Before we get into the doom and gloom of what would happen if something goes wrong with any of the following players, it should be noted that Notre Dame endured one of the worst runs of injuries to key players last season and finished 10-3. Just a few plays short of a playoff berth. So, indispensable doesn’t mean impossible. It means the drop off between these players and those who would replace them is drastic enough to make it extremely difficult for the 2016 Fighting Irish to accomplish their goal – making the playoffs.
Again, a playoff berth wouldn’t be impossible, and the unforeseeable is possible–something that was proven last season when DeShone Kizer went from a terrible spring quarterback to one of the best freshman passing efficiency seasons ever.