It’s that time of year again in South Bend as Notre Dame is back for the 2023 college football season. While the campaign will begin in Dublin, the fans of the Blue and Gold will get to watch their team play in South Bend. This will be Marcus Freeman’s second year as the head coach as expectations for him will be higher. While there might be some margin for error considering he is still building up the team and his recruitment is about to kick in, the leash gets shorter as Freeman is expected to build upon from 2022. While there were some good wins like Clemson and North Carolina last season, there were also some really bad ones in Stanford and Marshall. However, he did earn nine wins in his first season. Freeman will also have to deal with losing offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to Alabama, but he does have an excellent relationship with Rees’ replacement Gerad Parker as that will be an interesting storyline for the campaign.
One of the biggest talking points is the quarterback position as the Irish have a new man under center in transfer Sam Hartman from Wake Forest as it finally looks like Notre Dame have a really dynamic player running the offense. With also arguably the best offensive line in the country with possibly the best prospect at his position in Joe Alt, Hartman should be even more productive. Hartman will also have a lot of depth at running back with Audric Estime the main guy, but will also have Jadarian Price, Gi’Bran Payne, and Jeremiyah Love carrying some loads though losing Logan Diggs hurts. The wide receiver group has talent, but there isn’t any stand outs for who is the number one guy, however, watch out for players such as Deion Colzie, Jaden Greathouse, Jayden Thomas, and Tobias Merriweather to do that. That group also gets a boost with Chris Tyree switching his position from running back, so some speed will help. Replacing tight end Michael Mayer will be hard, but look for Mitchell Evans and Holden Staes to fill in the shoes. The problem that the team face is if Hartman gets hurt, then quarterback play will be a huge question mark. With Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne transferring out of Notre Dame, Kenny Minchey or Steve Angeli would be the guy to step and they have little to no experience.
Defense will be interesting as they were a very good group last year, but are losing a lot of key players such as Isaiah Foskey. The defensive line is the biggest question mark as they are inexperienced, however, Jordan Botelho will look to lead the group with transfer from Ohio State Javontae Jean-Baptiste and freshman recruit Boubacar Traore and that’s a lot of talent, plus talents such as Howard Cross and Rylie Mills. The linebacker corps still has JT Bertrand, Jack Kiser, and Marist Liufau, but also Prince Kollie and Jaylen Sneed providing depth as that looks to be a very good group. The defensive backs though should be the strength as Cam Hart and Benjamin Morrison will lead the corner backs and Xavier Watts in the safeties. There’s other such players as Antonio Carter II and Jaden Mickey who will get their chances to shine too. Overall, this defense should be even better than the 2022 version.
Schedule
Game 1: Navy (in Dublin)
Game 2: vs Tennessee State
Game 3: at NC State
Game 4: vs Central Michigan
Game 5: vs Ohio State
Game 6: at Duke
Game 7: at Louisville
Game 8: vs USC
Game 9: vs Pittsburgh
Game 10: at Clemson
Game 11: vs Wake Forest
Game 12: at Stanford
Notre Dame's schedule is ranked as eighth hardest in the country and after looking at it, most definitely. While Navy, Tennessee State, and Central Michigan aren't the most difficult opponents, this is undoubtedly a very hard road for the Irish to get to the playoffs. NC State, Louisville, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Duke will definitely give Notre Dame a lot of problems, especially Louisville and Duke who have shown they can make some noise. Undoubtedly, the three biggest games on the slate are Ohio State, USC, and Clemson. Facing Ohio State at home is going to be huge as everyone knows how good the Buckeyes are. USC at home will also be huge, but that is more of an even matchup. Clemson away is probably the most difficult, but the Irish do have their number over the last couple of years. Stanford should be another win, but they did upset the Blue and Gold last season. That being said, there is no reason why Notre Dame can't make a playoff spot this season.
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