Notre Dame Impact Players For 2025: No. 9 Cornerback Christian Gray

Notre Dame is now 9 days away from kicking off the 2025 season against the Miami Hurricanes down in Hard Rock Stadium. The Irish will be relying on some impact players to get them through the home opener as well as getting them back to another run at the National Championship. I broke down who I believe will be the top 50 impactful players for Notre Dame this season. Let’s continue this countdown to kickoff with my No. 9 most impactful player, junior cornerback Christian Gray.

Over the past three seasons, the cornerback room in South Bend has been amongst one of the best in the nation. It began in 2022 with the breakout of Benjamin Morrison . In 2023, the Morrison and Cam Hart duo worked their way up the ranks and became one of the best cornerback tandems in the country. Last season, Gra y stepped into the lineup as a full time starter alongside Morrison, and eventually Leonard Moore. Gray had his ups and downs last year, but is poised for a big season in 2025.

What He Brings To The Table

Gray has coined the nickname "Franchise" and is known for his big play ability. Last season, that was on full display. He broke up a pass on fourth down against Texas A&M ending the Aggies hopes of mounting a comeback. He ran back an interception 98 yards for a touchdown against USC to ice the game and seal Notre Dame's bid to the playoffs. Gray also picked off Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the Orange Bowl late in the fourth quarter which put the Irish in position to kick the game winning field goal.

The St. Louis native finished the season with 46 total tackles, nine passes defended and three interceptions including a pick six. He's a very athletic corner with great speed and extremely long arms. Gray didn't allow a single receiving touchdown until the USC game where he allowed two; he also allowed a receiving touchdown against Indiana late in the game and against Ohio State in the title game.

What Is His Impact?

Unfortunately, Gray has become a polarizing player amongst the fan base due to his performance against USC and Ohio State. People are quick to forget he's one of the main reasons Penn State's receivers ended the Orange Bowl with a grand total of zero receptions and zero yards. Gray is now in position for a strong season as he heads into his second year as the full time starter at field corner. He returns to the defensive lineup having played the second most snaps on defense last year behind Xavier Watts and that was with missing the Stanford game with an injury.

Gray is now back to full health and ready to build on the positives and learn from the mistakes from 2024. He's now a veteran in the cornerback room and will help bring along the younger players in the room like Dallas Golden, Mark Zackery IV and Cree Thomas. He and Moore are considered to be one of the best cornerback duos in the country heading into the season. Due to his big play ability, experience from last season and overall ceiling, Gray is my No. 9 most impactful player for Notre Dame in 2025.

PAST TOP 50 BREAKDOWNS

No. 10 - Adon Shuler
No. 11 - Bryce Young
No. 12 - Eli Raridon
No. 13 - Billy Schrauth
No. 14 - Joshua Burnham
No. 15 - Aamil Wagner
No. 16 - Gabriel Rubio
No. 17 - Jason Onye
No. 18 - Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
No. 19 - Jordan Faison
No. 20 - Ashton Craig
No. 21 - Boubacar Traore
No. 22 - Aneyas Williams
No. 24 - DeVonta Smith
No. 25 - Jaiden Ausberry
No. 26 - Donovan Hinish
No. 27 - Junior Tuihalamaka
No. 28 - Jared Dawson
No. 29 - Armel Mukam
No. 30 - Will Pauling
No. 31 - Jaylen Sneed
No. 32 - Luke Talich
No. 33 - Jalen Stroman
No. 34 - Micah Gilbert
No. 35 - Loghan Thomas
No. 36 - Cam Williams
No. 37 - Tae Johnson
No. 38 - JaDon Blair
No. 39 - Karson Hobbs
No. 40 - Kevin Bauman
No. 41 - Ty Washington
No. 42 - Jack Larsen
No. 43 - Cole Mullins
No. 44 - Preston Zinter
No. 45 - James Flanigan
No. 46 - Noah Burnette
No. 47 - Guerby Lambert
No. 48 - Sullivan Absher
No. 49 - Jordan Botelho
No. 50 - Charles Jagusah

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