Notre Dame Fighting Irish:
Expectations are high in South Bend as Marcus Freeman enters his third year as the head coach of the Irish. Coming off a 10-3 season in 2024, Notre Dame is expected to have one of the top defenses in the country.
Offensively, the Irish brought in Duke QB Riley Leonard via the transfer portal and hired offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock away from LSU. With the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams, it would be a disappointing season if Marcus Freeman’s squad does not reach the CFP.
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Offense
The biggest offseason move by Notre Dame was not bringing Leonard; it was hiring Denbrock. This is his third stint in South Bend (2002-04 & 2010-16) after leading LSU to the No. 1 scoring offense in the country in 2023, as QB Jayden Daniels won the Heisman Trophy. Denbrock was a finalist for the Broyles Award last year, given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
Leonard dealt with an ankle injury last season at Duke and missed most of spring as well. However, he is expected to be fully healthy at the start of training camp. Leonard’s best season came in 2022 when he had 31 touchdowns as a true dual-threat QB.
The Irish lost RB Audric Estime to the NFL, but there is excitement in South Bend over the duo of Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love. The receivers were underwhelming in 2023, so the Irish added three pieces in the portal this offseason — Kris Mitchell, Beaux Collins, and Jayden Harrison, who combined for 130 catches and over 2,000 yards for their respective teams. TE Mitchell Evans was emerging as one of the nation’s best before tearing his ACL. The biggest concern this season is the offensive line. Joe Alt and Blake Fisher went to the NFL, so the tackles could be a weakness, but the interior of the line is expected to be solid.
Defense
Veteran coach Al Golden enters his third season as the DC of Notre Dame and this should be his best unit yet. On the defensive line, the Irish will be led by tackles Howard Cross and Rylie Mills, along with Duke transfer RJ Oben. Of the three defensive units, the linebackers have the most concerns. The Irish lost JD Bertrand and Marist Liufau to the NFL, but LB Jack Kiser is back.
The secondary has a chance to be one of the best units in the country. Benjamin Morrison was a Freshman All-American in 2022 and had a team-high 10 PBU in 2023. Xavier Watts led the nation with seven interceptions and won the Bronco Nagurski Award last year. Jordan Clark, son of former NFL DB Ryan Clark, transferred in and is expected to be the starting nickelback.
Outlook
Notre Dame has gone “all-in” this season. Both of Freeman’s coordinators are among the highest paid in the sport, the roster is littered with veteran players, and the schedule is very manageable. The Irish open the season at Texas A&M and that could be the only time this season when they are not the favorite. After a Week 3 visit to Purdue, the Irish will not play another true road game until their season finale at USC on Nov. 30.
In Marcus Freeman’s first season, Notre Dame lost to Marshall (+20) and Stanford (+16). Last year, the Irish were 9-3-1 ATS, but did lose a pair of road games as the favorite (Louisville & Clemson). If Notre Dame can avoid multiple bad losses, they are more likely to win 11 games than nine in 2024.
Pick: Over 10 Wins
