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Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame Impact Players For 2025: No. 47 Guerby Lambert
Notre Dame Impact Players For 2025: No. 47 Guerby Lambert originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Notre Dame is now 47 days away from kicking off the 2025 season against the Hurricanes down in Hard Rock Stadium. The Irish will be relying on some impact players to get them through the home opener as well as getting them back to another run at the National Championship. I broke down who I believe will be the top 50 impactful players for Notre Dame this season. Let's continue this countdown to kickoff with my No. 47 most impactful player, offensive lineman Guerby Lambert. The Fighting Irish offensive line is in an interesting position heading into fall camp. There are several options to replace injured right guard Charles Jagusah and there are still some players returning from injury. Lambert, a highly touted offensive line recruit from the 2024 class is one of those players. He's yet to see the field in any meaningful minutes and only played in three games offensively last season for Notre Dame, but Lambert's return to health and emergence in fall camp may shake some things up for offensive line coach Joe Rudolph. What He Brings To The Table First and foremost, Lambert has elite size for the collegiate level that has yet to be utilized in the Irish offense. The Boston native measures in at 6-7 341 pounds and is one of the biggest players on the roster. He has a massive frame and his on the field strength doesn't take away from his athleticism as a pass protector. Lambert has extremely long arms which allows him to anchor multiple styles of edge rushers. He drives through contact well and plays with powerful leg drive. Coming out of high school, he was still a work in progress technically but his physical tools have allowed him to grow in his first year in South Bend. Lambert has good lateral quickness, exceptional size and is very athletic. Lambert's biggest question is his return to health. He was held off the field last year to retain his redshirt heading into the 2025 season. This past spring, he was expected to make some noise along the offensive line but an injury sidelined him for the second part of spring ball. According to head coach Marcus Freeman, Lambert is expected back in fall camp. What Is His Impact? At the absolute bare minimum, Lambert provides some much needed depth along the offensive line. Last season, Notre Dame had to replace it's left tackle, left guard, center and right guard and moments throughout the season. Ideally, that doesn't happen again this fall, but this is football and whoever the No. 2 or No. 3 guy is on the depth chart has to be ready when his name is called. Rudolph did a spectacular job last season of preparing his entire room for Saturdays, not just the first team. Depending on Lambert's health when he returns, he might make a push to enter the starting lineup in a few different scenarios. First, he could compete with Sullivan Absher who is expected to begin taking first team reps when fall camp begins. Second, left tackle Anthonie Knapp could move inside to right guard, where many believe he projects the best, and start Lambert out at left tackle. Lambert had a lot of hype coming into South Bend and was expected to be the next stellar offensive lineman produced by 'O Line U'. He saw limited action as a true freshman, and it was mostly in mop up minutes. However, based on his athletic ability, size and potential, Lambert has the opportunity to force his way onto the field with a strong fall camp. At the bare minimum, he's an extremely valuable and extremely talent depth piece who could very well see some meaningful minutes on Saturdays this fall. That's why Lambert is my No. 47 most impactful player for Notre Dame this Breakdown Content 2025 Commit Rankings - Offense2025 Commit Rankings - Defense——————— Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Join the Irish Breakdown community!Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channelSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunesFollow me on Twitter: Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame Impact Players For 2025: No. 45 James Flanigan
Notre Dame Impact Players For 2025: No. 45 James Flanigan originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Notre Dame is now 45 days away from kicking off the 2025 season against the Hurricanes down in Hard Rock Stadium. The Irish will be relying on some impact players to get them through the home opener as well as getting them back to another run at the National Championship. I broke down who I believe will be the top 50 impactful players for Notre Dame this season. Let's continue this countdown to kickoff with my No. 45 most impactful player, true freshman tight end James Flanigan. A true freshman making an impact his first season in South Bend has been relatively consistent under head coach Marcus Freeman. In back to back seasons in 2022 and 2023, we saw two cornerbacks in Benjamin Morrison and Christian Gray cement themselves as impact talents. In 2024, true freshman Anthonie Knapp got the start at left tackle and proceeded to start for 14 more games until his injury late in the playoffs. Flanigan could be the next player on that list based on his skillset and the team's need. What He Brings To The Table Flanigan is a 6-6, 240-pound tight end hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He's considered to be a more 'old school' tight end as he does his best work attached to the offensive line and is a tenacious blocker. Flanigan is very long and athletic, but his background in playing high school defensive end and hockey allows him to be an aggressive and powerful blocker at the point of attack, something the Irish desperately need out of the position. He's also a more than capable pass catcher. Flanigan caught 11 touchdowns as a senior in high school and also finished with 13.0 sacks as a defensive end. The former consensus four-star is a very athletic player who will make it difficult on the coaching staff to keep him off the field, despite having three to four more experienced players in front of him on the depth chart. lanigan has showcased his abilities to work vertically down the field and work the seams, something that offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will be pushing to do with this unit in 2025. What Is His Impact? Barring injury, it's unlikely Flanigan will dethrone senior tight end Eli Raridon as the No. 1 tight end in this offense. However, his arrival in South Bend this summer immediately gives the room some much needed depth it has lacked so far this offseason. Because of his versatile skillset, Flanigan presents some unique traits to the offense that the other tight ends don't possess. They lost their best run blocking tight end in Cooper Flanagan late in the playoffs last season with an achilles injury and his timeline to return remains uncertain. We've seen how Raridon will likely be used in this offense; when you combine Raridon's skillset with Jack Larsen's and Arkansas transfer Ty Washington's skillset, the Irish offense is in need of a solid blocker at tight end. Sixth year senior Kevin Bauman could potentially fit that role, but given his injury history, it's unclear how much will be put on his plate. Flanigan can come in a provide immediate assistance to the Notre Dame run blocking scheme, and with a backfield that features Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price and a host of other, run blocking becomes a top-of-the-list priority. Flanigan can also impact the pass game as well, but his path to on the field success is as a primary run blocker. His diverse skillset, athletic ability, health and size gives him a path to seeing the field as a true freshman which is why I have him ranked as the No. 45 impactful player for Notre Dame this season. PAST TOP 50 BREAKDOWNS No. 46 - Noah BurnetteNo. 47 - Guerby LambertNo. 48 - Sullivan AbsherNo. 49 - Jordan BotelhoNo. 50 - Charles JagusahIrish Breakdown Content 2025 Commit Rankings - Offense2025 Commit Rankings - Defense——————— Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Join the Irish Breakdown community!Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channelSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunesFollow me on Twitter: Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame Impact Players for 2025: No. 49 Jordan Botelho
Notre Dame Impact Players for 2025: No. 49 Jordan Botelho originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Notre Dame is now 49 days away from kicking off the 2025 season against the Hurricanes down in Hard Rock Stadium. The Irish will be relying on some impact players to get them through the home opener as well as getting them back to another run at the National Championship. I broke down who I believe will be the top 50 impactful players for Notre Dame this season. Let's continue this countdown to kickoff with my No. 49 most impactful player, defensive end Jordan Botelho. Advertisement Botelho is another player who was injured this offseason in June in an off campus workout. The Honolulu, Hawaii native is going on his sixth season in South Bend and was off to his best start in an Irish uniform last season before suffering a season ending knee injury in week three. Botelho has, once again, been set back by another injury on his road to recovery, but the skillset he has and the experience he's racked up makes him a valuable asset to this 2025 Fighting Irish defense. What He Brings To The Table Botelho has yet to live up to his recruiting hype when he stepped foot on campus as a freshman in 2020. The 6-3 260 pound edge rusher has shown flashes of his raw athleticism and will be looking to put that all together when he returns, hopefully in October or November. He's twitchy off the edge and has shown his abilities as a more than capable pass rusher and an edge setter against the run. Botelho brings a lot of experience in big games along with him and has played against USC, Wisconsin, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Clemson just to name a few. His 794 career snaps rivals any returning player along the defensive line. The biggest question for Botelho is the level of athleticism he retained after suffered a lower body and upper body injury within a calendar year. Advertisement What Is His Impact? As of right now, his timeline to return will be at some point towards the end of the regular season, but with another playoff run expected from this unit, Botelho will have his opportunity to work his way back into the rotation and potentially the starting lineup. Notre Dame's defensive line was decimated by injuries last season, and the edge players are relatively inexperienced heading into this season. While he's working on his return to the field, Botelho's impact will be felt as a mentor to players like Bryce Young, Loghan Thomas and Cole Mullins who is expected to take on a bigger role this season. He is one of only two sixth year seniors on this team and the only one of defense. Defensive line coach Al Washington will be relying on him to be an extension of himself throughout fall camp, on the practice field and on Saturdays. When he returns, Botelho will give you an immediate boost in depth and experience. He will have to replicate his performance against Texas A&M from the 2024 season opener as a pass rusher in critical moments down the stretch. Notre Dame's defensive ends also struggled setting the edge against the run at times last season; Botelho will have to own that role as well pending his return. His injury history has been unfortunate, but his experience, talent and potential is what makes Botelho my No. 49 most impactful player for Notre Dame in 2025. Advertisement Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge Irish Breakdown Content 2025 Depth Chart 2025 Football Schedule Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers 2025 Commit Rankings - Offense 2025 Commit Rankings - Defense 2024 Recruiting Class 2023 Recruiting Class 2022 Recruiting Class ——————— Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Join the Irish Breakdown community! Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Follow me on Twitter: @TTrow5 Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Free-Agent Big Board: The market is starting to take shape
The NBA free-agency negotiating window opens at 6 p.m. ET Monday, and while this class is a little lackluster, there could still potentially be some impact players on the market. Here you'll find our list of the top 25 overall possible free agents, which bakes in contractual expectations — meaning value for the money — potential for younger players, risk of decline for older players, a premium on long-range shooters (hey, teams want them!) and injury history. To use an example, you'll find both Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon in the 20s, primarily due to their general lack of availability in recent years. Had they played more, they would have been higher on the list. Without further ado, let's get to it. Free-agent position rankings: Point guards | Shooting guards | Small Forwards | Power forwards | Centers
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA Free-Agent Big Board: The market is starting to take shape
The NBA free-agency negotiating window opens at 6 p.m. ET Monday, and while this class is a little lackluster, there could still potentially be some impact players on the market. Here you'll find our list of the top 25 overall possible free agents, which bakes in contractual expectations — meaning value for the money — potential for younger players, risk of decline for older players, a premium on long-range shooters (hey, teams want them!) and injury history. To use an example, you'll find both Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon in the 20s, primarily due to their general lack of availability in recent years. Had they played more, they would have been higher on the list. Without further ado, let's get to it. Free-agent position rankings: Point guards | Shooting guards | Small Forwards | Power forwards | Centers
