We are almost all the way through fall camp, which means Notre Dame is just a little over a week before they officially kick off the season on August 31st against Texas A&M. There is some high optimism for what this Irish team could accomplish, and a big reason for that is the improvements offensively.
There are several reasons to be really optimistic on that side of the football. The offense has a chance to be very, very good.
Big time signal caller
Make no mistake about it, Notre Dame has had solid quarterbacks recently. Ian Book, Jack Coan, and Sam Hartman all did some good things in the Blue and Gold. Each of them, however, had their limitations.
No matter how it ends up playing out, Riley Leonard won't fail because of lack of talent. He is a dynamic athlete, who still has plenty of upside as a passer to tap into. The Irish will have a chance to be special on the offensive side of the football with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Leonard is a big part of that optimism.
Skill position talent
This might sound hyperbolic by some, but this might be the fastest Notre Dame offense we have seen in a long time. It was clearly a priority under Marcus Freeman to improve in that area, and boy have they. The biggest position we needed to see it was at wide receiver. With adding players like Kris Michell, Jayden Harrison, Cam Williams and KK Smith the last couple of seasons, expect a lot more big plays in 2024.
At running back, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are both home runs waiting to happen. Notre Dame has been impressive at running back in recent years, but haven’t had a ton of big play threats. Now they have two.
You can also add in Riley Leonard at quarterback, who has run in the 4.5s in the forty-yard dash in the past, which is incredibly impressive for a signal caller his size. There is legitimate speed everywhere, especially when you include tight end Eli Raridon.
Playcalling upgrade
As mentioned previously, Notre Dame fans are and should be incredibly excited about Mike Denbrock taking over as the offensive play caller. He is fresh off of an impressive two-year stretch at LSU, helping the team lead college football in scoring in 2023. Coach Denbrock also did a tremendous job previously while with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Now Coach Denbrock has a lot of tools to work with, including Leonard and the skill positions. The offensive line also has a ton of talent, although it’s still inexperienced. If the front is able to hold up enough, the offense has a chance to be explosive and great a lot of big plays.
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