It's safe to say that, at the half-way point in the season, Notre Dame's offense has been the strength of this team. They currently rank No. 11 in the country in points per game (39.1), No. 11 in the country in yards per play (7.05), No. 11 in the country in rushing touchdowns (20) and No. 8 in the country in yards per completion (14.6). Quarterback CJ Carr has been solid in his first seven games under center, running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have been everything we hoped they'd be and the offensive line has turned things around since the start of the season.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock's impact in his second season in South Bend has definitely been felt, but that doesn't mean this group is without the need for improvement in the final five games of the regular season. Notre Dame's offense will need these players to breakout in the second half of the season to further increase their chances of making a run in this year's College Football Playoffs.
Wide Receiver Jaden Greathouse
As weird as it is to say, Notre Dame is still waiting on slot receiver Jaden Greathouse to breakout in the 2025 season. He's missed the last few games due to a right thigh injury, but he wasn't an integral part of the offense prior to the injury either. Greathouse finished last season on the highest possible note in the Orange Bowl and the National Championship game. Those performances led us to believe he'd be a focal point in this season's offense. Fast forward to their second bye week of the regular season, Greathouse has four receptions for 73 yards and hasn't made it to the end zone.
The 6-1, 215-pound slot receiver has to become a focal point in this offense when he returns. His abilities at receiver compliment the skillset of Virginia transfer Malachi Fields. Both are possession, contested-catch type of receivers that can make plays after the catch. I don't think it's a coincidence that Fields' effectiveness within the offense took a dip when Greathouse started missing games. Denbrock will have to do everything he can to get No. 1 going when he's able to return to the starting lineup.
Wide Receiver KK Smith
Notre Dame's receiving corps is home to many different skillsets and one that we haven't seen too much of is the players with top-end speed. Redshirt sophomore KK Smith is one of those players with elite speed that needs to see more within the offense. Smith had his 'welcome to college football' moment against NC State hauling in three receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. He has the ability to stretch the field vertically and hurt defenses on the perimeter. The 6-0, 177-pound Texas native can stretch the defense vertically with his legitimate track speed, something the other receivers in the rotation can't do to the degree Smith can.
Smith also provides a change-of-pace at the field receiver position. Junior Jordan Faison has had a productive year in this offense and currently leads the team in receptions and yards. Unfortunately, he's putting a lot of mileage on his legs before they even reach the post-season. Faison has already played 382 snaps this season and is on pace to finish with 654 snaps played by the end of the regular season. For reference, last season Beaux Collins finished with 640 snaps played in a 16-game season. Receiver coach Mike Brown, along with Denbrock, will have to get Smith more involved in the offense.
Center Joe Otting
The offensive line is, once again, dealing with some unfortunate injuries up front. Center Ashton Craig is out for the season with an ACL injury suffered against NC State. Redshirt sophomore Joe Otting stepped in to replace Craig and will presumably be their starter for the remainder of the season. He played extremely well for his first collegiate start under the lights against USC this past Saturday. Now, Otting will have to build on that performance and be the steady anchor Craig was along the interior. Notre Dame's interior offensive line looks significantly different than it did coming out of fall camp.
Craig is out for the season and left guard Billy Schrauth is out for a few weeks recovering from an MCL injury. Redshirt sophmore Sullivan Absher is going to replace Schrauth for the time being, meaning that the interior of Notre Dame's offensive line with feature Otting going into his second career start, Absher going into his first collegiate start and right guard Guerby Lambert who will be heading into his 8th career start but is still a redshirt freshman. Otting will have to continue playing at the level he performed at against USC moving forward to help solidify the interior of Notre Dame's offensive line.
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