2026 Spring Practice Thread

[Blazers46]

He didn’t say we are not deep he said we are not super deep. So he agrees with you. We are deep.

Was he saying not super deep “right now” due to injuries/those sitting? Or not super deep overall? Sorry if been asked and answered.

 

[bumpdaddy]

Was he saying not super deep “right now” due to injuries/those sitting? Or not super deep overall? Sorry if been asked and answered.

Right now.

 

[Rocketman84]

No way ND would take Porter if it was a torn Patella. That's more severe these days than an ACL. It's gotta be something more minor I'd think.

"He’s about 10 weeks in and beginning his RTP [return-to-play] process, along with his rehab side of things. So, he’ll miss spring but will have a full summer of activity and expect him to be full go for the fall camp.”

 

[Rocketman84]

Did Robinson tear his ACL before making it to campus, or was this a new injury?

"Had a late-season high school ACL injury. He’s 4 months in and progressing nicely. Really glad that he’s here with us in our rehab process. Expect him to do really well here over the next couple months and have a 100% recovery by Summer."

 

[Dale]

According to O’Malley, the freshman injuries that occurred prior to arrival: Adams, Merrill, Clapper, Hola, Robinson

Osborne was the only one he was guessing may have occurred since being here

 

[RudyVerse]

I'm not giving up on Charles J because he can play OG or OT and we are virtually guaranteed a starter gets injured at some point. If he's fully healthy by week 4, we really lost nothing other than his personal development.

 

[Rocketman84]

According to O’Malley, the freshman injuries that occurred prior to arrival: Adams, Merrill, Clapper, Hola, Robinson

Osborne was the only one he was guessing may have occurred since being here

Similar wrist injury to that of Madden Faraimo (scaphoid fracture), a complex surgery that involves taking part of femur (medial femoral condyle)restoring that back into their wrist along with vascular structures. He’s on a 10-12 week recovery as well after going thru the Winter program. RTP is set for late June.

 

[IrishInOntario]

If I'm ND, I'm definitely not rushing any of my key guys back. I want them ready for a potential playoff run and the season is loooonnngggg now when you take a potential playoff run into consideration. Assuming no further setbacks, my timelines to have guys ready to play would look something like this...

RB Aneyas Williams (season opener)
RB Kedron Young (season opener)
RB Javian Osborne (season opener)
WR Quincy Porter (Oct 17, BYU)
WR Brayden Robinson (redshirt)
WR Jaden Greathouse (someday, please 🙏?)
OL Ashton Craig (Oct 17th, BYU)
OL Charles Jagusah (Oct 17th, BYU)
OL Tyler Merrill (redshirt)
DL Tiki Hola (redshirt)
DL Gordy Sulfsted (season opener)
LB Drayk Bowen (season opener)
LB Kingston Viliamu-Asa (Nov 7th, Miami)
LB Madden Faraimo (season opener)
LB Ja'Kobe Clapper (redshirt)
LB Kahanu Kia (season opener)
CB Khary Adams (Oct 17th, BYU)

Given ND's early game schedule I'd be ultra conservative with some of these guys and get them serious practice time before the stretch of BYU, Navy and Miami (Oct 17th-Nov 7th). Barring a serious rash of injuries to the rest of the roster, ND should be plenty deep and talented enough to not rush these guys back from injury and to be sure that they're not only healthy, but ready to play confident, impactful football.

 

[Crazy Balki]

I'm not giving up on Charles J because he can play OG or OT and we are virtually guaranteed a starter gets injured at some point. If he's fully healthy by week 4, we really lost nothing other than his personal development.

Pretty much this. Given this surgery takes, he has a lot of time between now and fall camp to get his strength back up. I can't imagine he's full go in spring unless he has a Botelho like recovery, but it may be a situation where they ease him in and then integrate him back into the rotation. It's on Absher to make that eventual decision as difficult as possible.

 

[Dale]

If I'm ND, I'm definitely not rushing any of my key guys back. I want them ready for a potential playoff run and the season is loooonnngggg now when you take a potential playoff run into consideration. Assuming no further setbacks, my timelines to have guys ready to play would look something like this...

RB Aneyas Williams (season opener)
RB Kedron Young (season opener)
RB Javian Osborne (season opener)
WR Quincy Porter (Oct 17, BYU)
WR Brayden Robinson (redshirt)
WR Jaden Greathouse (someday, please 🙏?)
OL Ashton Craig (Oct 17th, BYU)
OL Charles Jagusah (Oct 17th, BYU)
OL Tyler Merrill (redshirt)
DL Tiki Hola (redshirt)
DL Gordy Sulfsted (season opener)
LB Drayk Bowen (season opener)
LB Kingston Viliamu-Asa (Nov 7th, Miami)
LB Madden Faraimo (season opener)
LB Ja'Kobe Clapper (redshirt)
LB Kahanu Kia (season opener)
CB Khary Adams (Oct 17th, BYU)

Given ND's early game schedule I'd be ultra conservative with so of these guys and get them serious practice time before the stretch of BYU, Navy and Miami (Oct 17th-Nov 7th). Barring a serious rash of injuries to the rest of the roster, ND should be plenty deep and talented enough to not rush these guys back from injury and to be sure that they're not only healthy, but ready to play confident, impactful football.

Most of these aren’t nearly this long of timeframe.

Greathouse is limited like, tomorrow, for example. Adams is expected to be fine during the summer etc

 

[IrishInOntario]

Most of these aren’t nearly this long of timeframe.

Greathouse is limited like, tomorrow, for example. Adams is expected to be fine during the summer etc

Greathouse was a joke.

Adams is a guy that I would be careful with. True freshman with a labrum injury means very limited time to lift with the upper body by time he rehabs. I'd be more than happy to see them be conservative with him and bring him back slowly. With the addition of Sanders and Mickinney, ND's going to have 6 really nice options at CB in Moore, Gray, Golden, Zackery, Sanders and Mickinney. Get Adams healthy and strong before bringing him back.

Mid season for Jagusah is more thank ok with me given what he's been through. Hell, I'd consider that a huge win at this point.

13 months for Craig is fine by me as long as Otting is healthy. 300+lb dude coming off his second ACL injury. I'm fine to let that guy heal up and be ready mid-season into the playoffs.

KVA is going to want to be back as early as possible, but if you're Notre Dame, why take that risk when you're as loaded at LB as you are and the front end of your schedule is so week. It was a November injury. If you want to move him up to have him for BYU, fine, but I'm getting him as close to 12 months as I can preparing to count on him in a high way in anticipation for a playoff run.

I just don't see a reason (barring a slew of additional injuries) for ND to rush these key pieces back. Not in a season where the staff it thinking about playing 15-16 games.

 

[stpeteirish]

Greathouse was a joke.

Adams is a guy that I would be careful with. True freshman with a labrum injury means very limited time to lift with the upper body by time he rehabs. I'd be more than happy to see them be conservative with him and bring him back slowly. With the addition of Sanders and Mickinney, ND's going to have 6 really nice options at CB in Moore, Gray, Golden, Zackery, Sanders and Mickinney. Get Adams healthy and strong before bringing him back.

Mid season for Jagusah is more thank ok with me given what he's been through. Hell, I'd consider that a huge win at this point.

13 months for Craig is fine by me as long as Otting is healthy. 300+lb dude coming off his second ACL injury. I'm fine to let that guy heal up and be ready mid-season into the playoffs.

KVA is going to want to be back as early as possible, but if you're Notre Dame, why take that risk when you're as loaded at LB as you are and the front end of your schedule is so week. It was a November injury. If you want to move him up to have him for BYU, fine, but I'm getting him as close to 12 months as I can preparing to count on him in a high way in anticipation for a playoff run.

I just don't see a reason (barring a slew of additional injuries) for ND to rush these key pieces back. Not in a season where the staff it thinking about playing 15-16 games.

You seem to be in denial of the current timelines for the common surgeries. It’s nine months for ACL and six for shoulder labrum. Everyone on your list should be ready on opening day except possibly Jagusah and KVA.

 

[allenm5333]

Imo, we shouldn’t rush our players back and we should let the doctors, coaches and players determine when they are ready to play

 

[IrishInOntario]

You seem to be in denial of the current timelines for the common surgeries. It’s nine months for ACL and six for shoulder labrum. Everyone on your list should be ready on opening day except possibly Jagusah and KVA.

I assure you that I'm not in denial about the timelines whatsoever. My post was specifically couched in the idea that I'd like to see the staff (including the medical staff) be ultra- conservative with some of the guys given the weakness of the 2026 schedule up front and the length of a possible 16 game season. It would be a shame to push guys back into the fold unnecessarily. I'd like to see them have longer runways, that's all.

If you agree with me about KVA and Jagusah, I think you're really talking about Ashton Craig and Khary Adams...

Ashton Craig tore his left ACL on September 14th, his second ACL tear in consecutive years. The idea that all ACL tear recoveries are now 9 month recoveries is simply not true based on the evidence we see across sports each year in huge volumes. I don't think it's ridiculous to suggest that a 310lb OL, coming off his second tear, might be closer to 12 months before he's healthy and regained full strength in it. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Joe Otting get a couple starts in September while they work Craig back... I'd be thrilled to be wrong and have Craig healthy AND playing at a high level against Wisconsin. I have no interest in watching 75% of him vs the Badgers though, with a fully capable Otting on the bench.

As for Khary Adams, I'm not disputing the 6 month timeline for a labrum injury (severity dependent of course). My argument is / continues to be that he won't be ready to engage in any heavy upper body lifting until into the summer months. With as talented as he is and as much depth as ND projects to have at CB come the fall, I'd be in favour of a longer runway for him to get him on an indivualized plan to return that sees him get a good 12 weeks of heavy lifting to rebuild strength in his upper body, protecting the recovered shoulder. Chronic shoulder injuries are a death knell to CBs, so unless you NEED him back because you face a rash of injuries, I don't understand why you wouldn't want the shoulder both healthy and maximally strong, even if that means he misses a couple games that shouldn't be within 2 touchdowns... If the shoulder is fully healthy, and he's had time to add a layer of upper body armor come the season opener, then hell yeah, but I wouldn't rush the kid back knowing that he missed his entire winter + spring of strength and conditioning.

 

[Dale]

But how did Jalen Stroman look?

 

[SWirishfan]

I am getting a strong feeling that we will be losing both Aaron and Tae after this year.

 

[Rizzophil]

I am getting a strong feeling that we will be losing both Aaron and Tae after this year.

Sorry...Aaron who?

 

[GrangerIrish24]

Sorry...Aaron who?

and you call yourself a fan

 

[Irish Man3]

Sorry...Aaron who?

Adon

 

[Dale]

Did Sampson take a vacay during start of spring practice? Hasn’t tweeted in over a week. Nothing from presser. Honestly gotten used to his “practice standouts” tweet getting the juices flowing

 

[IA4irish]

Did Sampson take a vacay during start of spring practice? Hasn’t tweeted in over a week. Nothing from presser. Honestly gotten used to his “practice standouts” tweet getting the juices flowing

I believe he is on spring break somewhere. To be honest kind of surprised that is allowed. You had three and a half months to travel.

 

[Dale]

 

[SDIrishFan]

Did Sampson take a vacay during start of spring practice? Hasn’t tweeted in over a week. Nothing from presser. Honestly gotten used to his “practice standouts” tweet getting the juices flowing

He went to Thailand for two weeks. Not sure when he’s supposed to be back.

 

[Dale]

LEFT GUARD ANTHONIE KNAPP

 

[allenm5333]

Did Sampson take a vacay during start of spring practice? Hasn’t tweeted in over a week. Nothing from presser. Honestly gotten used to his “practice standouts” tweet getting the juices flowing

Think he mentioned he was going to Spain or something. But yea...like terrible timing lol

 

[greyhammer90]

.

LEFT GUARD ANTHONY KNAPP

By Gawd the mad man did it.

 

[Dale]

So the new LT and RTs had a day….

 

[NDFAN2008]

LEFT GUARD ANTHONIE KNAPP

Love this decision. People may not agree with it but he's a future Guard in the NFL and Will Black is going to be our next 1st round tackle.

 

[ab2cmiller]

.

By Gawd the mad man did it.

The only surprise is that Matt Freeman chose to list it that way in his tweet.

It's no surprise that Knapp performed well at Guard. He also performs well at Tackle.

This Spring they are going to move guys around and see different combinations trying to figure out what might work best for the Fall.

 

[Huntr]

Dunham out of the gate would be straight gas this fall. Fingers crossed.