The five most-compelling Notre Dame position battles already percolating
There’s more art than science in projecting the first 2024 depth chart for the Notre Dame football program, and not necessarily the caliber of art that would even warrant display on one’s fridge, let alone in a gallery.
That’s because of all the position battles and all the uncertainty ahead this spring — and not necessarily bad uncertainty. There’s plenty of the intriguing kind as well. But still there’s a lot of unknowns among the largely attractive options.
Consider the open field-receiver position has four legit and promising contenders — with a combined two game snaps in a Notre Dame uniform, and those two coming from the one perhaps most likely to finish fourth in that position battle.
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There are few unquestioned starters — unanimous All-America safety Xavier Watts, defensive linemen Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills, linebacker Jack Kiser, cornerback Ben Morrison, tight end Mitchell Evans if he’s healthy.
And there are some heavy favorites as well — boundary receiver Jayden Thomas, incoming transfer defense end RJ Oben among them — but even in those instances, the battle among backups and key rotational pieces at those positions means depth charts in pencil with lots of erasing sure to ensue.
Only eight of the 23 freshmen aren’t on campus for spring and only two of the eight transfers will be in observer-only mode (defensive back Rod Heard II and wide receiver Beaux Collins) as they finish up course work remotely with a June enrollment at ND ahead.
Here are the five most compelling battles ahead, already playing out to some extent during ongoing winter workouts:
QUARTERBACK
Favorite: Duke transfer Riley Leonard.
The Field: Senior-to-be Leonard, junior Steve Angeli, sophomore Kenny Minchey, freshman CJ Carr.
Intrigue: The implications of it, the perceived veracity of it, the high ceilings of all four QBs and the aftermath/transfer portal conjecture of it. Developing all four QBs simultaneously, with no back-burner/afterthought participants, all the while installing a new offense is offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s welcome-back-to-ND present.
Wild Card: Carr. How long does this guy stay a No. 4 QB?
Prediction: Leonard. His elite running skills and his progress as a passer will be too much for Angeli to overtake.
FIELD DEFENSIVE END
Favorite: Duke grad transfer RJ Oben.
The Field: Oben, junior Josh Burnham, junior Aiden Gobaira, sophomore Brenan Vernon, freshman Bryce Young, freshman Cole Mullins.
Intrigue: The Irish struck gold at this position through the portal in 2023, not because Ohio State grad transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste was simply a plug-and-play performer, but more because of the seismic growth that happened during his one season at ND. The hope is that pass-rush-strong Oben follows that same pattern and becomes more complete. If he doesn’t, this could become more of a timeshare position than a starter with rotating backups.
Wild Card: This is a position full of them, but Young — coming in at 6-7, 241 and after transcendent high school senior season — could surprise.
Prediction: Oben starts and grows, but Burnham surges and shares the spotlight.
MIDDLE LINEBACKER
Favorite: Sophomore-to-be Drayk Bowen.
The Field: Bowen, freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.
Intrigue: The versatility of this eight-man linebacker group means sixth-year returnee Jack Kiser could end up playing all three positions if needed, and most of the others would be strong at two of them. So, the field could change. This is a position group that, beyond likely will linebacker starter Kiser, is relatively inexperienced and yet so talented and promising no one seems to care. The man Bowen and Viliamu-Asa are looking to replace — JD Bertrand — is one of just four players to lead the Irish in tackles for three years in a row since the Irish started archiving that statistic in 1956. And yet the position seems to be in more-than-capable hands.
Wild Card: Five-star prospect Viliamu-Asa. The Irish have signed six linebackers ranked among the Rivals top 50 national prospects in the Rivals Era (2002-24), and three of them are currently on the roster — Viliamu-Asa, Bowen and junior Jaylen Sneed. Of the other three, Daelin Hayes was recruited to play defensive end and developed at that position into an eventual fifth-round NFL Draft choice. The other two were All-Americans Manti Te’o and Jaylon Smith. Te’o started 10 of 12 games as a freshman and Smith all 13.
Prediction: This feels like a true timeshare, but the prediction here is that Viliamu-Asa overtakes Bowen eventually this season and Bowen becomes a starter at the will linebacker in 2025 after Kiser moves on.
FIELD RECEIVER
Favorite: FIU grad transfer Kris Mitchell.
The Field: Mitchell, freshman Cam Williams, freshman Micah Gilbert, sophomore KK Smith.
Intrigue: The streaky production the Irish got from this position in 2023 hampered the evolution of the offense, and two players the Irish heavily invested in — Rico Flores Jr. and Tobias Merriweather — are now at UCLA and Cal, respectively. This is now a wide-open competition for starting reps and depth. Having a star at this position potentially opens up other areas of the offense, because it puts opposing defensive coordinators in a constant dilemma (see Will Fuller 2015 when Denbrock was calling plays for the Irish).
Wild Card: Williams is just the fifth Top 50 wide receiver to sign with the Irish in the Rivals Era (2002-24), and his track speed and size (6-2, 191) make him a strong candidate to at least crack the rotation early.
Prediction: The 6-1, 178-pound Mitchell follows up his breakout season at FIU (64 recs., 1,118 yards, 6 TDs) by moving to the top of the depth chart at ND.
LEFT TACKLE
Favorite: Sophomore-to-be Charles Jagusah.
The Field: Jagusah, junior Aamil Wagner, grad senior Tosh Baker.
Intrigue: The contenders to start at left tackle are also in the mix to start at right tackle, and Jagusah or Wagner could even move inside and compete for a starting spot, though that’s not likely. ND’s recent rich lineage at left tackle (Zack Martin-Ronnie Stanley-Mike McGlinchey-Liam Eichenberg-Joe Alt), the offensive line culture, and the importance of the position in Mike Denbrock’s scheme all add to the scenario. So does the relative inexperience, with four combined career starts — two coming in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29 — among the three contenders.
Wild Card: Wagner. He has the smallest sample size among the three but the highest grades from Pro Football Focus. He is the lightest (284) and perhaps most athletic O-lineman on the Irish roster.
Prediction: Wagner wins in the weight room this winter and starts the season in the 300s, at left tackle, with Jagusah getting the nod at right tackle.
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