With the new season approaching, Notre Dame fans have a lot to be excited about. The losses from last year's National Title team will be missed, but there are plenty of reasons to believe the Irish can compete at a BCS level this year. Here are a few of the reasons:
1) Notre Dame has plenty of offensive weapons
DaVaris Daniels, TJ Jones, Chris Brown. Take your pick, they are all reliable options at Wide Receiver and it is very reasonable to have high expectations for them.
Amir Carlisle in the slot has the potential to be explosive and CJ Prosise will play a unique role as backup as he is much bigger than a typical slot. An awful lot of production may come from this position.
The backfield is perhaps one of the biggest question marks going into the season after losing Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick. However, that doesn't mean there isn't talent. Florida studs Tarean Folston and Greg Bryant made their way to campus in June and could be stars in the making. Watching their development will be exciting for Notre Dame fans. George Atkinson will have the opportunity to shine at running back.
If Tommy Rees' physical game has caught up with his mental prowess, the Irish offense could be a lot better than people expect it to be.
2) The Defensive Front Seven
Stephon Tuitt, Louis Nix, and Sheldon Day could be the best starting unit along the DL in all of college football. At some point, all three could be first round draft picks. Tony Springmann, Kona Schwenke, and a pleasant surprise in freshman Isaac Rochelle should be able to provide quality depth along the line.
[caption id="attachment_540" align="aligncenter" width="291" caption="Nix wreaked havoc on interior OLs last year and will lead the Irish this year "]
[/caption]
The linebacking corps will obviously miss Manti, but middle linebacker is not a position lacking in experience as both fifth years Carlo Calabrese and Dan Fox return. Look for Jarrett Grace to play a lot and be a star. Kendall Moore will also provide depth as he looks to get his first chance at significant minutes during his Irish career.
Ishaq Williams, Romeo Okwara, Jaylon Smith, Prince Shembo and Danny Spond will also play critical roles for the defense.
3) Talent in the Secondary
Last year Notre Dame had to compensate for a young and inexperienced secondary by utilizing a "bend but don't break" strategy. Keivarae Russel, the freshman All-American, and Bennett Jackson will be quality cornerbacks this year with the potential to be elite. Lo Wood and the freshman hailing from Arizona Cole Luke will also get minutes at CB.
Safety is perhaps the position on Notre Dame's roster with the most depth. Between Austin Collinsworth, Elijah Shumate, Matthias Farley, and Max Redfield the coaches have plenty of star power at their disposal. Nicky Baratti being out for the year hurts, but John Turner and Eliar Hardy should be serviceable backups.
4) Tommy Rees will get his first chance to be an undisputed starter
There has rarely been doubt that Tommy Rees is an exceptionally cerebral player. Many expect him to go on to be a coach after his playing days. But now, in his senior season, Tommy Rees will have the chance to be the undisputed starter. In limited action last year, he was solid. Reports out of fall camp are that he is seemingly more athletic and has improved his arm strength, but if he can just manage games and avoid the turnovers that plagued his sophomore campaign this could be a very good year for the Irish.
5) A potentially favorable schedule
Notre Dame is one of the few programs to have never played an FCS team. All of their opponents are always from either power conferences or disciplined service academies. The grind of competing against highly recruited and physically daunting players is often not acknowledged by fans of opposing programs, but it can lead to plenty of wear and tear on players. This year is no different; however several teams will be replacing players at key positions.
Oklahoma, Michigan and Stanford are the only games on this year's schedule that should be expected to challenge. Look for Arizona State or BYU to be a trap game. If all goes as expected, the worst Notre Dame should finish is 9-3 and the best case could be a repeat National Title appearance.
[caption id="attachment_535" align="aligncenter" width="536" caption="Brian Kelly has the program running better than it has in decades"]
[/caption]
The Irish won't be able to get to another Championship this year without some help along the way. With Alabama's undisputed dominance, it should be expected for them to appear in the game again this year. Ohio State is ranked above Notre Dame in the preseason polls and will have to drop a game in their weak schedule for Notre Dame to catch them in the coach and media rankings. Louisville is also ranked ahead of the Irish, but their strength of schedule (which is weaker than Ohio State's [who knew that was possible]) should lead to them being easily passed in the computer polls.
This season is a promising one, and will be great to watch for Irish fans.
Back to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Newsfeed