Notre Dame Is 14th In Athlon Sports Preseason College Football Ranking
Athlon Sports has released its preseason college football preview magazine, and there are plenty of interesting projections for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish ranked 14th in the Athlon preseason Top 25 rankings, which is one of the lowest placements for Notre Dame as we start heading into the summer.
"After and up-and-down debut as the program's head coach, Marcus Freeman also had his share of interesting moments during the offseason. Tommy Rees' departure to Alabama resulted in an extended search for a new play-caller, which eventually landed on a promotion for assistant Gerad Parker. This will be Parker's first full job as a coordinator, but his transition into the role will be eased by the arrival of Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman at quarterback, along with a standout pair of bookends at tackle in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. If Notre Dame can avoid a repeat of '22's puzzling losses (to Marshall and Stanford), home dates versus Ohio State and USC provide a path to another push for a playoff spot." - Athlon Sports
Having Notre Dame at 14th in the preseason rankings seems to speak more to questions Athlon has about coaching for the Irish. There are several mentions in various sections of the magazine where the offseason coaching issues, and the hiring of Parker, are mentioned in a negative light, or at least with hints at concern.
In many respects it would seem Athlon thinks highly of Notre Dame's roster, with five different position groups ranking among the best in the nation. There is also this quote from an early portion of the magazine:
"For Year 2, Freeman's Irish have a strong roster on both sides of the ball, one that will include one of the top transfer quarterbacks in the nation in Sam Hartman from Wake Forest."
Notre Dame's challenging schedule is also often mentioned as a reason for concern for the Irish.
Three Notre Dame opponents ranked ahead of Notre Dame in the Athlon Sports preseason rankings. USC is actually Notre Dame's highest ranked opponent, with the Trojans ranking No. 4 by Athlon, who also has Notre Dame's rival earning their first ever College Football Playoff berth.
Ohio State came in right behind the Trojans, ranking No. 5 in the preseason list. Clemson rounds things out for the Fighting Irish opponents, coming in at No. 12 in the preseason Top 25.
Athlon Sports has Notre Dame slated to face Oregon State in the Holiday Bowl. Notre Dame has never played in the Holiday Bowl, but it has twice faced Oregon State in a bowl game, with the Irish losing both contests.
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