The Grading it Out: Notre Dame's Impactful Midseason Performers
- Noah Wehby
- 49 minutes ago
- 4 min read
As week nine of the college football approaches, Notre Dame enters their bye week with a 5-2 record. After suffering two heartbreaking losses to begin the year, the team has rallied to win five in a row. Let's take a look at who has been the most impactful to start the year, and who still needs to improve heading into the back half of the schedule.
CJ Carr, Quarterback: A
In just his first season as the starting quarterback, CJ Carr has exceeded expectations to become one of the brightest young stars in college football. Coming into the year, the biggest question surrounding Notre Dame was at the quarterback position. The competition between Carr and Kenny Minchey went right down to the wire with Carr prevailing. Since that moment, Carr has been largely lights out. In seven games, Carr has totaled 1,758 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He put up these impressive numbers all while throwing at an efficient 66% completion rate. Carr has also shown an impressive level of composure in big moments this year, leading a game-tying and a go-ahead drive late in the Miami and Texas A&M games. Most recently, Carr may have had his worst game of the season against USC this past week. From the start, he looked off, as he missed some easy throws and threw a truly head-scratching interception in the red zone. Even with this performance, Carr has answered any questions people had about the quarterback position at Notre Dame, cementing his place on this team with his stellar play.
Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, Running Backs: A
If there were still any questions about who made up the best running back tandem in the country, these two have silenced them. The combination of Love and Price has been dominant ever since they were inexplicably underutilized against Miami. To start with Love, he has picked up right where he left off in the 2024 season. Coming into the season, Love was regarded as the best running back in the country, and he has not disappointed. As of now, Love has already ran for 758 yards and has accounted for 12 touchdowns. While he is still looking for his signature breakaway touchdown run, Love has devastated opposing defenses with his explosive athleticism and punishing physicality. In the Irish's most recent matchup against USC, Love was a man possessed, as he carried the Notre Dame offense with 265 yards of total offense. With that performance, he is now starting to get Heisman considerations, a testament to his talent and impact on this team. To claim the title of the best running back room in the country, there needs to be at least two outstanding players. For Notre Dame, they may have the best "two" in the country. While he may be widely known as the backup to Love, Price is good enough to be the starter on pretty much any other team. That is what makes this duo so dangerous for opposing defenses. If Love needs a breather, there is no noticeable drop-off in talent, meaning the defenses never get a chance to take a break themselves. So far, Price is already up to 509 yards and nine total touchdowns. He has been able to grind away at defenses while also showing his exciting ability to break long runs for touchdowns. Though it seemed like it could not get any better, Price also made his presence felt on special teams, when his 99-yard kickoff return gave Notre Dame the lead back against USC in emphatic fashion.
Chris Ash, Defensive Coordinator: B-
Chris Ash has been the topic of conversation surrounding Notre Dame this season, for better or worse. Ash took over a defense from Al Golden that ranked amongst the very best in the country a season ago, especially in the secondary. The expectation was that the Fighting Irish defense would be just as good once again. After the first three games of the season, that expectation was spoiled quickly. In those first three games, Notre Dame allowed just under 33 points per game, a far cry from the standard Notre Dame defenses had established years before this 2025 season. If this grade was based off just those three games, Ash's grade would easily be an "F". Luckily for Ash and this defense, the situation began to improve rapidly after the Purdue game. Just one week after that game, Notre Dame was able to hold Arkansas' offense to just 13 points, which is the only game where they were held to under 31 points all season. Since then, Ash's defense went on to smother Boise State and NC State, as they only let up seven points in each of those contests. The biggest test to see if this defense really had improved came last week against the Trojans. Going into the game, USC touted one of the best offenses in the country, and Notre Dame handled them well. While they did allow 24 points, Notre Dame largely held USC's offense in check, even causing multiple game-altering turnovers. The turnovers point to one of the biggest improvements this defense has seen under Ash's leadership. To start the year, Notre Dame looked slow on defense. They reacted slowly to plays, they never seemed to be around the ball, and lacked the game speed to create chaos for the opposing offense. Now, this defense looks like they are beginning to increase the speed at which they play at. The sacks are starting to see an uptick, the created chaos is leading to turnovers, and the aggressiveness is leading to more negative plays. While it was fair to criticize him when his defense was struggling, it is time to give him some flowers for the improvements this defense has shown.
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