The spring storylines are way more compelling than that math that gives them context, and yet both are prerequisites to getting a handle on what’s next for Notre Dame football beyond head coach Marcus Freeman filling two significant staff vacancies.

First the icky/confusing part — the arithmetic.

The Irish, a consensus Top 10 pick in the way-too-early Top 25 circuit, will start spring practice at a still-to-be determined date in March with 94 scholarship players unofficially committed to the 2025 Irish roster. For now.

So, is that nine over the longtime 85 scholarship NCAA-mandate max or perhaps under the upcoming new limit or right in the sweet spot? The date to know when there might be movement toward something more tangible is April 7.

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That’s when final approval for the landmark House v. NCAA settlement is set for a final approval at a hearing. Tentatively. And there would be all kinds of legal entanglements that follow even if it is approved. So …

Notre Dame has a plan to deal with whatever the number is. But it’s not really eager to share the strategy unless/until it’s time to.

As a prelude to the plotlines, a little housekeeping. The tolerable kind.

On Tuesday evening, Notre Dame football released its spring roster. No uniform numbers for the newbies yet, but here’s what’s significant:

• Defensive tackle Jason Onye, who left the roster for personal reasons after a Sept. 28 win over Louisville, is on the spring roster. The 6-foot-5, 291-pound senior is a potential starter at a position of need — interior defensive line. At worst, he’s a reliable rotational player.

• Two of the eight members of the transfer class will be June arrivals, just as Beaux Collins and Rod Heard II were last offseason. They are Virginia grad transfer wide receiver Malachi Fields and Arkansas transfer tight end Ty Washington.

• Two players with sixth-year COVID options are not exercising theirs — backup offensive tackle Tosh Baker and a great comeback story for even making it back for 2024, tight end Kevin Bauman.

• And for those wondering about Notre Dame’s two-sport stars.

The two-time defending national champion Irish men’s lacrosse team opens its season Feb. 12 at home against Cleveland State. Wide receiver/scout-tea, QB Tyler Buchner and wide receiver Matt Jeffery started practicing with them last week and played in an exhibition game.

Wide receiver Jordan Faison plans to join them soon, but needed more of a break after football due to his higher game usage.

And junior-to-be middle linebacker Drayk Bowen, it has been confirmed, will not be joining the Irish baseball team, first reported by Irish Sports Daily’s Matt Freeman.

Now a position-by-position rundown of what’s percolating now and the most intriguing thread of how it may play out:

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QUARTERBACK

There is still one more opportunity to grab a rip cord and plan an exit strategy in the final transfer portal window of the offseason (April 16-25), but the fact no one did among ND’s quarterback not only gives Freeman more options for Riley Leonard’s successor.

It’s likely to make the new No. 1 better.

And competition, rather than a default designation, will likely not only make the new No. 1 better, but whoever No. 2 is as well.

That group now includes senior-to-be Steve Angeli, junior Kenny Minchey, sophomore CJ Carr and early enrolled freshman Blake Hebert.

Leonard’s March ankle surgery serendipitously gave more spring reps to Minchey and Carr. Unless there’s an injury this spring, Hebert figures to be more back burner and Carr is the pick here to emerge No. 1. But not without a fight.

RUNNING BACK

Senior-to-be Jadarian Price is good enough to start for most Power conference teams. Junior Jeremiyah Love could be a legit Heisman candidate and sophomore Aneyas Williams is ascending fast.

With only Devyn Ford out of eligibility, there will be six backs jostling for reps and carries if Gi’Bran Payne is all the way back from last spring ACL tear, and including early enrollee Nolan James Jr.

The wild card is sophomore Kedren Young, who preserved a redshirt year in 2024 and still managed to get 21 carries and average 5.5 yards. There is no one else in the running back room with that body type (6-0, 229).

A healthy spring and training camp, which he didn’t have in 2024, could provide for a runway third-down/short-yardage role in 2025.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The best guess at the best five? Aamil Wagner, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Anthonie Knapp and Charles Jagusah. But who plays left tackle? Likely Jagusah. And what about prodigies Guerby Lambert and/or June-arriving Will Black eventually making a run?

And then there’s always a surprise, and this spring’s could be junior Sullivan Absher, who can play inside or out. First-world problems, the best kind to have.

TIGHT ENDS

Can Eli Raridon evolve into a No. 1 tight end?

If the answer is fuzzy by the end of spring practice, Notre Dame may need to peruse the spring transfer portal. And given Cooper Flanagan’s January Achilles tendon injury and Bauman moving on with life, they may have to anyway.

Incoming freshman James Flanigan may turn out to be a revelation, but he doesn’t arrive until June.

WIDE RECEIVERS

The educated guess at the 2025 starters would be Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison and Virginia grad transfer/June arrival Malachi Fields, but filling out the rotation should be an entertaining exercise.

There’s a lot of talent in the sophomore-to-be class that had very limited game reps in 2024 and now have a much clearer path to prominent roles. Keep an eye on Cam Williams, Logan Saldate and Micah Gilbert. It’s a big spring for all three.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Jason Onye is the headliner here, especially if he can pick up where he left off in late September.

Once Jordan Botelho and Boubacar Traore are all the way back from September season-ending knee injuries, there will be a glut of talent and depth on both edges. And it figures to get even deeper when freshman Christopher Burgess Jr. arrives in June.

The intrigue here is quality on the interior beyond Onye, Donovan Hinish and Gabe Rubio. Armel Mukam, at the moment, is the most game-ready of the next wave, but there are lots of intriguing options with little game experience with a chance to raise their profiles, including Brenan Vernon.

LINEBACKERS

Only Jack Kiser exits having exhausted his eligibility. And there are three freshman additions — led by early enrollee Madden Faraimo, plus Kahanu Kia coming back from a summer ACL tear eventually. And then there are two sophomores-to-be looking to push into the playing rotation as well — Bodie Kahoun and Teddy Rezac — as well as junior Preston Zinter.

Who is able to join Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, Jaiden Ausberry and Kyngstonn Viliami-Asa should be a fun competition to track.

SAFETIES

Junior Adon Shuler is a given and Devonta Smith is the likely heir apparent to Jordan Clark at nickel, and then it’ll be a deep, talented group competent to take two-time All-American Xavier Watts’ spot as well as form what figures to be a deep rotation around the starters.

Virginia Tech grad transfer Jalen Stroman, who is on the spring roster, likely has the inside track to top the depth chart with Stroman. Among the young wave, Luke Talich had the most safety game reps with 98, followed by Kennedy Urlacher with 65.

Both were special teams stalwarts. Sophomore Tae Johnson, an emergency backup cornerback in 2024 as a freshman, is migrating back to safety and a huge wild card as are ultra-early enrollees JaDon Blair and Ethan Long, both of whom were valuable scout-team players during most of ND’s College Football Playoff run.

Blair comes in at 6-5, 195.

CORNERBACKS

Christian Gray and Leonard Moore each played all but one defensive snap of all four playoff games and the regular-season finale at USC on Nov. 30, so building a rotation around them is a huge priority.

Cree Thomas is the only one of the three vaunted freshman cornerbacks who will be on campus for spring ball, with Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery arriving in June. Chance Tucker continues to work his way back from an August ACL tear and sophomore Karson Hobbs figures to play his way into a larger role.

Maybe this is an area for the spring portal to address, but those two June-arriving freshmen could be special early.

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