Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman reveals injury updates on three starters after Pittsburgh game

The Notre Dame football secondary shined in a 58-7 victory over Pittsburgh with a four-interception performance. They did it despite their two starting cornerbacks missing most of the game. 

Just before kickoff, the Notre Dame Communications Team announced sophomore cornerback Benjamin Morrison would not play due to a quad injury. Graduate student cornerback Cam Hart missed the entire second half with what coach Marcus Freeman described as a shoulder or arm injury.

The last statistic Hart recorded was an assisted tackle with Irish safety DJ Brown on Pittsburgh wide receiver Bub Means. That took place with under 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Hart did not play in the second half.

Hart has suffered three prior notable shoulder injuries. The first one came to his left shoulder in 2019. That required in-season shoulder surgery. He had a clean-up surgery on his right shoulder after the 2021 season. Another left shoulder injury cut Hart’s 2022 season two games short and caused him to wear a sling.

Hart has battled shoulder injuries since his high school playing days at Olney (Md.) Good Counsel.

Freeman also mentioned that Morrison suffered a quad strain earlier in the week.

“He was getting closer and closer to playing,” Freeman told reporters afterward. “We were going to try and warm him up and see if he could go. He just wasn’t in a position to go. We didn’t really know until we had to test him out in warmups.”

Freeman details Notre Dame tight end Mitchell Evans’ injury status 

In the third quarter of Saturday’s game, Notre Dame junior tight end Mitchell Evans received attention from the Irish training staff after a 13-yard catch. Freeman also met Evans while he was on the ground. 

Two Notre Dame personnel members helped Evans to the sideline. He labored through his final few steps off the field before reaching the bench. 

Freeman said he did not know the exact nature of Evans’ injury and was unaware of a diagnosis. 

“I don’t know if it was ankle or knee or leg,” he said. “I’ll get with (head athletic trainer) Rob Hunt after this and see the extent of that.”

Earlier this season, Evans did not play during the Central Michigan game due to a concussion. He missed the start of the 2022 season with a broken foot that required surgery. He appeared for the first time last season against Stanford on Oct. 15.