Notre Dame football will be without one of its seasoned cornerbacks for the 2024 season. On Monday, Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman revealed that Chance Tucker will miss the entire season due to a torn ACL.
The injury occurred during the team’s “jersey scrimmage” on August 17. Tucker, who was poised for his senior season, had appeared in 10 games prior to this season, including nine in 2023.
“We care a lot about Chance,” Freeman said during his Monday press conference. “He’s an excellent teammate and person — it’s really tough that he has to miss this season.”
Before the injury, the 6-foot, 189-pound Tucker was expected to serve as a key depth player behind juniors Benjamin Morrison and Jaden Mickey, as well as sophomore Christian Gray. The Week 1 depth chart released by the Notre Dame football communications team lists Morrison and Gray as the starters.
With Morrison, a preseason All-American, and Gray, one of the team’s promising talents, the backups will include Mickey and freshman Leonard Moore. Despite Tucker’s absence, Freeman expressed confidence in the remaining personnel heading into their season opener against Texas A&M on Saturday.
“We have strong depth in those positions,” Freeman said. “I’m very confident in the depth of both the safety and cornerback positions. Rod Heard II is versatile, able to play corner, safety, and nickel, which adds depth to both positions.
“I’m really pleased with our depth. Adon Shuler has shown he can be relied upon and will be a significant player for us. Plus, young players like Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs are ready to contribute this year.”
According to the depth chart, Shuler is listed as the starting boundary safety, Hobbs as the backup nickel behind Jordan Clark, and Heard as the second-string field safety behind Xavier Watts.
Chance Tucker’s Notre Dame Career Before the Injury
A product of Crespi Carmelite in Encino, California, Tucker was entering his fourth season with the Irish. After redshirting in 2021, he made his debut in the program’s 2022 game against Boston College on November 19.
Last season, Tucker saw action in four games, playing a total of 34 snaps. His most significant contributions came in the season opener against Tennessee State on September 2 and in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Oregon State on December 12, where he played 12 snaps in each game and recorded two of his three career tackles in the postseason.
Tucker also contributed in five other games, participating in Notre Dame’s kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units.
Coming out of Crespi Carmelite, Tucker was a three-star recruit, ranked as the No. 51 wide receiver nationally and the No. 28 prospect in California for the 2021 class. He chose Notre Dame over offers from Colorado, Northwestern, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State.