten from time to time, but he always seemed to come up with the big play in the clutch. It was almost like he made up for the plays he would give up with one big play that would win the game. Last year, with that amazing defense, that worked. The plays he gave up were situations the defense could get out of or survive. This year, that does not seem to be the case so far.
Coming into the year, the expectation appeared to be that Gray was going to clean up the plays he always seemed to give up last year, while keeping that clutch playmaking that made him so special last season. So far, nothing has changed except that Gray has yet to make a game-changing play. He is still getting beaten consistently, usually for big plays. With Leonard Moore on the other side of the field, Gray was supposed to be the really talented number two who always had the chance to pick one off. As a whole unit, this has been the reality. This group appears to be talented with young players, but so far, it has been widely disappointing. But is all of it his fault?
Firstly, it is important to realize who he was playing with last year. Whether it was Morrison, Moore, or Xavier Watts, Gray was surrounded by awesome talent, which only made his job easier. It is fair to say that a player like Watts probably masked a good amount of mistakes that the secondary made. It is also important to understand the change in defensive line play. Last season, Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III were able to bring pressure consistently, forcing the quarterback to throw hurried and inaccurate passes to Gray and company.
This season, there has been little to no pressure. This means that Gray and this secondary are being asked to cover receivers for longer and defend accurate passes. Along with all of this, Gray is also having to deal with the change of a new coordinator. Al Golden was considered to be one of the best in the business, and Notre Dame has felt his absence. Now, with Chris Ash, Notre Dame is running more zone defense, which has only seemed to slow down a defense that prides itself on speed.
Overall, Gray has been a disappointing part of a disappointing secondary. With the expectations of Gray and this unit coming into the year, many believed they would once again be one of the best. Instead, they rank among the worst in passing defense, a category they were top five in last year. Gray is a huge part of that. As an upperclassman, Gray was projected to be one of the leaders on this team, but he is still making the same mistakes last season, showing little to no progress from 2024. With 10 games still to go, Gray has plenty of time to change the narrative that is currently surrounding him. He is talented and has a real knack for getting his hands on the football, but Notre Dame needs to start seeing that form of Christian game real soon if they want to make the changes necessary to win football games.
Want the latest intel on Notre Dame football? Subscribe to Tribune+ and get access to recruiting and team intel from The Irish Tribune team, as well as access to our intel community, exclusive app, and more Notre Dame content: Subscribe here to support our independent journalism.
Follow The Irish Tribune on social media:
Liked this story? Subscribe to our mailing list and get every story in your inbox.
Check out our Irish partners:
TMPR Sports - Use code "IrishTribune20"Â to get $20Â off your officially-licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle here!