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Christian Gray is adapting to a new role as Notre Dame's nickelback after Dallas Golden's injury. Golden will miss the remainder of spring practice due to a lower back issue.
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SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football will be without sophomore nickelback Dallas Golden for the rest of spring practice, coach Marcus Freeman said Saturday, April 18, after Golden missed the jersey scrimmage.
Freeman described Golden’s issue as a “lower back kind of sprain/strain/stress that we want to get calmed down.”
After playing 310 defensive snaps as a freshman, with 85% of those lined up in slot coverage or something similar, Golden is vying with senior Christian Gray and Michigan transfer Jayden Sanders for playing time as the fifth defensive back.
Golden, a Tampa Berkeley High School product, participated off and on for about three weeks of Irish spring drills before being shut down. He will miss the final three practices of the spring, including the April 25 Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium.
“We said, let’s put him on the shelf for a little bit to let his back calm down,” Freeman said. “We think that’s going to make him better.”
Head coach Marcus Freeman greets players during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Dallas Golden suffered a lower back sprain/strain and will miss the rest of spring practice.
Dallas Golden played 310 defensive snaps during his freshman year.
Christian Gray is competing with senior Jayden Sanders and the injured Dallas Golden for the nickelback position.
Christian Gray is adapting to the nickelback position following Dallas Golden's injury.

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Wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Players warm up during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Head coach Marcus Freeman during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Running back Aneyas Williams catches a pass during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Wide receiver Kaydon Finley runs in a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Running back Aneyas Williams puts his helmet on during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Quarterback CJ Carr during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Helmets form a line down the field as players warm up during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Wide receiver Elijah Burress runs in a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman greets sophomore offensive lineman Guerby Lambert before practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
Notre Dame football running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider talks to his players during a drill in practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
Notre Dame football sophomore wide receiver Mylan Graham catches a pass in a drill during a practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
Notre Dame football defensive coordinator Chris Ash, left, points out something during a practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
Notre Dame football sophomore defensive back Mark Zackery IV catches a pass in a drill during a practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
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Head coach Marcus Freeman greets players during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Head coach Marcus Freeman greets players during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Players warm up during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Head coach Marcus Freeman during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Running back Aneyas Williams catches a pass during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Wide receiver Kaydon Finley runs in a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Running back Aneyas Williams puts his helmet on during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Quarterback CJ Carr during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Helmets form a line down the field as players warm up during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Wide receiver Elijah Burress runs in a drill during a Notre Dame football practice at Irish Athletic Center on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in South Bend.
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Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman greets sophomore offensive lineman Guerby Lambert before practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
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Notre Dame football running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider talks to his players during a drill in practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
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Notre Dame football sophomore wide receiver Mylan Graham catches a pass in a drill during a practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
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Notre Dame football defensive coordinator Chris Ash, left, points out something during a practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
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Notre Dame football sophomore defensive back Mark Zackery IV catches a pass in a drill during a practice Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend.
After pairing with shutdown cornerback Leonard Moore the past two seasons, Gray has willingly shifted inside with Colorado grad transfer DJ McKinney due to arrive in June.
Sophomore Mark Zackery IV handled field corner duties with the first team on Saturday and struggled to keep Jordan Faison under control.
Gray was flagged for pass interference against Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham on CJ Carr’s first full series, but Gray also broke up quick out from Carr to Jordan Faison on a third-and-goal play from the 1.
“We thought he would be a natural nickel,” Freeman said of Gray. “We thought this would be a good move for him. He’s really worked at it. Like anytime you’re trying to improve, you’ll go through some of the failures that he went through early in the spring, and he’ll continue to go through failures, but those make you better.”
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Gray’s forte is man-to-man coverage, typically in an “off” approach, but the 6-foot, 196-pounder is making the adjustment to the high-traffic nature of life in the slot. Freeman lauded Gray’s toughness in zone coverage this spring as well as his improvement in the “press situation” against slippery slot receivers.
"The greatest challenge is really learning the zones,” Gray said recently. “I’m learning about the playbook more now because it’s very different from corner. Everything is a lot faster.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame has Christian Gray at nickel with Dallas Golden ailing