14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Independent |
Notre Dame players and fans were adamant this was not 2012 all over again, when they won ugly, but never lost, to get into the BCS Championship Game, just to be run off the field by Alabama. The Irish again reached the postseason undefeated, although this one had a better resume, with some really good wins, and some blowout wins, particularly once making the switch from Brandon Wimbush to Ian Book at quarterback, following back to back close calls against Ball State and Vanderbilt. The end result was another shellacking, this one courtesy of Clemson. Right now it just seems like Alabama and Clemson are on a different level than everyone else, particularly once the chips are down in the playoff, so calling Notre Dame fraudulent feels harsh. The offense, while the graduation of Dexter Williams, and early Draft entries of Alize Mack and Myles Boykin are not nothing, could still be better than expected. The entire offense got a boost once Book took over, and that was without a full offseason and camp getting the first team reps. At running back Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones Jr. should split carries, as they did last year while Dexter Williams was suspended. Armstrong, I think is the better back, and as a converted receiver, is certainly the better receiving threat, but Jones, at 5’11”, 220 is tough to bring down. I think they compliment each other well, and Kelly did a good job of playing the hot hand last year. Neither one is the NFL prospect that Williams was, but together the Irish may be better off. Notre Dame loses Boykin at receiver, but Chase Claypool seems ready to step right in, and Chris Finke is ultra dangerous in the slot. The interest guy to watch is Cole Kmet, who stands 6’6”, but has a ways to go in terms of athleticism. The offensive line has to be better. The Irish lost two first round picks at tackle the year before, but oddly were decent pass blockers, but the experienced middle of the line got absolutely no push in run blocking. The defense has a lot to replace up front, but the secondary, even with the early departure of cornerback Julian Love, should continue to be excellent. The Irish ranked #8 nationally in S&P+ Pass Defense, in spite of an average pass rush, with the 6th best opponent passer rating in the country, #3 in opponent yards per attempt. Tony Pride Jr. takes Love’s spot as Notre Dame’s shut down corner, and should be fine there. The bigger question is whether Houston Griffith takes the next step forward to become starter caliber. Notre Dame’s front had a really good defensive end rotation, all of whom return, but up the middle the Irish have a lot of problems. Both Jerry Tillery and Jonathan Bonner graduate from the middle of the line, as does middle linebacker Te’von Coney. Asmar Bilal may slide over at linebacker, but I would bet eventually it’s an underclassman who steps up into that role. The special teams is probably the biggest question mark, after the graduation of the school’s all time leading kicker, Justin Yoon, and a four year starter at punter in Tyler Newsome.
| KEY PLAYERS |
QB | Ian Book, Junior |
RB | Jafar Armstrong, Junior |
WR | Chase Claypool, Senior |
| . |
DE | Julian Okwara, Senior |
CB | Tony Pride Jr., Senior |
S | Jalen Elliott, Senior |