Greg McElroy Warns Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame’s Major Roster Gap Amid Growing QB Concerns

Notre Dame’s 2024 season was near-flawless. A clean sweep after an upset loss to Northern Illinois only ended in the National Championship with a loss. Marcus Freeman had a team that was a force to be reckoned with. It’s getting recruits to consider Notre Dame as their collegiate career home. But that doesn’t suggest Freeman will have a smooth sail. A new era is afoot at South Bend, but it will miss some crucial players from the roster. A gaping hole in the secondary can prove to be a serious problem for Freeman’s 2025 run. Here’s how he can look at keeping a potential threat at bay.

Freeman led an elite defensive unit with the help of Al Golden. By November, the Fighting Irish were ranked third in scoring defense, allowing just 11.4 PPG. Ahead of the season, the secondary ranked second overall, looking just as elite as its 2023 version. This year, however, Freeman will sense a sore loss for the star of that unit. Greg McElroy thinks that the loss of this player to the NFL stands as a threat to Freeman’s attempt at another run to the National Championship this year.

McElroy said in a June 3 video of Always College Football, “You lose two All-Americans off last year’s team in Benjamin Morrison, Xavier Watts.” Morrison, who was the heart of that secondary, ended his season early because of a brutal hip injury. “I am concerned about the vacant hole that is Xavier Watts. That’s significant,” McElroy added. Watts’ heroics in the USC game, where he intercepted Jayden Maiava and returned the ball for 100 yards, broke Christian Gray’s record of the longest interception return set in that very match. Now, Morris is off to Tampa, and Watts is in Atlanta.

However, Freeman already has a plan in place to make up for that void. “We have Leonard Moore back at corner. He was the freshman defensive player of the year last year and got to start the last seven, eight, nine games and played incredibly well down the stretch as a true freshman. Just imagine how good he’s going to be here in sophomore year. On the other side will be Christian Gray should be one of the best cornerback duos in the country,” McElroy noted.

And that’s not all. McElroy mentions other notable members like DeVonta Smith, who’s “a heat-seeking missile and will be versatile.” And, there’s Adon Shuler. McElroy said that this unit is one with serious promise, despite seeing some key losses. “I love this group. And part of the reason why I love this group is because when they’ve lost pieces in the past all last year by losing multiple defensive ends, by losing their best corner, by having a couple guys that were in and out of the lineup at linebacker, they didn’t drop they didn’t drop off at all. They didn’t skip a beat.”

Freeman’s secondary might be sorted even though he saw some crucial units depart for the NFL. However, that doesn’t mean the HC can rest any easier.

Experts show concern for Marcus Freeman’s QB1 battle

Notre Dame’s QB1 battle is one that saw quite the twists and turns. Freeman made it clear that he wanted the race to come down to a 2-man fight. And based on the spring game performance, Steve Angeli tapped out. Also, the winner of the race will fill in for the gap created by Riley Leonard’s departure. Between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey, the former enjoys more popularity. But Crain and Company’s Blain Crain had some concerns for the eventual winner of this race.

He said in a May 31 video, “If the quarterback position doesn’t blossom, can we see this Notre Dame team be an elite defense with a subpar offense? I’ve been a part of these teams where the defense halfway through the season realizes our offense can’t score, and it just slowly eats you, even if you’re culture is really good. That’s my worry for Notre Dame.” That puts Marcus Freeman in serious trouble because there’s no transfer portal to rely on for options.

CJ Carr will be a true freshman starting QB if he does win this QB1 battle. He comes with the legacy of Lloyd Carr, the famed Michigan coach. A 4-star recruit with immense potential, he also has some offensive help in the RB room, led by Jeremiyah Love and an equally promising RB room. Joe Cone thought that maybe the situation isn’t so worrying. “Last two years we’ve seen Notre Dame go to the portal to get one of the best quarterbacks available… I think that Marcus Freeman would have done that again if he didn’t believe in the quarterbacks that are in the room.”

Marcus Freeman is in full zeal to make a return to the game that ended his flawless run up to the National Championship. He knows he lost some key players, but has already made up for them. Will the Fighting Irish emerge once again as an elite team in the 2025 season?

The post Greg McElroy Warns Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame’s Major Roster Gap Amid Growing QB Concerns appeared first on EssentiallySports.