Key Camp Questions For The Notre Dame Offense
Today, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly kicks off the 2019 season with an introductory press conference. We will certainly have plenty of questions for the Fighting Irish head coach, but the truly important questions won’t be answered in a press conference, they’ll be answered on the field.
With practice ready to start on Sunday, here are my thoughts on the most important questions, beginning with the offense.
1. Will Ian Book continue enhancing his game?
I realize that quarterbacks have struggled in their second seasons as starters over the last decade, but I’m confident that at the very least, senior Ian Book will at least repeat his 2018 performance.
The question for Notre Dame heading into fall camp is can Book build his game. Can he become a better decision maker? Can he become a better deep ball thrower? Can he make two or three more tough plays per game with his arm? If he can do those things he’ll not only improve, he’ll become a legitimate playmaker for the Irish offense instead of being the distributor he was last season.
2. How much improvement will we see from the offensive line?
With four talented starters coming back there is no reason to expect the Notre Dame line to do anything but improve in 2019. The unit was much better during the spring, showing more force, power and ability to thrive against the talented Irish defensive line.
How much the unit improves is going to have a major, major impact on how good the Irish offense will be in 2019. If the unit makes similar growth that we saw from 2014 to 2015, and 2016 to 2017, when inconsistent but talented groups became arguably the best line in the country, Notre Dame’s offense will be outstanding.
3. Can Chase Claypool and Cole Kmet become stars?
In 2011, tight end Tyler Eifert burst onto the scene as a star at tight end. TJ Jones went from role player to standout in 2013. In 2014, wide receiver Will Fuller was a breakout star for the Irish. A season later it was CJ Prosise that broke out and had a monster season. Running Josh Adams emerged as a standout in 2017, and this past season Miles Boykin went from a career backup to Notre Dame’s top wide receiver and third-round NFL Draft pick.
Wide receiver Chase Claypool and tight end Cole Kmet are now expected to become similar breakout standouts for Notre Dame. Both have the talent to live up to expectations, but until we see them do it on a consistent basis it remains an important question in need of an answer, especially for Kmet.
4. Will the talented sophomore class force its way into action?
Much has been made about the talent and speed of Notre Dame’s sophomore wideouts and tight ends, but the group enters the season with a combined five career catches. There is certainly the potential for this group to have a monster impact on the offense in 2019, but right now the group is all about potential and not production.
Will that change this fall? Which sophomores will step up in fall camp and force themselves onto the field? Which sophomores will demand touches based on their camp performance and attitude? At least one member of the sophomore class must step up, but if more than one of the sophomores steps up in fall camp it will make life very difficult for opposing defensive coordinators.
5. Can Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones Jr. solidify the backfield?
Armstrong and Jones handled themselves well during the first four games of the 2018 season, and both were on pace for over 1,000 all-purpose yards during the stretch without Dexter Williams. Both faded to the background after Williams returned to the lineup, but they must become feature players in 2019.
Armstrong is a dynamic athlete that is as dangerous in the run game as he is the pass game. Jones has shown flashes of being a productive back, but he must run with more physicality, be more consistent and stay healthy. The duo certainly has a chance to shine, but both need to step up in fall camp and establish themselves as key cogs in the offense.
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