Notre Dame football rules two freshmen out for the season due to injury
On Thursday, the Notre Dame football communications team announced that safety Taebron Bennie-Powell and offensive tackle Styles Prescod would be out for the season due to previous high school injuries that have re-emerged and require surgery.
Bennie-Powell has already undergone surgery on his left shoulder labrum, performed by Dr. Brian Ratigan. Presocd will have surgery on his right shoulder in the coming weeks.
During Marcus Freeman’s Thursday’s meeting with reporters, the third-year Notre Dame coach explained that these injuries weren’t necessarily major ones that happened in practice but rather, reoccurring ailments that needed to be addressed.
“Probably both of those guys, and you see it with a lot of freshmen, they have preexisting injuries that probably started in high school,” he said. “And, you know, when all of a sudden you get them here, and their shoulder pops out, or they have shoulder issues, you take an MRI and say, ‘Okay, we have to make the decision.
“‘Do we fix it now and have them miss the season, but have them back for spring ball — which is so crucial for their development — or do we wait until after the season?”
Freeman also said part of the reason they chose to have the surgeries now instead of in the offseason was because Bennie-Powell and Prescod were already projected to redshirt. The Notre Dame communications staff did not include either player on the two-deep depth chart unveiled Monday.
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“Both of those guys, I don’t know what the future would have been if they didn’t get surgery,” Freeman said. “But at the moment, they were probably redshirt potential guys. We thought it was best to get their shoulders fixed now and have them back for spring ball.”
Before signing with Notre Dame, Styles Prescod and Taebron Bennie-Powell were four-star recruits per On3
Coming out of Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern, Prescod was the higher-ranked recruit.
According to the On3 Industry Ranking — a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services — he was the No. 321 overall player, No. 26 interior offensive lineman nationally and No. 5 prospect in Indiana in the 2024 class. On3’s rankings considered him the No. 244 overall player, No. 14 interior O-lineman in the nation and No. 5 recruit in the Hoosier State.
Bennie-Powell had a three-star rating, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, which slotted him as the No. 443 overall player, No. 38 safety in America and No. 16 prospect in Ohio in 2024. However, On3 gave him four stars, ranking him as the country’s No. 25 safety and No. 13 player in the Buckeye State.
Prescod committed to the Irish over Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky and Michigan. Bennie-Powell held offers from Duke, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Prescod enrolled in January and Benie-Powell joined the program in June.
