Notre Dame football injury: Marcus Freeman offers major update on two key players
The No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions to start their 2024-25 campaign.
After a historic upset loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, the Fighting Irish have bounced back, rattling back-to-back wins. Coming off a Week 4 win over Miami (OH), Notre Dame will have another test versus the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals.
The Fighting Irish will be without tight end Cooper Flanagan due to an ankle injury. Defensive lineman Josh Burnham checks in as questionable with an injury that has remained undisclosed. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman provided an update on his two players ahead of their Week 5 matchup.
"A couple injury updates, Cooper Flanagan will be out this week with a left ankle injury and Josh Burnham is still questionable as we go into this week (1:53 mark)."
Sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan will miss a game for the first time this season, with senior Mitchell Evans likely to step in. Junior defensive lineman Josh Burnham could miss his third straight game since suffering an injury versus NIU in Week 2. Burnham notched four tackles versus the Huskies.
Notre Dame gears up for second Top 25 clash of the season
The Fighting Irish will prepare for their second top 25 matchup so far this season, having topped the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies in Week 1 with a 23-13 win.
Notre Dame has looked impressive since their Week 2 loss, defeating Purdue 66-7 in Week 3 and topping Miami (OH) 28-3, despite a slow start in Week 4.
Louisville will present the Irish with their biggest test up till this point of the season. The Cardinals have started their season with a 3-0 record, coming off a highly-contested 31-19 win over Georgia Tech in Week 4.
Sportsbooks are favoring Notre Dame this week as the Fighting Irish open as a six-point favorite at home versus the Cardinals.
Notre Dame's schedule eases up after Week 5, as the Irish will have six consecutive home games versus Stanford, Georgia Tech, Navy, Florida State, Virginia and Army. They are favored against all of them. The Fighting Irish will conclude their season by traveling to Los Angeles to play the USC Trojans.
If the Fighting Irish can stay alive through their stretch of home games, and travel to USC and come out with a win, Notre Dame's playoff chances will be very much alive.