Clemson gets its revenge on Notre Dame, throws Playoff picture into chaos

By Douglas FarmerDec 19, 2020, 7:20 PM EST

Getty Images

Notre Dame’s Round II with Clemson was not a sequel to their November classic, but rather a remake of the original meeting in this era, the Tigers blowout in the 2018 Playoff semifinal. With the 34-10 loss on Saturday in the ACC title game, the No. 2 Irish may have jeopardized their return to the College Football Playoff.

Clemson star junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence was not the outright difference between the beatdown in Charlotte and the double-overtime thriller in South Bend six weeks ago, though he scored three early long touchdowns that set back Notre Dame (10-1, 9-1 ACC) in a way eerily reminiscent of that Cotton Bowl’s second-quarter surge. Rather, the real difference was the Tigers’ defense.

It held the Irish to 1.5 yards per rush, not just swarming sophomore running back Kyren Williams but also blowing right through the vaunted Notre Dame offensive line. That line had allowed only 17 sacks through 10 games this season, until Clemson (10-1, 9-1 ACC) broke through for six, costing the Irish 39 yards. Even if discounting those numbers from Notre Dame’s rushing stats, it averaged a mere 3.5 yards per carry.

After reaching scoring territory on each of their first three drives, the Irish could not find an offensive rhythm again. They would, in fact, not cross the Tigers’ 40-yard line again until trailing by 31 points with about eight minutes left in the game, a span of six drives, and even then it was only courtesy of a Clemson targeting penalty. Notre Dame capitalized on that gift with a 21-yard Chris Tyree touchdown rush, the definition of too little, too late — but for a broader conversation, perhaps just enough in the nick of time.

“We couldn’t finish off drives. We missed a field goal and then we got into a situation where we were in first-down situations, we were not very good running the ball on first down,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “We had some negative yardage plays. It’s the nature of playing an opponent a second time, they’re going to do some things.”

Dabo Swinney on earlier Notre Dame game: “They stormed the field and all that stuff, and I told the guys in the locker room, no trophy was handed out tonight… When we get to Charlotte we’ll get on the field and we’ll get the trophy.”

— Matt Connolly (@MattatTheState) December 20, 2020

Those three early scoring opportunities (drives inside the opponent’s 40-yard line) retroactively represented the best Irish chance at getting to the Tigers before Lawrence found his groove. Instead, Notre Dame settled for a field goal, missed its next field goal and then was too worried about attempting another to do so and instead turned over the ball on downs.

Clemson needed three plays to turn that missed field goal into a touchdown, Lawrence connecting with senior Amari Rodgers for a 67-yard score at the expense of Irish sixth-year safety Shaun Crawford. Then after Notre Dame’s fourth-down failure, Lawrence directed a surgical six-play drive, throwing for 54 yards and rushing for 14, to take a decisive 14-3 lead.

A 14-3 lead should not be considered decisive, but with how Lawrence was humming, the Irish missed opportunities immediately loomed large, not to mention it was the first time all season Notre Dame trailed by more than a touchdown.

The presumptive No. 1 NFL draft pick, Lawrence’s Heisman campaign enjoyed a surge just before votes are due, as he finished with 322 passing yards, 90 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.

He won his third ACC title and Clemson’s sixth straight, an honor Notre Dame will now go back to not worrying about, and Lawrence secured the Tigers’ sixth straight Playoff bid, an opportunity the Irish now must worry about.

What can’t Trevor Lawrence do?

pic.twitter.com/maHMY6V9F5

— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 19, 2020

“There’s no doubt this football team is one of the four best football teams in the country,” Kelly said. “… We’ve got two top-15 wins, we’ve got a win over this Clemson team that was No. 1 in the country. I don’t know that anybody has a résumé that has those two wins, and we played 11 games, that matters. Testing your team week-in and week-out, that puts us as, without question, one of the top-four teams in the country.”

Nothing anyone can say, no amount of politicking from Brian Kelly, no amount of logic herein will soothe those Notre Dame worries until the Playoff field is set at 12 ET on Sunday on ESPN. The question goes beyond if the Irish deserve entry into the four-team field. If they do not, who should be the fourth team?

Alabama and Clemson will certainly headline the proceedings, the Tide heading to the Sugar Bowl after its entertaining win in the SEC title game tonight and the Tigers heading to AT&T Stadium outside of Dallas in place of the Rose Bowl. Given the Playoff selection committee kept Ohio State at No. 4 throughout its truncated schedule, it is rather clear the Buckeyes will reach the Playoff after beating No. 14 Northwestern in the Big Ten championship.

That will leave Notre Dame, No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 9 Cincinnati as the prime candidates to face Alabama in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. An honest and fair process would very simply send the 9-0 Bearcats, but the committee has made it clear the Group of Five has no hopes of reaching the Playoff.

Meanwhile, the Aggies have a win against No. 7 Florida, but no other result at all comparable to the Irish demolition of No. 15 North Carolina, a performance so impressive the committee moved the defeated Tar Heels up two spots in the rankings afterward. Furthermore, A&M’s loss came at the hands of Alabama, 52-24. Setting up a semifinal rematch may be a hurdle the committee balks at clearing.

The strongest argument against selecting Notre Dame is the recency of its loss to Clemson. Tyree’s late touchdown did not do much to salve the optics of the loss, but it was better than nothing, a 34-3 loss literally looking worse on the screen. When it comes to football, though, this happens.

“I think we deserve it,” said fifth-year quarterback and two-year captain Ian Book, who finished with 219 yards on 20-of-28 passing. “I think tonight wasn’t our night. Everybody who has played football before understands there are bad nights. That was tonight.”

"Absolutely Notre Dame deserves to be in because they're daggum 10-1," Dabo Swinney says. "No way would I punish someone for playing more games. That's what we seem to be doing. .. I don't get that. Notre Dame should be in."

— Grace Raynor (@gmraynor) December 20, 2020

If the committee were just, Cincinnati would meet the Tide. It is not, and Notre Dame stacks up inarguably well against the only other option for the fourth Playoff seed.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME
Kickers miss. And for that matter, senior Jonathan Doerer’s doink in the first quarter was not the real issue. The real issue was attempting the field goal at all.

The Irish struggled in the red zone against the Tigers in November, scoring only three touchdowns on six trips. Doing so again against a more realized version of Clemson was tempting something other than fate, more an inevitability.

“We have to finish,” Kelly said. “We can’t keep leaving points out here. There’s only so much you can do at that point.”

Doerer made his first field goal, a 51-yarder that set an ACC championship game record, so at least Notre Dame will remain in the conference record books in one regard. But he sent his next, a 24-yarder, off the upright. The Irish had not only squandered two possessions in scoring range, they had also compromised their confidence in Doerer — or, if not that, put themselves too far behind the proverbial eight-ball to proceed three points at a time moving forward.

If Notre Dame had converted one of those, it may not have felt so desperate to attempt a fourth-and-three early in the second quarter, though analytically it still should have. When senior receiver Avery Davis dropped Book’s scrambling pass along the sideline, the Irish had thus left up to 17 points on the field in the first 18 minutes of the game.

Notre Dame was never going to win Saturday — “They were the better team,” Kelly said. “They were much more consistent than we were today.” — but some early offensive proficiency where it mattered most would likely have squashed the Playoff concern now rampant.

STAT OF THE GAME
Nov. 7 Irish rushing yards: 216 on 38 carries (sacks adjusted).
Nov. 7 Tigers rushing yards: 48 on 31 carries (sacks adjusted).
Dec. 19 Irish rushing yards: 83 on 24 carries (sacks adjusted).
Dec. 19 Tigers rushing yards: 225 on 25 carries (sacks adjusted).

When Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said his team was manhandled in the trenches six weeks ago, this was the reversal he undoubtedly had in mind.

SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
8:16 — Notre Dame field goal. Jonathan Doerer 51 yards. Notre Dame 3, Clemson 0. (11 plays, 46 yards, 6:44)
0:41 — Clemson touchdown. Amari Rodgers 67-yard pass from Trevor Lawrence. B.T. Potter PAT good. Clemson 7, Notre Dame 3. (3 plays, 80 yards, 1:01)

Second Quarter
9:24 — Clemson touchdown. E.J. Williams 33-yard pass from Lawrence. Potter PAT good. Clemson 14, Notre Dame 3. (6 plays, 72 yards, 2:44)
4:28 — Clemson field goal. Potter 27 yards. Clemson 17, Notre Dame 3 (8 plays, 63 yards, 2:37)
0:21 — Clemson touchdown. Travis Etienne 44-yard rush. Potter PAT good. Clemson 24, Notre Dame 3. (10 plays, 88 yards, 1:49)

Third Quarter
3:43 — Clemson touchdown. Lawrence 34-yard rush. Potter PAT good. Clemson 31, Notre Dame 3. (8 plays, 83 yards, 2:35)

Fourth Quarter
10:31 — Clemson field goal. Potter 37 yards. Clemson 34, Notre Dame 3. (12 plays, 66 yards, 6:22)
8:09 — Notre Dame touchdown. Chris Tyree 21-yard rush. Doerer PAT good. Clemson 34, Notre Dame 10. (7 plays, 75 yards, 2:22)

There are somehow #NotreDame fans blaming the defense tonight, insisting Clark Lea is already focused on Vanderbilt.
Setting aside the fact that the Irish offense scored just 10 points … Lea's defense held Clemson BELOW its expected point total of 34.5 today.
Now 25 of 37. https://t.co/ao0erVvWiX

— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) December 20, 2020

tweet to @d_farmer

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 79 Tosh Baker, senior tackle, again a backup but next year …

By Douglas FarmerMay 31, 2023, 2:00 PM EDT

Getty Images

Listed measurements: 6-foot-8, 310 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A senior, Baker has two years of eligibility remaining.
Depth Chart: Baker had the misfortune of arriving at Notre Dame just one year before the increasingly-heralded tackle duo of Blake Fisher and Joe Alt. Thus, Baker remains a backup as a senior, presumably penciled in as the No. 2 left tackle behind Alt on the public depth chart but perhaps the immediate option at both tackle positions if injury befalls either Fisher or Alt.
Recruiting: The No. 5 offensive tackle in his class, per rivals.com, when he signed with Notre Dame, Baker fell to No. 13 by the end of the recruiting cycle, another example of recruiting rankings being fickle and confounding. Baker chose the Irish over the likes of Alabama, Michigan and Ohio State, a high-profile recruitment despite coming from Scottsdale, Ariz.

CAREER TO DATE
Baker had one chance at a prolonged starting career at Notre Dame despite Fisher and Alt bearing down behind him. His headstart was mitigated by the loss of strength and conditioning effectiveness felt by freshmen across the country in 2020; Baker quite literally could not log the 12 months of intense weight-room work that is a pillar for freshman offensive linemen. That made it less surprising when Fisher beat out Baker for the starting left tackle gig in 2021, making Fisher the second freshman to ever start on the Irish offensive line in a season opener, but then a meniscus tear in that very first half sidelined Fisher until the bowl game. Current senior, then-sophomore, Michael Carmody stepped in for Fisher until a sprained ankle forced Baker into action.

Alas, a concussion ended Baker’s starting cameo two games later, two games with middling success but encouraging enough success given Baker was a sophomore, as well. Alt then took over, and the rest has become history.

Baker missed just one week due to the concussion, but Alt was already off to the races.

2020: 2 games.
2021: 11 games, 2 starts.
2022: 13 games as a reserve, largely as field-goal protection.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
The life of an offensive lineman at Notre Dame has long seemed an enviable one: Eat effectively as much as you want, have a built-in close friend group of about a dozen other behemoths, dodge most of the spotlight that can make being a top-tier football player less enviable.

Scroll to the third photo in this Instagram post and see a few examples of that: Having fun at a minor league baseball game with other offensive linemen. Look closer, and realize Baker towers behind comedian Bret Kreischer, who while only 6-foot has made some of his fame on being a rather robust individual, himself.

On that note, the previous entry in this “99-to-0” series was on No. 83 Jayden Thomas, a junior receiver often referred to as a tight end last season by broadcasters. They were imprecise in that description, but their reasoning was clear. Thomas is a wide-bodied target. And now realize Baker stands 6.5 inches taller than Thomas and weighs 90 more pounds.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TB (@toshbaker_)

QUOTES
New Irish offensive line coach Joe Rudolph shares an ethos with his predecessor, Harry Hiestand: Always get the five best offensive linemen on the field together and figure out positions as need be from there. In that respect, Rudolph mentioned Baker could be a backup at guard as well as tackle. In other words, Baker may be Notre Dame’s clear No. 6 offensive lineman, and barring an injury at center, he could have a chance to play if any shuffling is needed.

“You have to concentrate on always having a plan together in terms of what are the things you need to address,” Rudolph said in April. “… You have to have trust that there’s a vision that sees you and always has a vision of trying to put the five best buys on the field together.

“Those things probably have to go hand-in-hand. That’s what I’ve shared with [Baker] along the way, told him I’d get most of his reps at tackle, but he’s absolutely someone that could go inside.”

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“No offense to Baker, but the Irish would undoubtedly not mind a season of relative health at left and right tackle, keeping him on the sideline. The run of injuries last year was unprecedented in recent times, and played a distinct part in Notre Dame’s early-season offensive struggles. Now with a young quarterback, a stable offensive line will be crucial.

“To some extent, though, having Baker as a backup provides some stability. His two starts last season were not stellar, but they were promising enough. He has all the makings of a strong left tackle, should that opportunity arise.

“It is more likely he spends the season working behind Alt and learning under returned offensive line coach Harry Hiestand.”

2023 OUTLOOK
Let’s offer some transparency here: While this space refrains from speculating on transfer candidates, it keeps an in-house list in an attempt to be loosely prepared for the chaos of the winter and spring transfer windows. Baker’s name was at the top of that list this spring.

Obviously, he did not transfer.

The logic was simple: He should be close to his degree and he could start for most Power Five teams. Furthermore, quality offensive line talent is rare in the transfer portal, so a generous response could have awaited Baker.

A few things can be gleaned by Baker not transferring: Rudolph was well-received this spring, the Notre Dame offensive line culture so maintained by Hiestand has not wavered, and Baker is satisfied with how he is treated, both on the field and off.

All that said, it is still hard to see Baker as a starter in Dublin or one at all barring injury. Alt and Fisher are clearly entrenched at each tackle position, fifth-year Andrew Kristofic has starting experience at guard and three other interior linemen are competing to start opposite him. Rudolph may say Baker could play inside, but at 6-foot-8, he is very much an outside body type.

Another year of support work likely awaits Baker.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TB (@toshbaker_)

DOWN THE ROAD
But then, and this may be the other thought to him not transferring, a starting role could await Baker.

It will be an absolute stunner if Alt does not jump into the NFL draft after this season. He should be a top-10 pick, if not top-5. Fisher may go with him, if he has an impressive enough season. At some point, some offseason research needs to be done on teams that have sent two tackles into the same draft’s first two rounds, first round and first 15 picks, just to set some historical precedent.

Regardless of Fisher’s choice, Baker should be the clear beneficiary of Alt’s success. While it has forced Baker to the bench for years now, with Alt gone after 2023, Baker should start in 2024. Maybe that is at right tackle with Fisher flipping to left, maybe not. Either way, outside of Carmody and Fisher, no one else on the Irish roster has any collegiate experience at tackle.

That carrot presumably played a significant part in Baker not transferring despite there undoubtedly being a market for him. And one strong season as a starter on Notre Dame’s offensive line could be enough to propel him into an NFL career.

NOTRE DAME 99-TO-0
The summer countdown begins anew, Rylie Mills to Deion Colzie
No. 99 Rylie Mills, senior defensive tackle, moving back inside from end
No. 98 Devan Houstan, early-enrolled four-star defensive tackle
No. 97 Gabriel Rubio, junior defensive tackle, one of three Irish DTs with notable experience
No. 95 Tyson Ford, sophomore defensive tackle, up 30 pounds from a year ago
No. 92 Aidan Keanaaina, a senior defensive tackle now ‘fully healthy’ after a 2022 torn ACL
No. 91 Aiden Gobaira, sophomore defensive end, former four-star recruit
No. 90* Brenan Vernon, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 90* Boubacar Traore, incoming freshman defensive end, four-star recruit
No. 88 Mitchell Evans, the next starter at ‘TE U’
No. 86* Cooper Flanagan, incoming freshman tight end, four-star recruit
No. 85 Holden Staes, sophomore tight end, up 20 pounds in a year
No. 84 Kevin Bauman, senior tight end coming off a torn ACL
No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023
Rhode Island transfer safety Antonio Carter gives Notre Dame desperately needed backline depth
Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience

tweet to @d_farmer

Penn State RB transfer Devyn Ford gives Notre Dame newly-needed backfield depth, experience

By Douglas FarmerMay 30, 2023, 9:00 AM EDT

Getty Images

Entering spring practices, Notre Dame looked stocked at running back, returning two juniors who each rushed for at least 800 yards last season as well as a senior with 285 career touches. With three underclassmen supporting them, the Irish were wealthy in both depth and experience at running back.

But then Notre Dame moved Chris Tyree to receiver, in part due to that bounty at running back and in part to be more assured the speedster would find playing time regardless, and Logan Diggs transferred to LSU. One of those underclassmen, sophomore Jadarian Price, is recovering from an Achilles injury that, on a common timeline following that devastating injury, could hinder him yet in August and September, if not longer should there be any version of a setback. Incoming freshman Jeremiyah Love has yet to arrive on campus.

Junior Audric Estimé may look the part of a workhorse, but the Irish depth is no longer as thorough and the experience has quickly diminished.

Enter Penn State graduate transfer running back Devyn Ford, adding depth back into the Irish backfield and possibly some untapped talent with his Friday commitment. Ford fell out of the Nittany Lions rotation the last two seasons simply because younger players impressed. He had 131 touches in his first two seasons, gaining 622 yards and scoring six times.

Ford focused on kickoff returns in 2021, taking 12 for 258 yards, an average of 21.5 yards, while getting just 14 carries for 61 yards. Then he was only a special teams contributor in 2022 as a pair of freshmen took over the rushing workload (Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combining for 1,928 yards on 323 carries) and the kickoff return duties (Singleton had 14 returns for an average of 24.9 yards and one touchdown). Ford’s on-field roles were gone, so he called it a season after just four games in order to preserve a year of eligibility, transferring with up to two seasons still ahead of him.

Ford arrived at Penn State in 2019 as the No. 1 running back in the recruiting class, per rivals.com, and the No. 40 overall prospect. As anyone would expect from a recruiting profile like that, he was also sought by Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State, to name a few, as a high-school prospect. Players with that background somewhat rarely hit the transfer wire, making Ford an intriguing lottery ticket for Notre Dame.

Bringing in Ford gives the Irish 83 scholarship players expected for this fall, two less than the NCAA maximum allowed.

He wore No. 28 at Penn State, digits currently unclaimed on the Notre Dame roster aside from walk-on receiver Griffin Eifert, so unless Ford is proactively seeking a fresh start in all regards, he may end up in those familiar numbers in preseason practices. But let’s use his transfer announcement as an excuse to rattle off his “99-to-0” thoughts now.

Listed measurements: 5-foot-11, 200 pounds per Penn State’s website.
2023-24 year, eligibility: Ford enrolled at Penn State in 2019, so he has played four years, but 2020 did not count toward his ticking clock thanks to the universal pandemic eligibility waiver, and he stepped away from the Nittany Lions’ season after four games in 2022 in order to preserve an additional year of eligibility, meaning Ford has two years of eligibility remaining if wanted as he arrives in South Bend.
Depth Chart: Audric Estimé will start for Notre Dame in Dublin (88 days), barring injury. Behind him, sophomore Gi’Bran Payne is the most probable candidate to be the secondary Irish ball carrier, though he has his own history of injuries. Price should be given a lengthier runway to find full speed this season, a reason all on its own to want to bring in Ford. He could end up Estimé’s primary backup with an impressive preseason, but for now, presume Payne has that inside track while Ford begins his career in a gold helmet ahead of Love.
Recruiting: Some wondered if Ford’s collegiate career was concluded when he did not enter the transfer portal during the winter window. Instead, he entered the database in late April.

Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker was Penn State’s receivers coach in 2019, Ford’s freshman year, giving the Irish some direct knowledge of Ford as both a player and as a person, as well as a connection while he looked for a new school.

CAREER TO DATE
Ford came out of the gates strong in Happy Valley before his playing time dwindled, the kind of start expected from a recruit of his caliber, no matter how his Penn State career ended.

2019: 12 games; 52 rushes for 294 yards and three touchdowns with five catches for 30 yards.
2020: 6 games; 67 rushes for 274 yards and three touchdowns with seven catches for 24 yards.
2021: 8 games; 14 rushes for 61 yards and three catches for 18 yards while returning 12 kickoffs for an average of 21.5 yards.
2022: 4 games; 7 rushes for 37 yards.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
If Ford spent a chunk of May in Paris, then delaying his transfer decision was an exceedingly understandable decision.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Devyn Ford 🕊 (@d3vyn._f)

2023 OUTLOOK
Ford’s freshman year highlights show a player who should contribute for Notre Dame this fall. He does not run with the same force as Estimé — who does? — but Ford is an all-around back with able hands as a safety valve in the flat. Presuming he devotes himself to pass blocking, there should never be a moment when his being on the field gives away a play’s intention to the defense.

His tendency to keep his feet moving through contact allows Ford to maintain balance even after an initial hit, wearing out the defense a bit at the very least.

All of which is to say, Ford should be more than a place-filler transfer. Logically, at least one of Payne, Price and Love will be slowed by injury or fatigue this fall, a probability among any three running backs but a higher one among two with injury concerns and a third being a true freshman. If one of them gives pause, Ford will be no lower than Notre Dame’s fourth running back.

Because Estimé and Diggs were so durable last season, the Irish never leaned on a fourth back, but as often as not, one is needed. Consider the 2017-2019 averages from the fourth Notre Dame running backs in each season, taking 37.3 carries per season for 141.3 yards and 1.3 touchdowns. Those were backs by the names of Tony Jones Jr., Avery Davis and Jafar Armstrong, respectively.

Ford could add something similar to the Irish backfield in 2023. He certainly once had the physical skillset to do so. And if that becomes reality, no one should be more grateful than Estimé.

DOWN THE ROAD
Just because Ford will have eligibility in 2024 does not mean he will use it. That will be up to both the Irish coaching staff and Ford.

But given the likelihood Estimé heads to the NFL after 2023, keeping Ford around as an able body in the running back room would make sense. That may be where Diggs’ departure has the greatest impact. The odds were against both Estimé and Diggs having a strong enough 2023 season to justify jumping to the NFL, so one of them would have returned in 2024 and Notre Dame would have had four backs returning plus a freshman or two. (The No. 1 all-purpose back in the class, consensus four-star Aneyas Williams is currently the only Irish commitment at the position in the class of 2024.)

The Irish would now need Ford or yet another transfer to have those kinds of numbers, and the advantage of Ford will be familiarity.

tweet to @d_farmer

Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 83 Jayden Thomas, junior receiver, probable No. 1 target in 2023

By Douglas FarmerMay 26, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT

Getty Images

Listed measurements: 6-foot-1 ½, 220 pounds.
2023-24 year, eligibility: A junior, Thomas has three years of eligibility remaining thanks to playing in only three games as a freshman.
Depth Chart: Thomas’s moments of success in 2022 made him a clear starter for this coming season, the only question being at what position. By the end of spring practices, Thomas looked like the frontrunner at the boundary position, a similar big body as past boundary stars Miles Boykin, Chase Claypool and Kevin Austin, though significantly shorter than those predecessors.
Recruiting: Considered the No. 45 receiver in the class of 2021 by rivals.com, Thomas turned down most of the SEC as he chose Notre Dame, most notably his homestate Georgia. And any recruit chased by the Bulldogs in the last four years stands out more than usual given the overall quality of Georgia’s roster.

CAREER TO DATE
Thomas played all of 14 snaps as a freshman, spread across three November blowouts, but in practices leading up to the 2021 Fiesta Bowl, there was increasing hype around him possibly contributing. Then, Thomas did not play against Oklahoma State, despite then-Irish quarterback Jack Coan setting a program record with 70 dropbacks while throwing to effectively just three receivers.

That literal no-show threw Thomas’s progress into doubt. Was the hype real or the product of a fluke bowl practice?

Thomas proved it real with 25 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns last season, including five snags for 66 yards in the Gator Bowl win against South Carolina. Of those 25 receptions, 18 gained a first down, including eight on third down and another pair on second-and-long. When Notre Dame needed a chunk gain and tight end Michael Mayer was covered, Thomas was the most frequent beneficiary.

2021: 3 games.
2022: 13 games, 7 starts; 25 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns, highlighted by three catches for 80 yards and a score against Navy.

NAME, IMAGE, LIKENESS
Thomas is an avid golfer, at least as much as a Division I football player can be. (Scroll to the last picture in this Instagram post to see evidence of such.) Given NBC may be the biggest broadcast partner in golf, one would think some opportunity could exist for Thomas down the road, be it with a sponsor or simply a day watching a tournament from an up-close vantage point.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JT (@jayden1t)

Until then, Thomas offers personalized videos for fans via Cameo.

QUOTES
Thomas excelled out of the slot last season, many of those first-down gains coming when he worked downfield just past the linebacker level but still in front of the safeties. That positioning was advantageous for Thomas, and he knew it.

“In the slot, I definitely feel like I can get mismatches, whether that’s a nickel, smaller nickel, safety or even a linebacker,” Thomas said this spring. “None of those people can guard me at all.”

But with senior Chris Tyree moving to receiver from running back, slot is most likely filled by his speed. Moving Thomas to boundary will require some physical growth from him, even if some analysts already mistake him for a tight end.

“Definitely in the offseason, the spring, got to gain a little bit more muscle just to help me with my physicality and also speed,” Thomas said.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JT (@jayden1t)

WHAT WAS PROJECTED A YEAR AGO
“The spring version of Thomas was tantalizing. A leg injury played a role in his hushed freshman season, as did the strong play of Kevin Austin. Now fully healthy and without any clear-cut starter ahead of him, Thomas broke through. He may not be towering, but he has a wide frame, its own version of a size advantage. He ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash before arriving at Notre Dame, better speed than one expects when looking at him.

“That combination is what the Irish had in mind when they chased the Peach State product. That combination could make him a 2022 starter. At the very least, he will be a contributor.

“Notre Dame needs him to be.

“When the Irish face Ohio State (104 days), they will have just six or seven healthy scholarship receivers. One of those will be a former walk-on, Matt Salerno. Another will be a freshman yet to partake in a single practice, Tobias Merriweather. The ‘or seven’ will be sixth-year Avery Davis, recovering from an ACL torn in November. It seems increasingly likely fifth-year Joe Wilkins is not yet full-go after suffering a Lisfranc injury this spring.

“Notre Dame will hardly have a two-deep depth chart at receiver, so each available will be needed.

“And this spring suggested Thomas will be up to that task. If all he needs is chances like he got this spring, then he will have them. If he can produce — especially before Wilkins returns later in the season — then the Irish will continue going to him; they will have no one else to go to.

“A dozen catches from Thomas this season may seem like minimal production, but that would be enough to force defenses to acknowledge him on routes, opening up the field for the likes of [Braden] Lenzy, [Lorenzo] Styles and star tight end Michael Mayer. If he builds that out to 20 catches, then suddenly Notre Dame’s offense may be nearing a worthwhile hum. …

“Lenzy should be gone in 2023. Davis certainly will be. Wilkins’ injury throws some uncertainty into his projections. But either way, the time will fully arrive for the Irish stellar 2021 receiver recruiting to pay off.

“Pulling in a trio of four-star receivers was unlike Notre Dame of late. It had not snagged that many four-star receivers in one class since 2015. In the five cycles between those two classes, the Irish snagged a total of 5 four- or five-star receivers, lowlighted by not signing a single receiver in the class of 2019.

“Things have bettered in this regard, or they at least seem to be, but for now, Notre Dame still needs to make the most of every possible perimeter playmaker it has on its roster. All three of Styles, [Deion] Colzie and Thomas need to pan out for the Irish to sniff the Playoff in the next two or three seasons.

“A full season of snaps with that dozen catches could propel Thomas into a strong offseason and such rewards.”

2023 OUTLOOK
Thomas met and exceeded last year’s modest expectations, more impressive when remembering he was not a consistent starter until the season’s final month. Stepping into a more leading role with a far more prolific quarterback directing the offense should amplify Thomas’s stats by default.

Are 50 catches possible? Yes, though that may be about Thomas’s ceiling this season, given Wake Forest transfer quarterback Sam Hartman should want to spread the ball around his targets, and 50 receptions could be nearly a fifth of Hartman’s completions.

More precisely, Thomas continuing to provide needed chunk gains would propel Notre Dame’s offense in ways that other receivers may be unable. Continuing at last year’s rate of first downs while catching 50 passes would equal moving the chains 36 times. That may be extreme, but doing so twice per week would make Thomas one of the more crucial receiving targets in recent Irish offenses.

Think we can pencil in Jayden Thomas as Notre Dame's leading receiver next season.

— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) April 22, 2023

DOWN THE ROAD
All of Notre Dame’s receivers, aside from former walk-on Matt Salerno, may return in 2024, and the junior duo of Thomas and Deion Colzie should be the established leaders next year. With that acknowledged reality, pondering a transfer from Thomas would be foolish.

It would take a far more prolific season than 50 catches for Thomas to ponder the NFL, not boasting elite speed or shiftiness which are the usual musts for early draft entrants among receivers.

In other words, Thomas may be looking to snag triple-digit catches across the next two seasons, if not more.

tweet to @d_farmer

One defensive lineman drops from Notre Dame’s class of 2024, consensus four-star end Loghan Thomas joins

By Douglas FarmerMay 24, 2023, 5:49 PM EDT

Only a few hours after a consensus four-star defensive lineman de-committed from Notre Dame, the Irish landed a pledge from consensus four-star defensive end Loghan Thomas (Paetow High School; Katy, Texas) on Wednesday evening. After a visit to South Bend this weekend, Thomas chose Notre Dame over finalists Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Arizona.

LSU, Texas, Texas A&M and USC were among the others to offer Thomas a scholarship.

A two-year starter already in high school, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Thomas’s body-type alone likely caught some recruiters’ attention. On top of that, he tested well at recruiting events following his junior season.

Rivals.com ranks Thomas the No. 9 weakside defensive end in the class of 2024, the No. 30 overall prospect in the state of Texas and the No. 162 recruit in the entire class, all fitting for a player who has used his length to star at a strong level of high school football.

Length has long — pun intended — been a focus for Irish head coach Marcus Freeman along the defensive line, and Thomas’s combines with enough strength to make arm tackles without much worry of a broken carry. His stride is long enough to quickly cover ground in the backfield.

Thomas plays mostly out of a two-point stance, upright, so learning the nuances of rushing the passer from a three-point stance will be the first piece of growth ahead of him at the collegiate level. Adding some heft to his frame will also be on the to-do list, though that should occur naturally, at least to some extent, in the next 18 months regardless.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by loghan thomas (@loghancthomas11)

Thomas joins Notre Dame’s class the same day consensus four-star defensive tackle Owen Wafle (Hun School; Princeton, N.J.) halted a year-long commitment.

“This decision was not made lightly, as Notre Dame has a rich football legacy that I truly admire,” Wafle wrote on Twitter. “However, I believe it’s important for me to explore other opportunities and find the best fit for my personal and athletic development.”