Where Notre Dame Stands In 2021 Post-Spring Top 25s
Post-spring top 25s are here.
Unlike prior years, there is more opportunity to move teams around from the first batch of way-too-early rankings in January to now. It’s not just a matter of judging a team’s progress and outlook based on its spring game and spring news. Immediate eligibility for transfers and the uptick in player movement allows teams to retool a bit faster than usual.
Notre Dame, though, has been relatively quiet on that front. It has one transfer in, quarterback Jack Coan. It has had 11 players enter the transfer portal (10 who actually left) since the end of the 2020 season, and none were locks for major roles. Its May 1 spring game, turns out, didn’t result in a lot of poll movement.
Notre Dame was primarily ranked between 10th and 15th in January’s churn of way-too-early top 25s. The spring versions have the Irish in that same range.
CBS Sports’ poll of voters ranked Notre Dame 11th. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach ranked the Irish No. 12, up three spots from his January placement.
“Much of the offseason attention at Notre Dame has focused on [Marcus] Freeman, the new defensive coordinator, who built dominant units at Cincinnati,” Schlabach wrote. “But second-year offensive coordinator Tommy Rees might be more of a factor in whether the Fighting Irish return to the CFP for a second straight season.
“Rees, a former Irish quarterback, has hinted that he plans to open up the offense and incorporate RPOs this coming season. Last season, the Irish ranked 58th in the FBS in passing offense (237.4 yards) and 41st in yards per attempt (7.9). Former starter Ian Book is the winningest quarterback in school history, but the offense was clearly limited at times because of his lack of arm strength.
“Coan, a Wisconsin transfer, completed a school-record 236 passes for 2,727 yards with 18 touchdowns and five picks in 14 starts for the Badgers in 2019. With tailbacks Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree, tight end Michael Mayer and receiver Kevin Austin Jr. returning, the pieces are in place for an explosive offense. The Irish have to replace four starting offensive linemen, which won't be easy.”
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel, meanwhile, slotted Notre Dame 13th in his post-spring top 25.
“The Irish will be breaking in four new starters up front but figure to be a run-heavy team again behind Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree,” Mandel wrote. “Early enrollees Blake Fisher and Rocco Spindler made cases this spring to be two of them. Former Wisconsin starting QB Jack Coan is the front-runner to succeed three-year starter Ian Book. Brian Kelly needs some outside receivers to step up alongside stud TE Michael Mayer.
“Freeman inherits a strong D-line led by Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Isaiah Foskey. Senior S Houston Griffith stepped up this spring opposite All-American Kyle Hamilton. LB Jack Kiser stepped up as the new starter at rover.”
Three Notre Dame opponents remain fixtures in spring top 25s: Cincinnati, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Mandel, Schlabach and CBS all had Cincinnati as a top-10 team. The Badgers and Tar Heels were consensus top-20 teams. Those three rankings were split on USC — Mandel did not rank the Trojans, while CBS and Schlabach put them in the top 15.
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