Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price tears Achilles, is out for 2022
Before his career on the football field for Notre Dame even began, Irish running back Jadarian Price has suffered a major setback.
Price has ruptured his Achilles tendon and will miss the 2022 season after undergoing surgery on Friday. He early enrolled at Notre Dame in January and was considered to be a breakout candidate in his rookie year.
The news was first reported by Pete Sampson of The Athletic prior to confirmation from Notre Dame.
The four-star freshman out of Denison (Texas) High was the No. 14 running back and No. 216 recruit in the 2022 class per On3 Consensus. In addition to nine carries for 12 yards, Price had eight catches for 104 yards in the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Game on April 23. The performance included a 51-yard touchdown catch and run from fellow freshman quarterback Steve Angeli.
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First-year running backs coach Deland McCullough had said this spring that Price was taking all of the right steps toward making a notable impact on the team come this fall, including having put on around eight pounds over spring break.
“He has done a great job just embracing being physical, being detailed,” McCullough said. “He’s trending up, just like the rest of the guys. He’s strong. Smart.”
Price characterized himself as a minimal-cut back this spring and believed he was primed to take on multiple roles in the Irish run game.
“One thing that I think stands out are my ball skills and the way I can scan the field, pick a route and get up the field to score a touchdown,” the Texas native said.
Now he will have to wait for his regular season debut.
Questions plague Notre Dame running back room
McCullough has his work cut out for him headed into the fall. In addition to Price’s injury, rising sophomore running back Logan Diggs suffered a torn labrum in the spring game. He is expected back at some point during the upcoming season, but the timeline remains unclear.
Outside of Price and Diggs, Notre Dame has just three scholarship running backs: junior Chris Tyree, sophomore Audric Estime and freshman Gi’Bran Payne. The latter just enrolled at Notre Dame earlier this month.
The Irish are also dealing with depth problems at wide receiver, as they have just eight scholarship wideouts, including several dealing with injuries and a true freshman in Tobias Merriweather.
