Notre Dame’s Core of Elite Talent: Three Returning Players Ranked Among Nation’s Best by PFF Signal Major 2025 Playoff Intentions
As the sun sets on one of the most dramatic offseasons in recent memory, college football programs across the country are counting on returning veterans to anchor their 2025 campaigns. For Notre Dame, that expectation isn’t just internal—it’s backed by data. According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the gold standard of advanced football analytics, the Fighting Irish return three of the most valuable players in the nation this season, based on performance grades, impact metrics, and win-share value.
The names won’t surprise anyone who followed Notre Dame football last year, but the implications are profound. In a sport where elite returning talent is often the difference between playoff contention and another year on the outside looking in, Notre Dame’s trio of standouts has turned heads in both coaching circles and media rooms.
The message is clear: this is no longer a rebuilding program. Under Marcus Freeman, the Irish are not just recruiting better—they’re developing better. They’re retaining talent. And they’re returning game-changers at key positions who can turn close games into statement wins.
The first name atop PFF’s value charts for Notre Dame is cornerback Benjamin Morrison, the shutdown cover man who has already built a case as one of the best defensive backs in the country. Entering his third season, Morrison has earned elite grades in man coverage, zone responsibility, and tackling efficiency. According to PFF’s composite grading, he allowed the fewest yards per coverage snap among all returning Power Five cornerbacks in 2024, while also recording a near-perfect forced incompletion rate in contested catch situations.
More than just numbers, Morrison’s value is structural. His ability to eliminate an opposing team’s top wideout allows defensive coordinator Al Golden to scheme more aggressively elsewhere. Notre Dame’s defense, one of the best in the nation last year, often looked more versatile and dangerous with Morrison on the field because of what he took away—routes, reads, space, and confidence.
What separates Morrison from other top corners is his patience and technique. He’s not a gambler, but he still creates turnovers. He doesn’t chase stats, but he shuts down entire sides of the field. PFF’s metrics love that. And so does the NFL.
Scouts are already projecting Morrison as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 draft. But his focus remains squarely on Notre Dame’s success. After briefly exploring the NFL this past spring, Morrison opted to return—citing unfinished business, his belief in the program, and his desire to help Freeman bring a title back to South Bend.
The second name on the PFF list is left tackle Joe Alt, whose return was seen as both a luxury and a massive recruiting win for Notre Dame’s offensive line. Alt, already a two-year starter, has earned PFF grades in pass protection that rank among the top five in all of college football—regardless of position. He gave up just one sack over the course of 12 games in 2024, despite facing several top-tier edge rushers from teams like USC, Clemson, and Ohio State.
What makes Alt so special is the combination of size, footwork, and intelligence. Standing 6-foot-7 with prototypical arm length, he’s built like an NFL lineman—but moves like a basketball forward. His lateral quickness and balance allow him to stonewall speed rushers, while his punch timing and hand placement give him the edge against power.
Offensive line coach Joe Rudolph has called Alt “the smartest lineman I’ve ever coached,” and PFF’s grading supports the praise. Alt not only clears elite benchmarks in pass blocking efficiency, but he also scores exceptionally high in run game success rate. Simply put, when Alt is leading the way, Notre Dame’s offense stays ahead of the chains.
With a new quarterback stepping in and a restructured wide receiver corps, the importance of keeping the pocket clean cannot be overstated. Alt’s presence gives Notre Dame that luxury. But beyond just protection, he provides leadership. He’s the cornerstone of a line that continues to uphold the tradition of “O-Line U”—and PFF’s metrics prove it.
The third player rounding out the trio is tight end Mitchell Evans, a breakout star who returned to full strength after an injury-plagued early career. Evans became a focal point of the offense last year, both as a safety valve on third down and a mismatch nightmare in the red zone. Standing 6-foot-5 with soft hands and surprising after-the-catch ability, Evans racked up over 700 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns—good enough for PFF to rank him as the second-most efficient returning tight end in the country.
What made Evans stand out wasn’t just volume, but timing. His biggest plays came in the biggest moments. A third-and-12 conversion against USC. A go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter against North Carolina. A clutch seam route versus Clemson that kept a game-winning drive alive. When Notre Dame needed a play, Evans made it.
PFF gave him one of the highest grades in contested catch situations for tight ends and ranked him top-10 in yards per route run. But perhaps his most underrated contribution is in the run game. As a blocker, Evans plays with leverage, aggression, and discipline—often sealing the edge or moving second-level defenders with ease.
Freeman has praised Evans as the “glue guy” of the offense—someone who brings energy, accountability, and toughness every single day. And with the departure of several veteran skill players, Evans will play a central role in shaping the 2025 identity of Notre Dame’s attack.
What these three players represent, collectively, is a foundation.
Notre Dame returns talent all across the field, but having top-tier difference-makers at cornerback, left tackle, and tight end provides unique schematic flexibility. It means the Irish can do more. They can blitz more aggressively knowing Morrison has one side locked down. They can protect a young quarterback better with Alt anchoring the blindside. They can build play-action and tempo packages around Evans’ ability to stretch the field or block in-line.
For Freeman, entering his third full season as head coach, this is the roster he’s been building toward. The depth is better. The recruiting is stronger. But perhaps most importantly, the buy-in from veterans like Morrison, Alt, and Evans shows that Notre Dame isn’t just a stepping stone to the NFL—it’s a place where elite players want to finish what they’ve started.
That culture shift matters.
It’s also part of why PFF’s rankings are more than just analytics—they’re indicators of national relevance. Programs that dominate these lists tend to make deep postseason runs. They attract attention from voters and analysts. And they build credibility in the playoff committee’s eyes. In a 12-team playoff era, having top-tier talent returning isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.
For Notre Dame, that necessity has become an advantage. With Morrison, Alt, and Evans leading the charge, and rising talents like CJ Carr, Jeremiyah Love, and Jaylen Sneed stepping into larger roles, the Irish are poised for a legitimate playoff push.
It won’t be easy. The schedule remains daunting, with road games at Texas A&M, USC, and NC State, plus home showdowns against Michigan and Florida State. But Notre Dame no longer has to hope its stars emerge—they already have.
And they’re graded as some of the best in the country.
The 2025 season will test Notre Dame’s toughness, depth, and execution. But it will also showcase three of the most valuable players in college football—athletes who stayed, who lead, and who represent everything Marcus Freeman is trying to build in South Bend.
If Notre Dame reaches the playoff this year, it won’t be a Cinderella story.
It will be the result of having elite players in elite positions, exactly where the numbers—and the nation—say they belong.
