Notre Dame Needs It Young Offensive Players To Grow Up In A Hurry
We got a bit of a glimpse into the Notre Dame 2024 offense when the Irish ended the season with a bowl win over Oregon State. There will be even more changes moving forward, but one thing is certain, Notre Dame will need its sophomore and freshman classes to step up in a hurry if the 2024 offense is going to reach its full potential.
Yes, the Irish have veterans coming back up front, and come the fall they will get back veteran tight end Mitchell Evans. There are also plenty of veterans that have transferred in (Riley Leonard, Kris Mitchell, Jayden Harrison), or will transfer in during the summer (Beaux Collins).
That's certainly a good foundation to build on, but it's not enough for the offense to truly reach its full potential. There are too many important positions where young players will have to play, and too many positions where depth must be filled by younger players.
It starts in the backfield. Notre Dame's entire depth chart at running back is filled with redshirt sophomores, sophomores and freshmen. The expected one-two punch of sophomore Jeremiyah Love and redshirt sophomore Jadarian Price could be special, and we got a glimpse of what they can be in the bowl game. In that 40-8 win the duo combined for 145 rushing yards and two scores.
While that was a good start, the duo has to be even better moving forward, especially when they don't get a month to prepare and aren't playing a defense with half its starters having opted out. Love and Price are both home run hitters with big time talent, but if Notre Dame's offense is going to be a dynamic group capable of leading this offense to a deep postseason run, this duo will have to thrive.
They aren't alone. Redshirt sophomore Gi'Bran Payne will have a chance to remain in the rotation, and freshman Kedren Young has loads of talent.
On the outside, the arrival of the transfers and the return of veterans Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie gives the Irish a chance to have a quality pass catching group even without any young players stepping up. While true, I would argue that Notre Dame's best overall talent is in the two younger classes.
Sophomore Jaden Greathouse has a case to make as the most skill all-around receiver on the roster, and classmate Jordan Faison showed he's a dangerous playmaker during his rookie season. This duo taking their games to another level makes the wide receiving corps far more dynamic and dangerous.
A case could be made that freshman Cam Williams is the most physically gifted pass catcher on the roster, and classmate Micah Gilbert has loads of potential as well. Notre Dame doesn't "need" either to be a factor in year one, but if they are good enough to force themselves onto the field it means the offense will be even more explosive.
The case is even stronger up front, as Notre Dame could end up starting at least two redshirt sophomores and a true sophomore. This is where the youth movement needs to be strongest.
Sophomore left tackle Charles Jagusah handled himself well in his first career start (vs. Oregon State), but if Notre Dame needs him to grow up in a hurry. Jagusah is massive and has loads of potential, and he's being thrust into an incredibly important position in the offense. Will Jagusah just be a solid player in year two, or will he follow in the footsteps of former stars like Zack Martin, Joe Alt, Quenton Nelson, Ronnie Stanley and Robert Hainsey and be an outstanding year two starter? Notre Dame certainly needs the latter to be true.
If Jagusah can build on his bowl game performance he'll give the Irish a physically dominant young player that should allow the run game to thrive on the left side. With a season in college now under his belt, the expectation (and hope) is that Jagusah's technique will also take a jump, which should help him handle pass pro duties.
Redshirt sophomores Billy Schrauth and Ashton Craig are also likely to be starters for Notre Dame in 2024. If they aren't it means an injury happened, or regression happened. Both are bad news for Notre Dame, who needs the talented young blockers to build on their strong end to the 2023 campaign.
Schrauth has big time talent, and his breakout is as important as Jagusah's. Alt was a star for Notre Dame in 2023, but he was the only one. The rest of the line was solid for most of the season, but there wasn't the dominance we've seen from past lines. Even if Jagusah is a breakout star, the line taking a big leap requires dominant in more positions, and Schrauth has as the kind of talent and potential to be a star.
The center position was solid for Notre Dame in 2023, but it needs to be better. Craig has the length and athleticism to be that kind of player, and he now has three starts under his belt. If Craig can become a more consistent player he should give the Irish a strong foundation up the middle.
It's not just starters. There are sophomores and freshmen that could force their way into the two deep as well, and in some cases they will need to be factors. Sophomore tight end Cooper Flanagan, sophomore receiver KK Smith, sophomore guard Sam Pendleton and sophomore tackle Sullivan Absher are also young players that could give the offense a boost if they have breakout performances this spring. Having sophomore Kenny Minchey and freshman CJ Carr break out this spring also makes the quarterback room even more dangerous for opponents.
The bad news is that Notre Dame does need young players to emerge, and it's never ideal to need young players to handle important roles.
The good news is that the younger classes at Notre Dame are loaded with talent. Marcus Freeman, Chad Bowden and the rest of the staff have hit it big on the recruiting trail on the offensive side of the ball the last two years. This is the most talented group of young players that I've seen at Notre Dame in a very long time. If we see that potential turns into production this offense will have a chance to be incredibly dynamic.
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