Notre Dame football to get three key players back from injury vs. Louisville
That sound you hear is Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman doing cartwheels down Eddy Street. The Fighting Irish are set to return three weapons for Hartman to utilize Saturday in another ranked, primetime matchup for Notre Dame.
Junior wide receiver Jayden Thomas, freshman wideout Jaden Greathouse and sophomore tight end Eli Raridon are all set to suit up vs. the No. 25 Cardinals (5-0). Thomas and Greathouse missed last week’s game vs. then-No. 17 Duke with hamstring strains. Raridon, who tore his ACL last October, has not appeared in a game in 2023.
That should change Saturday.
“All three will play,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said Thursday.
Thomas and Greathouse are two of the Irish’s leading receivers in 2023. They have both formed strong rapports with Hartman. Thomas has 13 catches, which is second on the team, for 195 yards and a touchdown. Greathouse has 12 catches for 166 yards and three scores. Only sophomore tight end Holden Staes has more touchdowns than Greathouse.
Raridon came to Notre Dame in the same class as Staes and was ahead of him on the depth chart in 2022 before he tore his ACL six games into the season. Raridon only played in five games as a true freshman and logged 76 snaps. Staes played in 11 games and recorded 82 snaps.
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It’s been a different story for Staes this year. Without Raridon in the mix and with senior Kevin Bauman tearing his ACL in fall camp, he’s been bumped to tight end No. 2 status behind junior Mitchell Evans. Staes has played 198 offensive snaps through six games. He put down a career-high total of 53 against Central Michigan with Evans sitting out because of a concussion.
Evans, Staes, Raridon and junior Davis Sherwood should form an elite quartet of tight ends for Notre Dame. Throw freshman Cooper Flanagan into the mix to make it a strong group of five. Evans, Staes and Sherwood have combined for 26 catches, 413 yards and 5 touchdowns this season.
Raridon’s first catch this season will be the first of his career. He was primarily used as a blocker last year before the injury. He was rated by Pro Football Focus as Notre Dame’s best run-blocker in 2022 behind Joe Alt and Michael Mayer. Ironically, he was even better as a pass-catcher coming out of high school. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a nice addition to the Irish offense.
So much so that Hartman might have many more cartwheels to come.
