It was the 2022 season, and the Tulane Green Wave were on a roll. Having already defeated teams like SMU, Kansas State, and coming out with 10 wins in the regular season. All that remained was a victory over a ‘power’ giant to finish the season on a high note, and to do that, USC awaited them in the Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl Game. The victory did come with Tulane overcoming Lincoln Riley’s USC by 46-45, but it wouldn’t have been possible without a player whose Notre Dame brother was present in the stands for that incredible showing.

Alex Bauman, then a Tulane tight end, caught the game-winning touchdown after recording 2 receptions before that, and the crowd at AT&T Stadium went into an uncontrolled frenzy. It was a moment unseen for a team like Tulane, and Bauman’s moment is still remembered fondly in Green Wave circles. Alex’s brother, Kevin Bauman, who plays for Notre Dame as a tight end, was in the stands and celebrated the touchdown like a die-hard Tulane fan. But now? Fate has turned them against each other.

After finishing his 2024 season with 212 yards, Alex Bauman has moved to Miami on a transfer and will play his first game against Notre Dame in week 1 at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami. It’s a matchup that the duo wouldn’t have imagined, as there would not be any celebrations now if one scores a touchdown. However, Kevin looks at the matchup quite eagerly and already calls it a “surreal” moment, as he appeared in a recent interview.

“Yeah, it’s weird, but definitely surreal. I mean. I love my brother to death, would do anything for him, and just to have this opportunity to think of moments in life that don’t happen very often. So my family’s jacked up, my whole family’s going to be there. We got a ton of people coming in, but just really surreal,” said Kevin about the matchup on August 31st. Still, he continued and said how proud he was of his brother and called the moment “crazy.”

“I’m so proud of him. We’ve always worked together. We’ve always been best friends, brothers, you know. I can’t believe it, it’s crazy,” said Kevin. It all sure seems like a scene taken out of Tom Hardy’s Warrior Movie, except the Bauman brothers aren’t estranged and carry an immense love for each other. Kevin’s career journey at Notre Dame is particularly notable since he suffered a fractured fibula in 2021 and was sidelined for two months with persistent struggles later on. After Kevin made a comeback in 2022, injuries again shook his career.

The Irish tight end played just 3 games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in practice. Even in 2023, another ACL injury kept him out of the season. So, the Miami game will surely be a situation to finally prove his talent and seal his spot at Notre Dame’s tight end position. But against him would be his brother Alex, trying to stop that. In any case, that Miami game against the Fighting Irish would probably now be watched for more reasons than just seeing one team winning and another losing, right? But who will win on the scoreboard?

Carson Beck’s injury concerns cost Miami their first game against Notre Dame?

Both Miami and Notre Dame look solid on paper, with both carrying winning momentum from the previous year. While Notre Dame made it to the national title last year, Miami also notched up 10 wins and got Cam Ward to make the Heisman finals and then the first pick of the NFL draft. Now, coming into the 2025 season, Notre Dame finds itself without a solid, experienced QB like CJ Carr, and Miami decided to get an injured Carson Beck from Georgia. So, who will win then?

“I think that the big driving talking point is going to be the performance of Carson Beck. I think that Carson Beck is going to massively sway the outcome of this one. I’d be really curious to see what the setting is going to be like—opening game of the season. But Carson Beck, if he can return seamlessly from his injury, he is going to be so integral for them starting off the season with a win against Notre Dame,” said Joe DeLeone on ‘The Ruffino and Joe Show’. As for the other pieces in the respective teams?

Notre Dame hasn’t replaced many players on the offense, and Marcus Freeman is bringing two top starters from last season to the O-line, including right guard Charles Jagusah. As for Miami, Mario Cristobal has brought James Brockermeyer to center from Alabama and is also returning with players like Francis Mauigoa, who was considered the best in the ACC. So, both teams have enough to seal a win, and due to a home advantage, we could see Miami sealing that first win, give Carson Beck overcomes injury and shows up like his 2023 season.