Notre Dame is not in the ACC for football despite playing a certain number of opponents each year in exchange for keeping its independence.
But two players from programs in that conference have chosen to finish their college eligibility with the Irish in 2025. A third player arriving from the Irish’s big rival has multiple seasons of eligibility.
First is North Carolina kicker [autotag]Noah Burnette[/autotag], who will become the Irish’s fourth consecutive transfer at that position. He was successful on 38 of 39 extra-point attempts this past season and 15 of 21 in field-goal attempts. He kicked the extra points for both touchdowns the Tar Heels scored in their 2022 loss to the Irish.
Here’s one game this past season in which he was particularly clutch:
The Irish also landed Louisville defensive lineman [autotag]Jared Dawson[/autotag]. He’s coming off a season in which he established career highs in tackles (19), tackles for loss (7) and sacks (4). He had four tackles when the Cardinals lost to the Irish earlier this season. Here he is after that loss:
Finally, the Irish will welcome USC defensive lineman [autotag]Elijah Hughes[/autotag], who had 12 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1 1/2 sacks in two seasons with the Trojans. He played against the Irish in each of the past two seasons but didn’t register any statistics. Still, he’s happy about what’s to come:
https://www.instagram.com/elijah._hughes/p/DEs1rvsy9j5/?hl=en&img_index=1
Players are flocking to the Irish, and the program deserves it after what it has done this season even though there still is work to be done.
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