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Notre Dame vs Miami: An Offensive Depth Chart Breakdown

As Notre Dame prepares their sequel to last season's CFP Championship run, they open this season with a ranked primetime road matchup against Miami. How will the Irish handle the Hurricanes' pass-heavy attack that led the country in yards and scoring a year ago? We preview each team's offensive pieces for Sunday's thriller below:

CJ Carr and Carson Beck throwing at fall camp.

(Left) Photo via Notre Dame Athletics; (Right) Photo via Miami Athletics


Quarterback:


Carson Beck (Miami) - The Georgia transfer makes his return from a torn UCL in his throwing elbow and his Miami debut. The 23-year-old compiled a 24-3 record while amassing 7,900 passing yards and 58 touchdowns as a Bulldog. The Hurricanes’ offensive brain trust of HC Mario Cristobal and OC/QB Coach Shannon Dawson hope for a repeat dream transfer season from their signal-caller, like Cam Ward was able to lead a year ago. Beck will have a lot to live up to in this pass-heavy offense that led the country in total offense and scoring with Ward.


CJ Carr (Notre Dame) - Can the redshirt freshman deliver what Irish fans believe is promised? Marcus Freeman seems to think so. The Michigan legacy will make his first career start for Notre Dame under the bright lights of Hard Rock Stadium. Luckily for Carr, he has the talent surrounding him to succeed. The interesting aspect of Carr’s debut is how OC Mike Denbrock calls the game for the former four-star recruit. Will this season include a more balanced approach compared to last year’s run-heavy scheme which led to over 200 rushing yards per game? There is a chance we have that answer following two ranked matchups to open the season.



Running Backs:


Mark Fletcher Jr. (Miami) - Two of the key returning Hurricanes are the running back duo of Fletcher and Jordan Lyle. After combining for over 1,000 yards while playing behind Damien Martinez, a 7th-round NFL Draft selection by the Seattle Seahawks, Fletcher looks to be the featured back this season after rushing for over 600 yards and nine touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry last year. 


Jordan Lyle (Miami) - The second half of one of the top running back duos in the ACC is the shifty, six-foot sophomore. As a true freshman, Lyle showcased his wheels while setting a program record for the longest rush from scrimmage on a 91-yard touchdown dash against USF. He finished the year with 400 rushing yards and four touchdowns on an impressive 7.4 yards per carry. Lyle will look to build off his solid debut year against a stout Irish rush defense.



Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) - How will the best running back in the country follow up his sensational sophomore campaign? The expectations are set, and the nation will be watching Love, being named a first-team Preseason All-American by nearly every major media outlet, including AP, ESPN, and The Athletic. Last year, Love rushed for 1,125 yards on 6.9 yards per carry and 17 touchdowns. After rushing for a touchdown in 13 straight games and totaling 100-plus yards in five contests, Love’s Heisman campaign has already begun.


Jadarian Price (Notre Dame) -  Whoever your favorite sidekick is, that is what Price is to Love. The 5-11, 210-pound redshirt junior would be the featured back on most power conference programs. Last season, Price averaged 6.2 yards per carry while rushing for 746 yards and seven touchdowns. Something to monitor throughout the year will be how much each back is featured following the hiring of RB Coach Ja’Juan Seider, after Deland McCullough departed and accepted the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders. 


Others to watch: Aneyas Williams (Notre Dame)


Receivers:


Joshisa "Jojo" Trader (Miami) - Miami has some work to do when it comes to finding this year’s go-to weapons after losing its top six pass-catchers from a season ago. Trader is a returning sophomore who saw action in seven games as a freshman, doing most of his damage in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. In the bowl matchup against Iowa State, the 6-1 receiver hauled in three catches for 61 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown, the first of his career. Prior to Miami, Trader was a consensus four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American out of Florida high school powerhouse, Chaminade-Madonna.



CJ Daniels (Miami) - One of the many new transfer offensive skill players is the former Liberty Flame and LSU Tiger. Daniels was a gem at Liberty, totaling 106 catches for 1,959 yards and 21 touchdowns in 42 games played (19 starts). After a 1,000-plus yard and 10 touchdown 2023 season, the 6-2 receiver transferred to LSU. Last season, his lone as a Tiger, Daniels finished with 42 catches for 480 yards, failing to find the endzone in a somewhat disappointing year. The Georgia native will look to bounce back in his last collegiate season as a featured weapon in this year’s Hurricanes' pass offense.


Tony Johnson (Miami) - Another transfer, Johnson comes with a nice story. He began his college career as a walk-on at Florida Atlantic, eventually becoming a key starter for the Owls. From 2021-23, Johnson recorded 60 catches for 669 yards and seven touchdowns in 25 games played at FAU. Last season, the 5-10 athlete transferred to Cincinnati and put together a career-best season with the Bearcats. Johnson finished with 48 receptions and 449 yards, including a team-high six touchdowns. The Ocala native returns to his home state of Florida looking to put an exclamation point on his collegiate career.


Keelan Marion (Miami) - The Atlanta native is another Hurricanes receiver at his third school. Marion impressed as a true freshman at UConn, catching 28 passes for 474 yards and a team-high five touchdowns in 12 starts. Following an injury-riddled sophomore year, the six-foot receiver transferred to BYU. Through two seasons in Provo, Marion brought the same consistent production from his freshman year at UConn, hauling in 44 catches for 562 yards and a touchdown across 25 games played. The intriguing aspect of Marion is what he can bring to the Hurricanes’ kickoff unit after averaging over 26 yards per return and two touchdowns at BYU last season.


Malachi Fields (Notre Dame) - The Virginia transfer and third-team All-ACC selection looks to become Carr’s favorite target this fall. Fields brings 113 catches for 1,619 yards and 10 touchdowns across 24 starts the last two seasons to South Bend. With another 800-yard campaign, the 6-4 weapon would become the first Irish receiver to accomplish that feat since Kevin Austin Jr. in 2021.


Jordan Faison (Notre Dame) - The junior two-sport athlete finished last season with 30 catches for 356 yards and a touchdown in 13 games played. A steady contributor through his first two years in South Bend, Faison will be looking for a true breakout season.


Jaden Greathouse (Notre Dame) - Notre Dame’s top receiver and slot-man returns after posting 42 receptions for 592 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-1 junior will look to carry his momentum from the end of last season, when he combined for 233 yards and three scores on 13 catches against Penn State and Ohio State, into this year.


Will Pauling (Notre Dame) - The former Cincinnati and Wisconsin transfer has clearly made an impactful early impression on his teammates after being voted as a Notre Dame Captain recently. The experienced leader started all 23 games he played in as a Badger, recording 116 receptions for 1,244 yards and nine touchdowns. Like Greathouse, Pauling also receives the majority of his work out of the slot, creating a potentially lethal duo for opposing defenses. 


Others to watch: Ray Ray Joseph (Miami), Malachi Toney (Miami), Micah Gilbert (Notre Dame), KK Smith (Notre Dame)



Tight Ends:


Elija Lofton (Miami) - The 6’3 sophomore looks to fill the void left by the Seahawks’ second-round selection, Elijah Arroyo. The similarly named Elija Lofton appeared in all 13 games last season as a true freshman, recording nine catches for 150 yards and a touchdown. Prior to Miami, Lofton was a four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American out of Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. 


Eli Raridon (Notre Dame) - The 6-7, 252-pound athlete could be in for a big year following the departure of Mitchell Evans, a fifth-round selection by the Carolina Panthers. Fully recovered from his ACL injury, Raridon appeared in every game last season with three starts. He finished the year with 11 catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Look for the versatile tight end to be a comfort option for Carr as he adjusts to the new game speed.


Others to watch: Alex Bauman (Miami, brother of former Irish TE Kevin), Jack Nickel (Miami), Jack Larsen (Notre Dame), Ty Washington (Notre Dame)


Offensive Line:


LT Markel Bell, LG Ryan Rodriguez, C James Brockermeyer, RG Anez Cooper, RT Francis Mauigoa (Miami) - Coach Cristobal has established that the Hurricanes will have an elite offensive line ever since he took over, and this year does not look to be any different. Loaded with experience, this starting group features all seniors except for likely future first-round draft pick, junior RT Francis Mauigoa. The right side of the line returns both starters from a year ago, a combination that allowed just four sacks across 1,126 pass block snaps. On the left side, Bell returns after making five starts last season; however, there was a clear production drop-off when the original starter, Jalen Rivers, a Cincinnati Bengals fifth-round selection, was out with injury. Speaking of injury, LG Rodriguez will make his return to the gridiron after suffering a season-ending ankle injury in the team’s first game last year. He did impress in his limited playing time in 2023 when he made six appearances with one start. At center is the former Alabama and TCU transfer, Brockermeyer appeared in 16 games across two seasons in Tuscaloosa, serving as a backup, before transferring to TCU last year. His pass blocking prowess earned Brockermeyer All-Big 12 honorable mention before transferring to Miami this fall.


LT Anthonie Knapp, LG Billy Schrauth, C Ashton Craig, RG Guerby Lambert, RT Aamil Wagner (Notre Dame) - At an even higher level than Miami, the Irish churn out elite offensive lines and have been doing so for over a decade. Carr is set to have great protection all season from a group that exercised its depth a year ago. The studs of this season’s line are the tackles, both of which are returning starters. Knapp, a sophomore, was very impressive in the second half of last year before an untimely injury against Penn State forced him to miss the CFP Championship, his only missed game of the season. Wagner, a redshirt junior, started every game a year ago and is set to be the leader of this unit. An extremely well-rounded blocker, Wagner is on a fast track to be the next great Irish lineman in the NFL. There are question marks on the interior, but I would not classify these questions as necessarily worrisome. Craig started the first three games last season before suffering a season-ending injury at Purdue. Schrauth made the transition from RG to LG last year after suffering an injury that forced him to miss nearly five weeks and finished the season as the unquestioned starter at the position. Following Charles Jagusah’s offseason injury, Lambert is set to take his place to open the year. The redshirt freshman appeared in six games last season at tackle and emerged as a well-rounded blocker with great potential in his limited playing time.


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