Notre Dame Special Teams Still Has Room For Improvement In 2023

When Notre Dame lost special teams coordinator Brian Mason to the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Marcus Freeman moved relatively quickly to replace him with Marty Biagi.

A former Notre Dame analyst, Biagi came to Notre Dame from Ole Miss. Biagi steps into a high pressure situation based on how impactful the Irish special teams were in Mason's lone season. The new Irish assistant will need to keep Notre Dame strong in the areas where Mason thrived, but there is also room for Biagi to improve other areas.

Notre Dame tied for the national lead with seven blocked punts last season. No matter what teams did to try and counter Notre Dame's ability to attack the punter, it just didn't seem to matter. It was exciting to watch, and it was the second season in a row that a Mason special teams unit led the nation in this department.

That's going to be a tough task for Biagi, and we'll find out if he's up to it, but there are other areas where I'll be more focused this season when evaluating his first season with Notre Dame. If Biagi simply repeats what his unit did last season at Ole Miss (three blocked punts/kicks) that's quality work. The Rebels ranked 19th in this department last season. It can be a key part of the game, but I want to see improvement in other areas, and continued success in key areas.

CONTINUED SUCCESS

Notre Dame ranked 24th last season in net punting thanks to a quality season from Jon Sot. His replacement - sophomore Bryce McFerson - will need to maintain the consistency that Sot had last season. If he can you'll see Notre Dame take a jump in this department, because McFerson has a stronger leg.

Notre Dame fans love complaining about punt returning, there's no doubt about that. In 2022, however, the Irish ranked 9th nationally in total punt return yards (286) and 28th in yards per return (10.2). I love those hidden yards in a game, and continuing that success - and ideally building on it - will be key for Biagi's units.

Of course, being an aggressive punt block team contributed to that statistic, as teams spent more time on protection, which created more return space at times. With Chris Tyree now the main punt returner the hope is his speed will allow him to hit a couple of creases for big plays. Maintaining the aggressiveness we saw last season, even if the result is fewer blocks, is key.

AREAS TO IMPROVE

Notre Dame was a quality punt return team, but it was more steady than dynamic and explosive from a pure return standpoint. That was also true for the kick return unit, which ranked 73rd nationally last season, and ranked just 111th in total returns.

This is about field position, which Notre Dame excelled at in the punt block/punt return game last season. When your kick return unit only averages 19.3 yards per return, and isn't willing to take some risks in hopes of creating a big return, you ensure your offense will consistently have to go at least 75 yards every time they start a new possession after the opponent scores.

Notre Dame ranked 75th in made field goal percentage a season ago, an area that must dramatically improve. New place kicker Spencer Shrader ranked just 86th in field goal percentage a season ago, but he ranked 19th in 2021 while at South Florida. Biagi has a strong reputation with getting his kickers to thrive in this department. His 2022 Ole Miss placekicker - Jonathan Cruz - ranked 17th in made field goal percentage last season, making 15 of his 17 attempts.

The Notre Dame kick return coverage unit also needs to improve. Notre Dame ranked 58th in kick return average last season, although they did rank 31st in total kick return yards allowed, which was a result in Zac Yoakum's ability to put the ball into the end zone. Ole Miss ranked 104th in kick return average last season, and Purdue ranked 48th in 2021. That's an area where Notre Dame - and Biagi - must improve.

Notre Dame was an average punt coverage unit last season as well. Opponents averaged 8.1 yards per return, which ranked 80th in the country. Opponents only returned 10 punts all season, which was solid (which ranked 25th), but it allowed 81 punt return yards, which ranked 48th nationally.

If Biagi can create a more effective all-around special teams unit, especially in the field goal and return game areas, the Irish should once again field one of the nation's best special teams units, even if they aren't as good at blocking punts.

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