Christian Gray injury update: Notre Dame CB leaves game after strange fall

Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray appeared to suffer an injury while breaking up a pass near the end zone in the beginning of the second quarter against Miami. He exited the game after being tended to by trainers.

The severity of the injury was unclear, with Gray forced to sit out one play as a result of the injury. Miami struck immediately on the next play for a touchdown pass, taking advantage of his absence in the secondary.

So it’ll be interesting to see whether Christian Gray returns on the ensuing series. He appeared to be motioning toward his throat on the Notre Dame sidelines.

UPDATE: Christian Gray returned to action for Notre Dame on the next defensive series and appears to be OK for the time being.

Gray was hurt when he broke up a deep pass from Miami quarterback Carson Beck. Beck was targeting Joshisa Trader, but Gray undercut the route perfectly and broke it up.

The football appeared to strike the bottom of his facemask, and Gray immediately went to the ground writhing in pain. It was unclear if dirt had gotten into his eye or he was struck elsewhere, but later he would point toward his throat on the sidelines.

Miami targeted the Notre Dame secondary with Christian Gray out, and Beck found Malachi Toney cutting across the end zone from right to left for a 28-yard scoring strike. That made the score 7-0 Miami.

It’ll be important to monitor whether there are any lingering effects for Gray as a result of the injury. He’s one of the most experienced players on the defense, and the Fighting Irish aren’t particularly deep at cornerback.

Christian Gray started 15 games for Notre Dame en route to the national championship game in 2024. He logged 35 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, three interceptions with one defensive touchdown, nine pass breakups and 12 passes defended.