No matter how Notre Dame goes about it, replacing 1,830 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground will be difficult. That kind of production does not come around readily, especially when it comes from only two players, one of which accounted for 1,430 yards and nine touchdowns in mounting a brief Heisman campaign.
That is the task ahead of the Irish and, more precisely, running backs coach Autry Denson. In rising senior Dexter Williams (pictured above) and rising junior Tony Jones, Denson has two possibilities with plenty of room to grow. Their stats alone speak to the potential for more:
Williams in 2017: 360 yards and four touchdowns on only 39 carries, a 9.