Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt: "Watch out for Notre Dame... They feel a lot like Washington from last year."

Heading into the 2024 college football season, Notre Dame has become a trendy pick as a deep playoff contender, and some national pundits even believe that this Irish team has a chance to compete for a National Championship this fall. Add Fox Sports College Football and NFL Draft analyst Joel Klatt to the list of prominent figures to voice his intrigue in the Irish.

“Watch out for Notre Dame… They feel a lot like Washington from last year."

That is a ringing endorsement for a Husky program that just won the PAC-12 championship, and advanced all the way to the National Championship following a 14-0 start to the 2023 season. While things didn’t end well in that final game, the Huskies were a program with a ton of preseason hype that eventually actualized it to a strong run, including a semifinal victory over Texas.

Some of the reasons that have Klatt optimistic is Marcus Freeman , and the defense he has coming back. He even mentioned reigning Bronco Nagurski award winner Xavier Watts, among several star players that should help to put together a dominant defense this fall.

Another big reason for backing the Irish is the potential improvements on offense. Klatt mentioned Mike Denbrock coming over from LSU, and the importance of that hire. He also mentioned quarterback Riley Leonard as a main catalyst with the experience he brings.

The last piece of positive reinforcement that Klatt referenced was the 2024 Irish schedule. He commented on how the team should get off to a fast start, potentially sitting at 8-0 going into their matchup against Florida State. It isn’t fresh news about the weakness of the Notre Dame schedule, something that has been talked about a lot this offseason.

The formula does seem to be there for Notre Dame to make a big surge in 2024. Things will need to come over, but clearly there are a lot of people that believe they can make a strong run. Now it’s up to Coach Freeman, the Irish staff, and players to fulfill that potential.