The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had a very familiar season in 2023. They come in with a lot of hype but cannot live up to expectations. Many of their losses were close, including the one to Ohio State early in the year. The program has reloaded in the offseason, making improvements to the offense. Still, there are many questions surrounding the program heading into 2024.
Can Riley Leonard Be An Elite QB For The Notre Dame Fighting Irish?
Leonard was the big fish for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the offseason. He committed to the program early on after spending a couple of seasons with the Duke Blue Devils. Leonard is smart and athletic but does come with an injury history. There are also questions about the fit with new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock.
Dembrock came over from LSU, where the deep ball was a huge part of the offense. Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers connected on long pass plays throughout the season. This isn’t really Leonard’s game. For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to succeed, Leonard must show he can throw the deep ball often and accurately.
Did The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Fix Their Wide Receiver Room?
The Fighting Irish lacked elite playmaking at the wide receiver position in 2023. Their leading receiver was Chris Tyree, who had only 484 yards on the year. To give some more context, the top four wide receivers for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish combined for 1,508 receiving yards last year. Malik Nabers had 1,569 receiving yards himself in 2023. It was a point of emphasis in the offseason.
Former Florida International receiver Kris Mitchell had a 1,000-yard season last year. Beaux Collins came over from Clemson, giving Notre Dame two solid receivers on the outside. Jayden Harrison came over from Marshall and while he didn’t have a great receiving season, he was a first-team All American kick returner. It remains to be seen whether these are flashy pieces or real contributors who can raise the floor of the wide receiver room.
Does The New College Football Playoff Finally Push Notre Dame To A Conference?
This is an under-the-radar storyline in 2024. Notre Dame has remained independent despite all of the conference realignment. Many of the top conferences have tried to recruit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, as they are one of the premier programs in the country. The new 12-team College Football Playoff may cause them to rethink their stance.
The top four seeds get a bye week, but there is a stipulation. Those top four seeds go to the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and ACC winners. This means that Notre Dame could be the number one team in the country, and the best they can get is a five seed. As long as they remain independent, they will never receive a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. If this affects the team in the next few years, they may start to look at joining a conference.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish made some serious upgrades to the roster and coaching staff. Will it be enough to win a national championship in 2024?
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Matt has been following sports since he was a kid. While football is his primary focus, Matt can talk about any sport anytime. He is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
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