13 true freshmen have started for Notre Dame football under Marcus Freeman. Who's on the list?
· Yahoo Sports
SOUTH BEND — With his first career start against Purdue, freshman safety Joey O’Brien joined a group that only figures to grow as Notre Dame’s football recruiting soars and age-based eligibility takes hold.
In all, 13 different first-year players have started at least one game since Marcus Freeman’s first full season as head coach in 2022.
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Last season, freshman defensive backs Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery IV were pressed into service in Week 3 against Purdue. Golden had never played nickelback before that week, while Zackery had to sub for the injured Leonard Moore in the wake of the Texas A&M heartbreaker.
In 2024, Moore debuted in Week 5 against Louisville on his way to a 10-start freshman season. Anthonie Knapp got the surprise start at left tackle in College Station and didn’t leave the lineup until getting injured in Game 15 against Penn State.
Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa got his first start in Game 11 against Army at Yankee Stadium, but that’s one he’d rather forget due to an early knee injury.
Five freshmen (out of a 23-man signing class) made at least one start for Notre Dame in 2023: Wideouts Rico Flores Jr. and Jaden Greathouse earned their first starts against Central Michigan and Ohio State, respectively, in consecutive weeks. Tight end Cooper Flanagan, back home in the Bay Area, earned his first start in the regular-season finale at Stanford, while opt outs before the Sun Bowl cleared the way for running back Jeremiyah Love and left tackle Charles Jagusah to start against Oregon State.
In 2022, Freeman’s first season at the helm, two rookie cornerbacks made starts. For Benjamin Morrison, that came in Week 3 against California with the Irish still winless. Jaden Mickey got the start in Game 12 at USC with Cam Hart sidelined by a shoulder injury.
Of the above group, Knapp’s 15 starts lead the way, followed by Moore (10), Morrison (8), Flores Jr. (6) and Greathouse (5).
How Brian Kelly used freshman starters over his final three seasons
This NIL-era movement has been a marked increase in freshman usage compared to the final years of the Brian Kelly Era, when seven first-year freshmen started at least one game over his final three seasons.
In 2021 left tackle Joe Alt had to wait until Week 6 at Virginia Tech to get the first of his eight rookie starts. Right tackle Blake Fisher started the opener at Florida State and then returned from injury to start the Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.
Wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. started two games that season, including Game 10 against Virginia.
In the pandemic season of 2020, tight end Michael Mayer surfaced in the starting lineup in Game 2 against South Florida on his way to a four-start debut season. Cornerback Clarence Lewis also made his first start against the Bulls, finishing with six starts on the year.
And in 2019 Kyle Hamilton made a single start as he waited his turn behind Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott. That was against USC in Game 6.
Punter Jay Bramblett also started throughout his freshman year.
O’Brien’s Purdue debut gives the current Irish roster nine players who made at least one start as freshmen.
No one should be surprised if that list grows, especially with third-ranked Notre Dame (4-0) among the favorites to make a deep run in this year’s College Football Playoff.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 13 true freshmen have started for Notre Dame football under Marcus Freeman. Who's on the list?