Our review of the 2025 Notre Dame football roster concludes today for the offense. We previously covered the offensive line, quarterback and running back positions. Today we will discuss the wide receivers and tight ends. Once again, Notre Dame was active in the transfer portal at these positions. Other incumbent players emerged at receiver in 2024 and are poised to become stars in the new season. While this portion of roster remains young, portal acquisitions add quality, experienced depth.
WIDE RECEIVER
Notre Dame’s passing game endured a fair amount of criticism in 2024. It was admittedly disjointed early in the season as Riley Leonard missed spring practice. Critics cited Leonard’s alleged limitations, inconsistency at wideout, or protection breakdowns. Others disparaged Mike Denbrock’s play selection. All of these factors played a role at one time or another. We began to see improvement later in the year and into the playoffs.
Last year’s additions from the portal did not have quite the impact that the staff anticipated. Each transfer showed flashes of ability but also disappeared for long stretches. Injuries to younger players impacted their development as they were in and out of the lineup. Continuity between Leonard and his receivers suffered as a result. Finally, the picture began to brighten late in the season and into the playoffs.
Portal Losses: Deion Colzie, Jayden Thomas
Other Losses: Beaux Collins (expired eligibility), Jayden Harrison (expired eligibility), Kris Mitchell (expired eligibility)
Portal Additions: Malachi Fields, Will Pauling
Retained Players: Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, KK Smith, Micah Gilbert, Logan Saldate, Cam Williams
Incoming Freshmen: Jerome Bettis, Elijah Burress, Anthony Richardson
Faison and Greathouse have been most productive from the slot position. Unsurprisingly, Coach Freeman and his staff searched the portal for a veteran to play outside. Fields is a solid, reliable receiver who was the team’s primary target at Virginia. Given his productivity, he appears to be an upgrade over Collins. He stands at 6’4” and weighs in at 220 pounds. Fields also is a bit faster than Collins.
The other portal addition is another slot receiver, Will Pauling from Wisconsin. Pauling and Faison are similarly built and have excellent short area quickness. Faison’s injury history may have prompted the staff to bring in Pauling to share the workload. As for Greathouse, a move to the outside appears likely. He rotated there quite a bit as last season progressed and was impactful.
Greathouse was not satisfied with the passing attack midway through the last season. He rightfully believed he was underutilized. Although the transfer portal was an option, Greathouse focused on making himself a better player. His outstanding performance in the playoffs is a testament to his work ethic and commitment to Notre Dame.
Fields, Greathouse and Faison form a quality trio of starters. Success in 2025 is predicated on the development of the returning youngsters. Smith saw limited action in 2024 but is undeniably fast. He earned positive reviews from teammates for his work ethic and potential. This spring is important for him to solidify a spot in the rotation.
Gilbert, Saldate, and Williams were redshirted as freshmen. All are highly regarded by the staff. Williams has exceptional speed but had much to learn about route running and understanding coverages. Reports indicate he is on a path to contribute this season. Gilbert is the most advanced of the group with Saldate close behind. There is no doubt that the Irish need these players to provide quality depth this year. Receivers Coach Mike Brown will be judged accordingly.
Elijah Burress is the most college ready prospect among the incoming freshmen. He is expected to push for a spot in the rotation, particularly if those above him on the depth chart do not advance as projected. Richardson has the highest ceiling as an athlete but will probably follow the same development path as Williams. Bettis is still an unknown commodity at this point. All three enrolled in January and will get a chance to participate this spring. Bettis also played safety in high school but will start out on offense. A mid-career switch to defense seemed to work out well for an ex-receiver named Xavier Watts.
Obviously, there are many question marks beyond Faison, Greathouse and the two veteran transfers. The coaches are very high on the talent level of the young players and must bring them along successfully. It could be a long season if the dropoff in production from starters to backups is steep.
Another element of concern is their collective willingness to block on running plays. Thomas and Colzie were effective in this area while the others were below average. We will see how the 2025 group fares in this area but there is plenty of room for improvement.
TIGHT END
This position appears to be a bit thin as compared to previous campaigns. Stalwart Mitchell Evans became more like his 2023 self as last season progressed. By season’s end, he reached approximately 85-90% of that level. Evans will now move on to the NFL and we wish him well.
Eli Raridon has all the physical tools to become the next great Irish tight end. He made strides in 2024 and has a final year of eligibility to impress NFL scouts. Consistency has been an issue in the past, so we will see how he responds to the challenge.
Portal Losses: None
Other Losses: Mitchell Evans (expired eligibility)
Portal Additions: Ty Washington
Retained Players: Kevin Bauman, Eli Raridon, Cooper Flanagan, Jack Larsen
Incoming Freshmen: James Flanigan
Flanagan went down with an Achilles injury late last season and may not make it back to play in 2025. That is the main reason the team welcomed back veteran Kevin Bauman for his sixth and final campaign. Redshirt freshman Jack Larsen completes the returning group at this position.
While Raridon has improved as a blocker, the coaches believed they needed another quality performer in this role. Accordingly, they recruited Washington from Arkansas in the transfer portal. Washington is a capable blocker but has underrated upside as a pass-catching threat. He will be an integral part of the offense this season.
Incoming freshman James Flanigan is purported to be the next great Irish tight end. His athleticism is extremely high and he is a physical player. Since Bauman and Larsen are primarily niche players, Flanigan may have an early opportunity to earn playing time. He will not enroll until the fall, however, so his progress may take a bit more time.
In summary, the running backs and offensive line appear to be the strengths of the 2025 offense. Wide receiver and tight end have excellent front-line players and question marks in reserve. The key to success will be the quarterback position. Denbrock must settle on a starter and install an effective passing game that utilizes his strengths. A runner with Leonard’s skills was a luxury last season but will not be the case in 2025.
We will cover the defense during the coming week
Tell John what you think in the comments below
Mike Palumbo says:
This series analyzing the various position groups is quite informative. It is a much appreciated addition to your posts.
Mark says:
Being from Charlotte, I am wondering does Micah Gilbert have a legitimate shot at getting significant playing time? He was mentioned last preseason as having all the traits to be successful but only played mop up duty. Has Jack Larson put on the weight to be considered for meaningful play time as well? In high school he was a downfield threat. Does Notre Dame see him that way?
John Vannie says:
Gilbert is highly regarded and should have meaningful playing time in 2025.
Larsen is viewed as a capable pass-catching tight end rather than an in-line blocker. He will have a role to play as well.
Will says:
John, I thought the biggest disappointment last year were the 3 wideout transfers. Please tell me that the new portal guys are significantly better. Also I believe Flanagan’s injury was an achilles rupture not a knee injury. Finally what happened to Davis Sherwood on your tight end chart? Thanks for the great work.
John Vannie says:
Sherwood is out of eligibility. Flanagan’s injury was an Achilles, so thanks for the correction.