Heading into the 2024 college football season, there are a lot of high expectations. This roster might be the deepest we have seen in some time, as well as a tremendous coaching staff. That has led some to wonder if this could be the year that the Irish finally get over the hump.
It very well could be. Notre Dame has the building blocks to compete for a national championship in 2024. The defense has already been there, but some things have been missing. There are several other reasons why they could make that run this season.
One thing that people didn’t talk about enough was the steep transition that Coach Freeman was making when he was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach. He had been one of the top coordinators in college football the previous couple of years with his impact at the University of Cincinnati and his one year in South Bend. There was no question that Freeman called a great defense.
What would he be as a head coach? Nobody had a clear answer. There are elements about Coach Freeman that were very translatable to that new role, such as his personality, attention to detail, and ability to recruit at a high level. But what it would look like as a CEO and on Saturdays was a pure projection.
For a coach who had never served as a head coach at any level, it’s a tough transition to make. To have the University of Notre Dame be your first job, that’s almost an unbelievable ascension.
As that rise would suggest, there would be a massive learning curve and some bumps in the road along the way. We saw that in year one, where Notre Dame finished with a 9-4 overall record but had losses to Marshall and Stanford. 2023 brought some positive momentum, improving to 10-3 and avoiding the losses against inferior opponents.
The growth may be slow for some, but the key is that the growth is happening. Coach Freeman and his staff were tasked with finding a lot of solutions for the program that were ignored by the previous regime. That included needed improvements in certain positions on the roster, recruiting areas that were ignored, and continuing to improve the overall state of the program, all while dealing with the new NIL and transfer portal landscape.
In a lot of ways, the first two years were a bit of baptism by fire. Now heading into year three, there are a lot of things to be optimistic about. This is going to be the strongest roster under Coach Freeman so far. He also has financial backing from the university, and is building something that appears sustainable.
So just how good of a head coach is Freeman? We should begin to really figure that out this fall.
Outside of some LSU fans who have convinced themselves that Coach Denbrock was overrated and Joe Sloan was the genius behind their offense the last couple of years, most realize how big of a hire this was for Notre Dame. The Irish play calling has been an issue the last few seasons, needing a veteran presence after Gerad Parker left to take the head coach position at Troy this offseason.
Denbrock brings that resume, just leading an LSU offense that led college football in scoring, averaging over 46 points per game. He is also responsible for helping quarterback Jayden Daniels win the Heisman Trophy last season, eventually becoming the second overall selection by the Washington Commanders in the 2024 NFL Draft. Wide receivers Malik Nabers and Bryan Thomas Jr. were also first round picks off of last year’s squad.
If his time at LSU wasn’t enough to impress, you can also go back to his time as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati. Denbrock orchestrated several talented units, helping to lead them to a 22-2 overall record his final two seasons with the Bearcats.
A lot is on the plate now for Coach Denbrock with his return to South Bend. His job will be to create a lot more big plays. The team has been too methodical, and at times stagnant in recent years. Spreading the field, and putting players in a position to make big plays is a must. His resume says that there should be a huge opportunity to make this unit a lot more explosive rather quickly.
Outside of play calling, the biggest issue with the Notre Dame offense has been at quarterback. The previous staff hadn’t done a good enough job stacking that room with talent. In today’s game, if you have a limitation at quarterback, your whole team is limited.
Not only has Coach Freeman upped the high school quarterback recruiting trajectory, he was also to go into the portal for Leonard this offseason. The former Duke signal caller was arguably the biggest quarterback land this offseason.
There was a time that thought Leonard would be a part of the 2024 NFL Draft, but an ankle and foot injury forced him back to the school. Instead of returning to the Blue Devils, Leonard made the choice to give the portal a chance and ultimately ended up with Notre Dame.
When healthy, we are talking about one of the best dual threat signal callers in college football. You can look back to his healthy campaign in 2022, where Leonard went for 3,666 total yards and 33 touchdowns. He did that with a very average Duke skill position group to work with.
At a verified 6’ 3 ⅝” and 212 pounds, Leonard ran a 4.52 forty-yard dash for NFL scouts last offseason. Obviously anytime there are durability questions, there are reasons for some pessimism. If he can answer that question, Leonard is the most dynamic quarterback that Notre Dame has had in a long time. There should be no limitations from that position in 2024.
Offensive skill upgrades
Notre Dame lacked speed on offense the last few years, it’s that simple. The 2024 unit will not have those same issues. This offseason was dedicated to improving the skill position, and making it a lot more dynamic.
We already mentioned Leonard, who is a major threat to run the football. If he improves his ability as a deep passer, the upside is unreal.
The staff was also able to attract FIU transfer wide receivers Kris Mitchell from the portal this offseason. He is coming off of an incredible 2023 season, which included 64 receptions for 1,118 yards and six touchdowns. The biggest key, however, is the speed that Mitchell brings. When members of the media asked the Florida native about his “4.4 speed”, Mitchell scoffed at them and alluded to him being able to run the forty-yard dash in the 4.3 second range.
With Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price now the lead options in the backfield, Notre Dame is going to have a lot of options to create big plays. Love is also expected to make a lot of plays out of the backfield, adding that impact speed to the passing game. Don’t blink, they have a chance to score every time they touch the football.
Then you add in Beaux Collins into the boundary, a big bodied pass catcher who has shown the talent to make plays down the field as well. In total, the wide receiver room has gotten way more dynamic. This should be the most explosive Irish offense we have seen in a long time.
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