Before you assume Notre Dame has no shot at a National Title next year because of the thrashing they took in the title, you need to consider a few things.
1) Notre Dame brings back eight starters from the number one scoring defense in the regular season last year. Five starters out of the elite front seven will be back next year, and the young secondary that was at times a liability this season will add a year of
[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Captain and leader of the team, Manti Te'o, will be missed next year."]
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experience that could bring them up to par with the rest of the defense. The defense may miss a beat without Manti Te'o, Kapron Lewis-Moore, and Zeke Motta but there is talent behind them that should step up next year. The defense should at worst be very good and best case scenario can be elite yet again.
2) Notre Dame will say goodbye to arguably the best TE in school history, Tyler Eifert. Losing him will sting and it is only logical to assume there will be a drop in production from that position. However, the young WR core that showed streaks of brilliance this year will pick up the slack Eifert leaves behind. The TEs should be solid blockers, but the offense will likely see a transformation to the type of offenses Kelly had at Cincinnati. Finally, Kelly will have all his players and be able to play the style of football he likes to play. In the first three seasons, we have seen Kelly have to adapt his style of play to his personnel. Finally, he has his type of players in and can run the offense he wants to run. That means Irish fans can expect a high scoring offense.
3) Everett Golson just completed his first collegiate season. As the year progressed, so did he. The improvement that took place with the young quarterback was vast. He was a liability in the Michigan game and was one of the few bright spots last night's National Championship. His continued maturation should bring victory to Notre Dame, as he will get better at making decisions and the cerebral part of the game. He was good in his first year and if he improves those areas he has the potential to be explosive and awesome for the rest of his college days.
4) Only two starters from the offensive line are leaving. As every football fan knows, an offensive line is critical to the success of an offense. The running game can not get going without a good push up front and a quarterback can not make his reads if he doesn't have time to look downfield. The Irish should be able to start an offensive line that consists of players who all saw playing time this year. That is huge for this offense, and if the offense can improve and the defense is similar to this year, Notre Dame fans should expect to be in the championship again.
5) Next year Notre Dame will add a consensus top 3 recruiting class that addresses
[caption id="attachment_386" align="alignright" width="234" caption="Jaylon Smith headlines an amazing recruiting class for the Irish."]
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position of need and will be upgrades in talent. While not every member of the class will contribute right away, there are a few players who can have an immediate impact. The scariest part of it all, is that if Notre Dame can continue recruiting they will have the quality depth necessary to blow teams out like Alabama has. That will make for an exciting potential rivalry between the Irish and Tide.
The future of Notre Dame is bright. They are, under Brian Kelly, on the verge of becoming a perennial title contender. This program has all the tools to become a dominant fixture in college football, and I believe they will soon join the league of the elite.
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