Notre Dame season preview
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
When the preseason polls drop in about a month, Notre Dame will be anywhere from #1 to #5. They are 1 of 5 times I believe have a real shot to win it all. The others are;
Ohio State
Texas
Oregon
Miami
One of these 5 teams will be the champion. We play Miami and Ohio State plays the other 2.
Notre Dame has the ceiling potential to be the strongest of the 5 but also has the floor potential to be the 5th out of 5 too. What I'm saying is that the Irish have blue chip potential at every spot but some of it hasn't been seen yet.
Let's look at the Roster.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
CJ Carr
Blake Hebert
Noah Grubbs
Teddy Gerrard
CJ Carr dominated the Manning football camp and is arguably the best Quarterback in the country. If he stays healthy, a Heisman season is a real possibility. His athleticism is elite, his arm talent is elite, and his processing has him being compared to Tom Brady and Drew Brees. That's the good news. The bad news is that the drop off, if he gets hurt, could be huge.
Could Hebert, Grubbs or Gerrard win a game or 2? Perhaps, as long as the opponent isn't named Miami.
Could one of those guys carry the team through a championship season? doubtful. The talent is inverse to the experience. Gerrard will be the next star, but it won't be this year. Hebert just isn't that guy. Grubbs will likely be #2 by seasons end. I'm hoping for a lot of reps in the first 6 games, due to blowouts.
The weapons are there for this team to be explosive. Perhaps, historically explosive by Notre Dame standards.
WIDE RECEIVER FIELD
Jordan Faison
Cam Williams
Elijah Burress
Jerome Bettis jr
Faison is very athletic and was a member of a National championship ND Lacrosse team as well as being a Sun Belt MVP. He was ND's leading receiver last year but is unlikely to repeat that accolade this year. This is not because I expect Faison to take a step back. I just expect too many other weapons to emerge. Is this the year the light really comes on for Cam Williams? If it doesn't, Burress and Bettis will press him.
WIDE RECEIVER BOUNDARY
Quincy Porter
Micah Gilbert
Devin Fitzgerald
Porter is a dynamite talent who has been bogged down by injuries. Porter was a 5-star coming out of high school who got stuck behind a loaded roster at Ohio State. He is expected to be a full go by the start of the season and provide that big body threat like a Michael Young or Miles Boykin. Micah Gilbert has not really seized the #2 spot just yet and will be pressed by Fitzgerald, the son of an NFL legend. Porter emerging unlocks this passing game from a good unit to one of the top 5 in the nation.
WIDE RECEIVER SLOT
Jaden Greathouse
Mylan Graham
Elijah Burress
Jerome Bettis jr.
I'm going against the flow here because everyone expects former 5-star Mylan Graham to be sensational and I don't disagree. However, if Greathouse returns to his 2024 playoff form, along with the emergence of Porter and Graham, this could be the #1 passing offense in America. True, there are a few ''ifs'' there, but they are all plausible ''ifs'' and I think it's going to happen.
TIGHT END
Cooper Flanagan
James Flanigan
Ty Washington
Ian Premer
Cooper has shown himself to be a superior run blocker which bodes well for the rushing attack. He, and his brother of a different mother (spelling isn't even the same), are as yet unproven as receivers. Ty Washington has not been able to establish himself as ''the guy''. Ian Premer is the wildcard. He is an absolute freak who has blazing speed, a dynamic catch range and the vertical ability to dunk a basketball. He needs to put on weight, but this freshman is coming hard as the next elite ND Tight End. If he can realize half that potential by season's end, we add yet another dangerous weapon entering the playoffs.
OFFENSIVE LINE
LT- Will Black LG- Anthony Knapp C- Craig Ashton RG- Sullivan Absher RT- Guerby Lambert
S. Prescod Devan Houston Joe Otting Charles Jagusah Matty Augustine
There are 3 assumptions being made here and 2 are against us. The first assumption is that 5-star Will Black can excel as a freshman at LT, allowing Knapp to move inside. The coaching staff seems to be very optimistic this will happen
The other 2 assumptions is that former staters Otting and Jagusah will not be ready to start by day 1. When both of those guys are healthy, and if Will Black is what we think he is, this becomes the #1 offensive line in college football, especially with C. Flanagan as a blocking Tight End.
RUNNING BACK
Aneyas Williams
Nolan James
Kedron Young
Javian Osbourne
Jonaz Walton
Yes, I'm aware we just lost 2 first round backs to the NFL. No, I do not think the dropoff is going to be as bad as you think it is. Williams is explosive and averaged over 9 yards per carry last year. He scored a touchdown on 1 out of every 10 touches. He is going to be a star.
Nolan James has the motor and the balance of Kyrean Williams and Kedron Young is bigger and faster than Audrick Estime and will be the short yardage bell cow. I actually like the fact that people have doubts about our running game. We will see a lot fewer 8-man fronts. We will be just fine pounding the rock.
Prediction: the most explosive and balanced Notre Dame offense any of us has ever seen. The ability to stretch the field vertically, move the chains by possession passing and ground and pound and eat the clock will all be present. A top 5 offense in all of CFB with over 40 PPG.
DEFENSE
LEFT DEFENSIVE END
Bryce Young
Keon Keeley
Christopher Burgess
Young and Keeley are going to be monsters at getting after the Quarterback
RIGHT DEFENSIVE END
Boubacar Traore
Rodney Dunham
Thomas Logan
Traore is going to be a monster too. The only question about 5-star Rodney Dunham is not if he will become a monster but when. Going into to playoffs this could be among the most fearsome foursome of edge players Notre Dame has ever assembled.
LEFT DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Tionne Gray
Jason Onye
Elijah Hughes
Another instance where I am picking against the grain. Gray outweighs Onye by 35 pounds, and I believe that size matters as a run plugger. Onye got pushed around by Miami. I believe the Oregon transfer will beat him out for the top of the rotation.
RIGHT DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Armel Mukam
Francis Brewu
Cole Mullins
I'm picking an upset here and for the same reason. Brewu is penciled in as the started by most, but I think it's going to be Mukam with the 1s. If you are just looking at 1s and 2s, here is how the interior lineups shakeout by weight.
Gray & Mukam 626 pounds
Gray & Brewu 615 pounds
Onye & Mukam 580 pounds
Onye & Brewu 577 pounds
True, you may pick up a little more athleticism but against the Miami's of the world, 49 pounds inside is not a small thing. I think you will see Onye and Brewu on the field a lot and even some Hughes and Mullins. However, barring injury or a 30-point lead, Gray and Mukam are not going to both be on the bench at the same time.
Conclusion: If there is a better 8-man rotation on the D-line in the country, I don't know where it would be.
WILL LINEBACKER
Jaiden Ausberry
Jaylen Sneed
Kia Kahanu
MIKE LINEBACKER
Drayk Bowen
Kyngston Villamu Asa (KVA)
Maiden Faraimo
The floor is the best linebacking corps in the country. The ceiling is a unit that is generational. As I see it, there are 3 ifs (barring injuries) that get us close, closer or at that ceiling.
Sneed finally puts it all together. If he does, he moves to #1 at will and becomes a monster.
KVA puts it all together.
Faraimo grows up fast.
If that happens, this is the best ND linebacking corp in history and on par with the greatest inits to ever play the game.
The question of the defensive backfield is not of players but of coaching. The DBs looked lost in the 1st three game of DC Chris Ash's tenure and replacing DB coach Mike Mickens is a tall order because the guy was a legend. True, Ash recovered well in the last 9 games and Aaron Henry has a strong resume. That gives encouraging hope for success but doesn't guarantee it.
The most encouraging facts are that the secondary will be helped out by a strong front 7 and the level of talent is elite. This should be the best secondary in CFB.
Should be. We'll see.
FIELD CORNER
DJ McKinney
Mark Zackary
Khary Adams
It is being assumed that transfer DJ McKinney is going to win the starting spot, and I will accept that for now. The future is Adams who may develop into the best corner ND has ever had but how fast.
BOUNDARY CORNER
Leonard Moore
Jayden Sanders
What more can you say about Moore than he is simply the single best defensive player in the game and takes away half the field. Jayden Sanders will prove or disprove Henry's chops as the DB coach. How much is the dropoff when Moore comes out? Sanders immediately gets targeted.
FIELD SAFETY
Brauntee Johnson
Ethan Long
Joey O'Brien
BOUNDARY SAFETY
Adon Schuler
Luke Talich
NICKEL
Christian Gray
Dallas Golden
Brauntee is the top safety in the country and Schuler and Talich are no slouches. Good grief, though, what a player Joey O'Brien is going to be. Dallas Golden is special too. He will be #1 at Nickel by season's end.
Prediction: This is going to be a devastatingly good defense. By season's end, it will be generational, as good as teams like 2011 Alabama and 2001 Miami. It will be that good. I predict this defense will give up less than 10 points per game and post multiple shutouts.
GAME BY GAME
Notre Dame 41 Wisconsin 14.
Notre Dame 48 Rice 0
Notre Dame 42 Michigan State 3
Notre Dame 55 Purdue 0
Notre Dame 48 North Carolina 7
Notre Dame 45 Stanford 10
Notre Dame 38 BYU 17
Notre Dame 52 Navy 7
Notre Dame 41 Miami 20
Notre Dame 45 Boston College 0
Notre Dame 45 SMU 21
Notre Dame 49 Syracuse 7
45.75 PPG on offense 8.83 PPG on Defense. 12-0 record. #1 seed in playoffs
Playoffs:
Championship:
