Congratulations college football fans - you have made it.
The long winter after the College Football Playoff concluded, the spring of the transfer portal mixed with some practice, and the summer months have come and gone.
Sure, it's still as humid as the devil in the Midwest but fall camp is upon us.
Notre Dame football officially gets underway on Wednesday, July 31. A day that used to be reserved for the Major League Baseball trade deadline now has Notre Dame football fans toasting to "Happy New Year" in their own little ways.
Expectations are high for Notre Dame entering 2024, make no bones about it.
Sneaking into the College Football Playoff and getting the t-shirt and one extra meaningful game that comes with it isn't enough.
Making the College Football Playoff, making some noise upon getting there, and setting the program up for increased success in the not-so-distant future should be the goal.
So how does Notre Dame take steps in accomplishing exactly that during fall camp, to ultimately make 2024 a success?
There are five things I'm looking forward to seeing and tracking over the next month before Notre Dame squares off at Texas A&M on Aug. 31 to kick-off the 2024 college football season in prime time.
5. Notre Dame Quarterback Battle - For QB2
Riley Leonard enters camp as the starting quarterback and that's not really up for debate.
Who checks in after Leonard though?
God-forbid something happens to Leonard this year, Notre Dame will be in a tough spot to make the College Football Playoff let alone make any noise upon getting there.
After camp how does the quarterback depth chart look though and how does that impact Notre Dame's depth chart down the road?
Steve Angeli is the longest in the tooth and helped the Irish to a bowl victory last December.
Kenny Minchey was a late-flip in the 2023 recruiting class from Pitt to Notre Dame. Can he challenge for the two-spot and perhaps the starting role next year?
Is it highly rated freshman CJ Carr going to turn that many heads that quickly and take control of the QB2 spot?
This position battle won't guarantee anything beyond 2024 but will help set the tone when the expectation hopefully changes from "win a game or two in the CFP" to "win the whole stinking thing".
4. Notre Dame's Wide Receiver Growth
There has been nothing more dramatic surrounding this Notre Dame football outfit since 2023 concluded.
A mass exodus via the transfer portal started the perceived drama.
Following it were incoming graduate transfers that should increase the productivity of the position as well as fresh health for a few standouts from the last couple seasons.
What can Jayden Thomas and Jaden Greathouse do after they had to battle through hamstring injuries last season?
Beaux Collins (Clemson) and Kris Mitchell (Florida International) bring veteran experience to the position. Can Mitchell take the top off a defense like Notre Dame has lacked on offense since Chase Claypool?
One thing is almost certain - this unit will have a tougher test in practice all fall than it likely will on any Saturday as Notre Dame offers perhaps the nation's best secondary. How soon will Benjamin Morrison be ready to go for that secondary is entirely different question, however.
3. Linebacker Development
For years now Notre Dame has had a defensive unit that has one seemingly great linebacker but a significant gap between said player and the rest of the group.
That shouldn't be the case in 2024.
Jack Kiser returns as the grizzled vet, ready for one last go at Notre Dame.
Drayk Bowen looks to hold off big-time freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa in the middle linebacker spot as both underclassmen speak to the depth improvement across the roster.
Jaylen Sneed would appear the favorite to take over at Rover, but Jaiden Ausberry could push for reps. Sneed has produced some highlight plays in his time, but is this the year he makes his impact felt more regularly?
2. Offensive Line Overhaul
The Notre Dame offensive line loses perhaps the nation's best pair of tackles from a year ago as Joe Alt and Blake Fisher were two of the top 59 picks in this past spring's NFL draft.
Charles Jagusah appears healthier than last fall and set to man left tackle. Who replaces Fisher on the right side? Veteran Tosh Baker or sophom*ore Aamil Wagner?
Ashton Craig brings high expectations to the center position after starting down the stretch in 2023. Billy Schrauth enters came seemingly ahead in the right guard race but we said the same thing a year ago when Rocco Spindler won the job. Pat Coogan seems like a safe bet at left guard.
This is a unit that gives reason to beleive should be pretty good by mid-fall. How do they handle Texas A&M and perhaps the best defensive front Notre Dame will face all regular season in the opener, though?
Well, about how Notre Dame accomplishes that...
1. Notre Dame Football's Fall Camp Intensity
This year is different for Notre Dame.
A trip to Ireland where a lowly Navy squad is waiting isn't on the schedule week one.
Notre Dame starts the year with one of the biggest games of college football's opening weekend at Texas A&M. It may not mean College Football Playoff appearance or not depending on a win or loss, but the chances for the best possible playoff setup for Notre Dame takes a significant hit if things go badly.
So how does Notre Dame get ready for what is arguably its biggest game of the year in the opener?
By, as Marcus Freeman likes to say, "challenging everything".
I expect position battles, overall intensity, and dare I say the physicality to be at a different level this fall with the opener at Kyle Field awaiting the Fighting Irish.
And I expect that to be fairly obvious from the moment the first whistle blows Wednesday morning.
Related Links:
Notre Dame's Projected Defensive Depth Chart Entering 2024 Season
Notre Dame's Projected Offensive Depth Chart Entering 2024 Season
