After a long offseason, the wait is almost over; we’re less than a week away from the Fighting Irish’s return to the football field. After an 8-3 season in 2023 that saw Notre Dame clinch a Sun Bowl victory, the Irish are ready to add a new chapter to their storied history.
Notre Dame is starting the season seventh in the AP Poll and is coming in with the most talented roster of the Marcus Freeman era. But maybe that isn’t as big of an achievement as it seems since it’s only Freeman’s third full season at the helm. However, there is a different feeling around the Irish this year.
Maybe it’s the 12-team playoff, or perhaps it’s the highly talented recruiting classes Freeman has landed. This has been the most hyped up the Notre Dame faithful has been going into a season, so here’s how the roster is shaping up.
Notre Dame Offense
The biggest story going into the season for the Irish offense centers on transfer quarterback Riley Leonard. Despite the injury concerns surrounding him and his ankle, it isn’t stopping the hype of what he can do in this offense.
His athleticism is going to be the main game-changer for the Irish’s offense. His ability to use both his arm and legs will open up the offensive attack. It will make the offense much more diverse and keep the opposing defenses on edge. If you want a full in-depth breakdown of Leonard and the new Irish offense, check out this article.
Another big addition flying under the radar is new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. For the past two seasons, he had been the OC for LSU. Under his guidance, the Tigers boasted the best offense in the FBS in 2023. He has also been credited with Jayden Daniels’ winning the Heisman last season.
The hope is that he can bring a similar success story to South Bend. That shouldn’t be hard with all the talent that Notre Dame has at the receiver and running back positions.
Though, one area of concern for the Irish is the offensive line. They lost three of last year’s starters to the draft and portal. Not only that, but projected left tackle Charles Jagusah suffered a shoulder injury and is expected to miss the entire season. There is a lot of inexperience on the line, so it could also lead to an underachieving offense instead.
Notre Dame Defense
The defense is what could make Notre Dame a national championship hopeful; it’s one of the best in the nation. According to Pro Football Focus, the Irish have the third-best secondary and the sixth-best defensive line in college football. So, there is a lot of talent on the roster, but it’ll be up to defensive coordinator Al Golden to translate it onto the field. That shouldn’t be much of a problem, though, as Golden has greatly improved the defense since coming to South Bend in 2022.
There are several key players to watch for on this Irish defense. The biggest of which is Xavier Watts, a safety who can get involved in every aspect of defense. He’s a ballhawk who picked off seven passes last season and a heavy hitter that you can count on to deliver big.
Similarly, Benjamin Morrison is another anchor piece for the Irish defense. Last season, he was one of the best corners in the country. He’s improved with every season, and if that trend continues, he could become the opposing offenses’ worst nightmare.
The biggest weakness on the defense is at linebacker; they lost a lot of talent to the NFL, notably defensive captain JD Bertrand who had a team-leading 76 tackles. But unlike the other positions, there isn’t a definitive replacement, just numerous unproven and young players. It’ll likely be a trial by fire for them to prove themselves.
Prediction
The schedule is another reason a lot of Notre Dame fans are excited for this season. Unlike years past, 2024’s slate looks to be easier. Many had the Flordia State game pegged as the hardest game this season, but with the Seminoles’ upset loss against Georgia Tech, it’s fair to question how good they’ll be.
As it stands, Notre Dame only has two other ranked opponents on their schedule: No. 20 Texas A&M and No. 23 USC (at the time of publication). The rest of their schedule will be against struggling teams, like Virginia and Purdue, and historic rivals who have fallen off, like Army and Navy.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Notre Dame finishes the regular season undefeated. But maybe more realistically, they finish 11-1 with a trip to the inaugural 12-team college football playoffs.
Brian Germinaro is a sportswriter for Belly Up Sports. Follow him on Twitter/X for more sports coverage and Belly Up Sports for even more college football content. Feature image credit: Icon Sportswire
