Notre Dame left its home opener with a 52-0 win over Rice, and the bigger takeaway for Marcus Freeman was what the game revealed about the Irish’s younger players.
Freshman running back Jonaz Walton made the strongest impression. He led the team with 48 rushing yards on eight carries, and Freeman came away encouraged by both the performance and the work Walton has been putting in behind the scenes.
"Jonaz played really well on Saturday with his opportunities, and he's done a really good job in practice," Freeman shared about the talented ball carrier. "I believe he'll continue to get more if the opportunity presents itself.
He’s a quiet person. He doesn't speak too much, but he's confident.
He's confident in his abilities. He's a 10.6, 100-meter guy.
He can fly. He's got a different speed and pace to him and he's learning how to actually play the running back position at the college level.
"You get away with high school, just being the best athlete," Freeman continued. "Now he's learning reads and how to set up blocks and how to be patient and when to go.
You've got to practice at a pace and a speed that reflects the game. This isn't high school.
You can't jog around here. You've got to go full speed, and you're seeing that habit develop, and he's a truly ascending player.”
Walton wasn’t the only underclassman to take a step forward. Offensive lineman Cam Herron, a 2025 recruit who arrived in South Bend as a center, spent most of the second half at guard after the staff decided that spot gave him the best chance to help sooner. Freeman liked what he saw, even if there’s still work ahead.
"In camp, we got him some reps at guard, and he really handled it well," Freeman raved. "I think when you have the confidence in Ashton Craig and Joe Otting at center, could Cam Herron help us at guard before he would be able to help us at center?
And we thought he could, and he played really well. There's areas that some technique things he's got to clean up, but he plays with an edge, a toughness that sticks out and I thought he did that on Saturday.”
The young receivers also made noise. Jerome Bettis Jr. caught two passes for 61 yards and led Notre Dame in receiving yards, while Elijah Burress finished with three catches for 33 yards. Freeman said their production did more than pad the stat sheet; it helped build trust.
"Trust is earned and they are earning trust," Freeman explained. "To go out there in that environment and make the plays they made, it was huge.
It was a confidence builder for them and for us, and they'll continue to get more. I know they will.
Each week we'll decide exactly how we'll play them. But when you go out there and you do your job and you take advantage of your opportunities it's a message to everybody that this guy can be counted on in the game versus an opponent to get his job done.”
Against Rice, Notre Dame had the kind of game that lets younger players breathe, grow and show what they can handle. Walton, Herron, Burress and Bettis all answered that chance, and Freeman sounded like a coach who knows he’ll need more of that as the season goes on.
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