Notre Dame wide receiver Will Pauling (2) celebrates a TD with his teammates, Saturday at Arkansas.
Chad Weaver/Blue & Gold
Notre Dame wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (1)
The subtle depth chart adjustment on Monday that could end up paying significant dividends down the road involved junior backup tight end Cooper Flanagan being upgraded from out indefinitely to questionable for Saturday’s Notre Dame football home game.
Flanagan hasn’t played since suffering a left Achilles injury last season in ND’s 23-10 win over Georgia, Jan. 2 in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal in New Orleans. And he may not play Saturday, when the 16th-ranked Irish (3-2) host NC State (4-2) in the annual Peacock streaming-only game (3:30 p.m. EDT).
But the 6-foot-5, 255-pound part-time starter in 2024 has been practicing and will eventually add ND’s best blocking tight end — pass blocking or run blocking — back into the mix, based on his film grades from Pro Football Focus. That’s another potential weapon for Irish coach Marcus Freeman on short-yardage plays.
Also of note, starting nickel DeVonta Smith (right calf) is out for NC State, meaning freshman Dallas Golden is in line for his second start of the season. He played 54 out of 78 defensive snaps in relief of Smith in last Saturday’s 28-7 win over Boise State.
Joining Flanagan on the questionable list are kicker Noah Burnette (right hip), wide receiver Jaden Greathouse (right thigh) and special teams regular and backup defensive end Preston Zinter (concussion).
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At Blue & Gold, we’re committed to a depth chart projection on Mondays, and anytime there’s a change. The difference is we’ll go beyond the two-deeps for the Irish.
A few things to note. Players with an -x after their names have been ruled out for the season. Players with -y have been ruled out for at least the upcoming game. Players with -q were listed as questionable in Thursday’s official availability report from Notre Dame. OR denotes players tied for a spot on the depth chart.
There were no new additions to the out-for-the-season list and no significant additions when it comes to players with more short-term recovery timelines.
With Notre Dame shifting to eligibility year as its primary identifier this season for the first time ever, we will follow that lead, but clarify between a redshirt freshman, for instance, and a true freshman.
Heights and weights were refreshed at the start of preseason camp on July 31.
