Five games down, seven to go. With Notre Dame football near its midway point of the regular season and ranked No. 11 in the country, it’s time to take a holistic look at the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Here’s how each Irish position group grades out a month and a half into the year.
Quarterbacks
Why not start with the team’s most frequently debated aspect? It’s been a tumultuous year for Notre Dame’s quarterback position, beginning with senior signal-caller Riley Leonard. The Duke transfer has struggled significantly as a passer, a total departure from Sam Hartman’s first impression from a year ago. Outside of a few clutch throws at Texas A&M and deep-ball touchdowns against Miami (Ohio) and Louisville, Leonard hasn’t done anything of note with his arm. His brutal, fourth-quarter interception against Northern Illinois set the Irish up to lose, and he didn’t throw a touchdown pass until Week Four. Leonard’s air game puts him in the red to start with.
However, his evaluation rebounds nicely with his rushing attack. As a downhill runner, Leonard has been a machine and at times a total game-changer. He already has seven scores on the ground and has eclipsed 100 rushing yards two times. It’s also impossible to deny that Notre Dame’s reliance on Leonard’s legs has banged him up a bit and diminished his effectiveness as a passer. Yes, Notre Dame will need more from Leonard as a true dual-threat player to beat the nation’s best, but he’s got the Irish in a pretty good spot eight now.
Aside from the starter, junior backup Steve Angeli has remained flawless in his limited blowout action this year. Sophomore Kenny Minchey and freshman CJ Carr also looked good in their drives against Purdue, bumping up the overall grade just a bit.
Position Grade: C+
Running backs
I’m not sure anyone expected Jeremiyah Love to become what he has five games into his sophomore year. The explosive back has found the end zone in every game, ripping off a handful of long touchdown runs in critical moments. Junior Jadarian Price has given Notre Dame much of the same, hitting home runs at Texas A&M and Purdue with world-class shiftiness. It remains to be seen just how much those two can help out Leonard in the passing game, but you have to be thrilled about the way Love and Price have taken the reins with Audric Estimé on to the pros.
The one lingering question I have about the Irish backfield is what it will look like on third downs and other obvious passing situations. To start the year, Notre Dame most often turned to graduate student Devyn Ford, but he entered the doghouse after an opening-play fumble against Louisville. Freshman Aneyas Williams, who has not yet caught a collegiate pass, took Ford’s snaps the rest of the way. Will Ford return to the fold this week? Is Williams the guy now? Most importantly, can either bring some real value to Notre Dame’s third running back option?
Position Grade: A-
Wide receivers and tight ends
Unsurprisingly, with Leonard’s slow start has come a slow start for Notre Dame’s pass catchers. The wide receiver room, per usual, doesn’t have much of an identity. Graduate transfer Beaux Collins and sophomore Jaden Greathouse have emerged as the top two wideouts but lack consistency. Kris Mitchell, a graduate transfer, has not yet unleashed what made him so dominant at FIU. Sophomore Jordan Faison hasn’t been healthy enough to make a regular impact in his first full season.
Notre Dame’s tight ends are in a similar boat. Recovering senior tight end Mitchell Evans, projected as one of the nation’s best at his position, has a season-high of 27 yards. Junior Eli Raridon and sophomore Cooper Flanagan have stepped up here and there but still have combined for less than 100 yards.
All in all, Notre Dame’s pass-catching group is a jumbled mess of targets. The Irish are going to need some leaders to emerge for Leonard to lean on in the second half.
Position Grade: C-
Offensive line
This group has been through a lot. It entered the year needing to replace terrific tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Then left tackle Charles Jagusah, a projected starter with a lot of upside, went down for the season in August. In stepped true freshman left tackle Anthonie Knapp, who joined several others with inexperience, for the season opener at deafening Kyle Field. The group held up far better than most anticipated.
Two weeks later, junior center Ashton Craig and junior right guard Billy Schrauth encountered long-term injuries at Purdue. Senior Pat Coogan and graduate student Rocco Spindler, two veterans previously passed up on the depth chart, have since stepped in and fared well. Overall, given the circumstances, this unit has performed well. Notre Dame’s rushing attack, even when it’s most expected, has moved the ball, especially near the goal line. And with seven rushing touchdowns of 20 yards or longer on the season, the Irish offensive line has clearly opened up some lanes.
Position Grade: B+
Defensive line
Here’s another group that has experienced some injury-related change, as graduate student vyper Jordan Botelho is done for the year and junior defensive end Joshua Burnham hasn’t been available. Sophomore vyper Boubacar Traore, the backup to Botelho, also just lost his season to a knee injury. The real grade on the defensive line likely won’t emerge until we see how Notre Dame navigates those personnel shifts.
Overall, the defensive line has been up and down to start. Young players such as Traore and freshman defensive end Bryce Young have captured attention, but the graduate students have taken a while to get going. Defensive end RJ Oben hasn’t been much of a factor since arriving in the portal from Duke. Veteran defensive tackles Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III have had their moments but haven’t been consistent game-wreckers. Right now, the defensive line’s grade sits close to average with plenty of room for volatility in either direction.
Position Grade: C+
Linebackers
This position group has remained fairly quiet throughout the early part of the season, and that’s not a bad thing. Linebackers typically are the unsung heroes of an elite defense. The heart of Notre Dame’s defense this year presents a unique dynamic, consisting of graduate student linebacker Drayk Bowen and a collection of players without much starting experience.
Next to the always-consistent Kiser, junior Jaylen Sneed and sophomores Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry have displayed their full abilities in spurts. They are all, however, still learning the intricacies of anchoring a defense, especially one with the complexity of Notre Dame’s. The linebackers do deserve some extra credit for keeping such high availability in a season already packed with injuries in the trenches.
Position Grade: B+
Defensive backs
The Irish secondary sure makes for a fun breakdown. The unit’s safeties and nickelbacks have been on a roll, beginning with graduate student Xavier Watts remaining one of the nation’s best ballhawks. Arizona State graduate transfer Jordan Clark might be Notre Dame’s most underrated defensive player. Sophomore Adon Shuler can make the same argument in his first year as a starter. Aside from a couple of disciplinary mistakes in recent weeks, those three have been awesome.
An even more interesting conversation emerges with the cornerbacks. Junior Benjamin Morrison will be a first-round NFL Draft selection and sophomore Christian Gray is also very good, but their play hasn’t been perfect. Morrison had a rough day against Louisville. Gray has kept everything in front of him, but some lapses in tackling on short throws have hurt him. The real potential of Notre Dame’s secondary may reside with freshman cornerbacks Leonard Moore and Karson Hobbs after Jaden Mickey’s departure to the transfer portal.
Anyway, at this point, there isn’t much to dislike.
Position Grade: A-
Special teams
It’s hard to be more satisfied with the people who kick the ball in blue and gold. Graduate kicker Mitch Jeter has made everything — field goals and extra points — that have cleared the line. Graduate punter James Rendell has been working through some kinks in his delivery, but you can’t argue with how often he puts the ball inside the 20-yard line.
Elsewhere, it hasn’t been pretty. The Irish have fumbled on special teams in back-to-back games before ever getting their offense on the field. Notre Dame’s field-goal operation hasn’t been clean, resulting in two blocked kicks against Northern Illinois and a botched snap against Miami. For a program that put on a special teams clinic during Marcus Freeman’s first two seasons, the execution has to improve.
Position Grade: C
