Notre Dame opens with promising early standing in 2024 preseason coaches poll

We are less than a month away from the 2024 College Football season. We are so close, folks! All the preseason hope, speculation, and optimism is about to be on full display.

To continue that excitement, the preseason top 25 coaches poll was released on Monday. That included Notre Dame coming in at No. 7 on the list. That is the highest the team has been ranked since being at No. 5 heading into the 2022 season. That also marks the fourth time that the team has started in the top ten over the last five seasons. The lone exception was before 2023, where they came in at No. 13.

There is a lot of excitement for what Marcus Freeman and this Irish staff can accomplish heading into the fall. Most of that optimism centers around the offense, which should be upgraded big time under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. Quarterback Riley Leonard brings a lot of upside, as does the running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and JaDarian Price.

The major question marks are going to center around the new look wide receiver unit, and how quickly this inexperienced offensive line can gel together. If both those things happen, this has a chance to be one of the very best offenses in all of college football. If only one of those things happen, the Irish still have a lot of upside to tap into.

On defense, this Notre Dame unit should be excellent once again in 2024. They are led by a foursome of foundational players on defense, two up front and two in the secondary. On the back end, All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison and safety Xavier Watts lead the show. The two combined for 10 interceptions and 14 pass breakups last season.

Defensive tackles Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills will be causing pressure from the interior, hoping to build off of their strong 2023 campaigns. Add in transfers like pass rusher RJ Oben and defensive back Jordan Clark, and young studs like Drayk Bowen and Christian Gray, and this group has a chance to be special. It could be the best unit defensive coordinator Al Golden has had so far his tenure.