Greg McElroy Admits Historic College Football Program’s Top 10 Ranking Is ‘Bold’

Despite going a pedestrian 19-8 in two seasons under head coach Marcus Freeman, Greg McElroy slotted Notre Dame in the top 10 of his preseason poll on Wednesday.

McElroy revealed the rankings via his podcast, " Always College Football ," and admitted that ranking the Fighting Irish among the nation's best may be a bold prediction.

"This one, I do feel, is a bit bold. Not because I don't love Notre Dame, I've always loved Notre Dame and what Marcus Freeman is going to bring," McElroy explained. "I love the pieces that they've added from a recruiting standpoint. I love the hiring of Mike Denbrock, the addition of Riley Leonard at quarterback, all those things make me fired up.

"The problem is the offensive line is a big question mark. I don't love that, but I don't remember the last time that Notre Dame had an offensive line that was a legitimate liability."

A pair of Notre Dame offensive tackles were drafted in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. After earning unanimous All-American honors, Joe Alt was picked fifth overall by the Los Angeles Chargers. Blake Fisher was chosen with the 59th overall pick by the Houston Texans.

The most significant addition of the offseason was the addition of former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard from the transfer portal. Leonard was limited to seven games last season due to injuries. In 2022, he had a breakout season for the Blue Devils, recording 2,967 passing yards and 20 passing touchdowns.

Leonard and the Fighting Irish face a tough test to begin the season at Texas A&M against his former head coach, Mike Elko. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Related: Greg McElroy Identifies SEC Program’s Roadblock For Consecutive 11-Win Seasons