What We Learned About The Notre Dame Offense This Spring

Heading into the spring there were a number of important questions that needed to be answered about the Notre Dame offense. This, of course, was a unit that had to replace four starting offensive linemen, a three-year starter at quarterback, a key member of the tight end rotation and two of its starting wide receivers.

From that group, five players were drafted in last weekend’s NFL Draft, so it’s not only a numbers loss, but a talent loss. Now that the spring is behind us and we’ve had time to allow it to digest we can focus on the things we learned about the offense as we look forward to the summer and fall camp.

We learned a lot about the offense, not just from the Blue-Gold Game but from the entire spring. Below are the positives we learned about the offense.

1. The Offense Is Evolving

We still don’t know fully what the offense will look like from a structural and schematic standpoint, but it was obvious that Notre Dame’s offensive staff spent a lot of time this winter and into the spring focusing on how to make improvements on that side of the ball.

We saw it in the practice videos, we heard it from sources and we then saw it in the Blue-Gold Game. Notre Dame is looking to be a more balanced offense and a more explosive offense. Hopefully what we saw this spring is just the beginning of the evolution that must happen, but the spring was certainly an important first step.

Notre Dame ran more RPOs this spring, although even more are needed. There’s a reason why RPOs are so important, especially for a team like Notre Dame, which we covered HERE and HERE. Notre Dame was aggressive attacking down the field all spring, the pass offense seemed to focus on attacking the entire width of the field (instead of focusing too much on the outside) and there were some schematic adjustments.

The spacing in the pass game this spring was much better, and the multiplicity we saw from a schematic standpoint was a welcome sight.

2. Quarterback Should Be A Strength

Notre Dame has yet to announce who the starting quarterback will be, and although I view Jack Coan as the presumptive starter the fact is the offense will be in good hands no matter who starts behind center.

Coan looked like I hoped he would look this spring. Despite still being new to the offense, and the personnel, his ability to process information, throw with good timing and anticipation, to get the ball out accurately and his willingness to attack down the field were evident throughout the spring. He’ll be hard to beat out, but the battle will rage into the fall.

Sophomore Drew Pyne had some shaky moments in the spring game, which was due in large part to the struggles of the line, but when he had time he showed good decision making, a quick release, the ability to attack pressures and the ability to push the ball down the field. Considering this was his first spring I was impressed with Pyne’s command of the offense.

Freshman Tyler Buchner is still a work in progress, but he’s actually further along than I expected him to be when you consider he played just one season of high school football in the last three years. I was surprised with how quickly he processed information, his release has been cleaned up and he’s certainly a playmaker.

I used processing information well as a positive for all three quarterbacks is a great sign. This has been an issue for Notre Dame quarterbacks for years, and the fact all the quarterbacks thrived in that part of the game is a testament to their talent, but also clearly shows it has been a point of emphasis for quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

3. Notre Dame Has A Lot Of Pass Game Weapons

Much of the talent the last week has been on the departure of talented sophomore wide receiver Jordan Johnson, but there is another story that isn’t getting enough attention, and that is just how deep and talented the wide receiver position is right now.

Yes, losing Johnson was a blow, but Notre Dame has a chance to still have a very loaded wide receiving corps based on what we saw this spring.

Lawrence Keys III seemed to make a big play in every practice video we got, and he capped the spring off with a 5-catch, 115-yard performance in the Blue-Gold Game. Veteran Avery Davis also had five catches and impressed in the spring game with his ability to work open, make plays in space and improved route running. Braden Lenzy was healthy all spring, which is vitally important.

The key for Notre Dame moving forward is to continue building around those three and then continue to coach up and develop talented young wideouts Xavier Watts and Lorenzo Styles Jr. We haven’t even talked about Kevin Austin, who missed all spring with an injury, or Deion Colzie, the talented 6-4 incoming freshman that doesn’t show up until the summer.

And then there are the tight ends. Michael Mayer is a monster and George Takacs had a good spring. Freshmen Cane Berrong and Mitchell Evans also capped off the spring in impressive fashion.

Whoever starts at quarterback will have a deep, diverse and talented group of players to throw the ball to.

4. The Backfield Is Loaded, And More Help Is On The Way

Kyren Williams racked up 1,438 yards of offense in 2020, and he’s just touching the surface of how dominant he could be. Williams was used all over in the pass game during the spring, and adding more pass game versatility to his repertoire will make him very hard to game plan for. If he’s simply as good as he was in 2020 he’ll be a weapon, but if the staff builds on how he was used in the spring he’ll be a national breakout player.

Sophomore Chris Tyree had a strong first season, and he’s poised for an even bigger role in the fall. Head coach Brian Kelly said that Tyree’s role in 2020 was to give Williams a breather, but it appears that Rees plans to use Tyree and Williams together on a more consistent basis.

Williams is a dynamic every-down back and Tyree is a home run threat every time he touches the football. Using this duo as a rotation is dangerous enough, but the fact we should see them on the field together more will make this offense even more diverse and explosive.

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