Five Notre Dame players who need a big fall camp in order to finally make an impact entering now or never seasons 

Notre Dame football is set to open up fall camp this week. Head coach Marcus Freeman has created a ton of buzz around the Fighting Irish program, and there are some extremely high expectations entering the 2025 college football season. That excitement centers around last season’s success, and the talented roster coming back. 

With how much talent this Fighting Irish staff continues to bring in, there are always going to be some logjams at certain positions, and some players could fall through the cracks. There are several players that enter very important camps and seasons. This could end up being a now or never opportunity with the opportunities in front of them, and talent coming behind them. 

OG Sullivan Absher

With the injury to Charles Jagusah, Sullivan Absher looks like the player who will get the first crack at the starting right guard job. If he takes advantage of it, there’s a good chance that the 6-8, 328-pound behemoth can become an important cog for the offensive line in the future. If he struggles, and a player like Guerby Lambert supplants him, then Absher’s future gets pretty cloudy. 

RB Gi’Bran Payne 

If you think back to the 2023 season, Payne was a very important player for Notre Dame, serving as the team’s main third down running back. With his injury this past season, Aneyas Williams took over the role. With Williams being younger than Payne, he is in dangerous territory of being pushed further down the depth chart. 

WR KK Smith 

It has been an offseason tradition for KK Smith to be a wide receiver hyped up by the Notre Dame staff. While he possesses some appealing speed, he just hasn’t been able to make an impact, even when opportunity has been there. With below average play strength and an injury background, he has a chance to be overtaken on the depth chart by younger, and more talented pass catchers. 

DT Jason Onye 

From a pure talent perspective, Onye has an argument as the best defensive tackle on the Notre Dame roster right now. The flashes have been there, especially early in the 2024 season, but it hasn’t been nearly consistent enough. Onye also missed the second half of this past season, so he will really need to remain locked in during his final campaign. There’s a chance that Onye is their best defensive tackle this fall, but questions certainly still need to be answered. 

LB Jaylen Sneed 

Sneed was once considered a five-star player by some coming out of the state of South Carolina. While the athletic talent is impressive, Sneed hasn’t made near the impact that some had hoped for. Sneed has been a nice situational player, but 2025 feels like his best chance to earn a starting spot. If not, there are younger and more instinctive players that could minimize his role.