Horka: Three Notre Dame football Blue-Gold Game matchups to watch
By Tyler Horka
Thursday morning, Notre Dame held a draft for this Saturday’s Blue-Gold Game. Here are three matchups that immediately stood out to Blue & Gold’s Tyler Horka.
Freshman wide receiver Micah Gilbert (Gold) vs. junior cornerback Jaden Mickey (Blue)
Mickey is one of the most competitive practice players on the Notre Dame roster. Trash talking, physicality, relentless back-and-forth nature. It’s a perfect matchup for Gilbert, a first-year wideout who’s been taking first-team practice reps partly out of necessity and partly out of pure production in his first month-plus of collegiate ball. He’s been an absolute playmaker.
Gilbert’s status as a first-teamer is likely short-lived because Notre Dame is so deep at wide receiver when everyone is in the room and at full health — looking at Jordan Faison coming back from lacrosse, Clemson transfer Beaux Collins entering the fold, Marshall transfer Jayden Harrison getting right after his foot injury, etc., in that regard. And Mickey might be the odd man out at corner when between himself, Benjamin Morrison and Christian Gray.
So when Gilbert and Mickey square off Saturday, they’ve got how they’re viewed by their respective position coaches and head coach Marcus Freeman on the line. The Blue-Gold Game is a chance to remind everyone that they’re deserving of opportunities not just because of injuries but because they can flat-out ball.
Senior defensive tackle Jason Onye (Gold) vs. junior offensive guard Billy Schrauth (Blue)
Onye was the first defensive tackle taken in Thursday’s draft. Schrauth was the first guard off the board. A true indicator of a team’s strength is how good the reserves are. Onye is not one of Notre Dame’s top two interior defensive linemen; those spots belong to Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills. Schrauth was not one of Notre Dame’s top two interior offensive linemen last year; those spots belonged to Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler. Saturday, Onye and Schrauth can show the strides they’ve made from 2023 to 2024. Onye would start at a lot of other programs. Schrauth might steal Spindler’s starting spot this year. But only if he earns it. Everyone is watching this weekend to see if he’s on his way.
Junior quarterback Steve Angeli (Blue) vs. sophomore cornerback Christian Gray (Gold)
If Angeli is QB1 material, he’s got to be able to challenge CB1s. Right now, with Morrison shelved with a shoulder injury, Gray is Notre Dame’s top corner. Angeli needs to go right at him and complete passes on the perimeter. He’s obviously going to need help from his wide receivers, but if Angeli isn’t at least attempting passes outside the numbers and more than 10 yards down the field then we’ve got to call into question his assertiveness. Sophomore Kenny Minchey has been labeled a “gunslinger” this spring. Let’s see some gunslinger from Angeli against one of the best up-and-coming corners in college football.
