The Notre Dame Fighting Irish narrowly missed out on a College Football Playoff berth last season, and they have every intention of competing for a national title again this year. For that to happen, they're going to need some lesser-known players to step up and become stars. Here are three players who could have breakout seasons for the Irish in 2016:
WR Torii Hunter Jr.
Notre Dame is replacing Will Fuller, Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle in the receiving core, and Hunter looks like the one who's going to step up and become the team's go-to guy. The 6'0", 195-pounder has excellent speed and athleticism, but it's his incredible hands that make him a superstar in the making. Just look at this catch in the spring game:
TE Alize Jones
There's a solid chance that starter Corey Robinson may retire from football due to concussion issues, putting Jones in the starting role. He led all tight ends in catches last season, recording 13 receptions for 194 yards. His 6'4", 240-pound frame makes him a big target and a very valuable red zone threat, but his athleticism allows him to turn routine catches into big plays (14.6 yards per catch in 2015).
LB Nyles Morgan
Morgan went from freshman All-American to backup as a sophomore due to Joe Schmidt's presence as "the quarterback of the defense." Now that Schmidt is gone, Morgan will step back into the starting middle linebacker role, where his potential will turn into production. He has all of the physical tools to be a star, and took last year to master the mental aspect of the game. Expect BIG things from him this year.
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