The injury news for Notre Dame football was almost as awful as it could have been following their thrashing of Purdue over the weekend. Starting offensive lineman Billy Schrauth and Ashton Craig, as well as starting defensive end Jordan Botelho, had to be helped off the field. Marcus Freeman revealed that Craig and Botelho are gone for the season, while Schrauth will be sidelined for at least a few weeks.
The news is not surprising given that all three injuries appeared to be serious at the time, but it is still concerning for the Irish.
If anything, Schrauth’s injury appeared to be the worst at the time, and he does appear to be returning this season. “A few weeks” can refer to nearly anything in college football, when coaches are not required to provide specific injury reports.
Notre Dame gains experience with replacements
In an unexpected development, Notre Dame gained some experience when replacements for Craig and Schrauth entered the game, as both Rocco Spindler and Pat Coogan have had starting roles at various times in their careers. The two players had competed with Sam Pendleton for the starting left guard position in the fall but were unsuccessful. Now, Spindler will take over for Schrauth at right guard, and Coogan will fill in for Craig at center. Coogan, originally recruited as a center, is familiar with the position.
At the season’s start, Notre Dame’s offensive line had only six combined starts and has since faced three significant injuries. The team lost starting left tackle Charles Jagusah during the summer. This injury streak highlights the challenges of the transfer portal era, as two players who lost their camp battles are now back in the starting lineup by week 3.
On the positive side, Notre Dame’s run blocking, which may be crucial this season, should remain strong. However, Schrauth and Craig were considered better pass blockers, which is why they held their starting positions throughout camp.
Both Schrauth and Craig have two years of eligibility remaining.
Brutal development for Botelho after on and off-field improvements
Jordan Botelho had come a long way in the last five years at Notre Dame, but he was finally playing his best football. Some could argue that he was Notre Dame’s best defender throughout the first two weeks. This happened after some ups and downs for Notre Dame’s starter VYPER, who needed to mature both on and off the field.
With Botelho out, Boubar Traore, who had a pick-6 against Purdue, will start at VYPER, but true freshman Bryce Young will likely see a lot more action as well. Junior Tuihalamaka could see more playing time now that Botelho is out for the season.
Botelho should be able to make a case for a sixth year of eligibility if he wants one because his freshman year was in 2020, when everyone got a free pass, and his season-ending injury occurred in the third game of the season.
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