Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1491978
26 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED something to be said for Freeman, still very new to all of this as a 37-year-old head coach, being able to rely on the same faces from one year to the next. DEFENSIVE QUESTIONS Notre Dame had some glaring defen- sive issues in 2022. The Irish didn't force a turnover until Week 4 at North Carolina, and even that one was a bit of a gift off the fumbling hand of Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye. Five of the 15 takeaways Notre Dame came away with were against 3-9 Boston College in snowy South Bend. Six of the team's turnovers were solely because of the breakout of cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who finished tied with the second-most interceptions of anyone in the country. On the topic of ball-hawking, Notre Dame finished tied for second to last in the FBS with just 24 passes broken up in 13 games. The Irish did not have a safety who could fly in and make a break on the ball, and that included NFL-bound Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph. Notre Dame is replacing Joseph, the program's all-time sacks leader in Isa- iah Foskey and defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola as starters in 2023. Many faces are returning, but they're coming back from an Irish defense that did not make enough plays in 2022. Can Golden's group take the next step? Will the development of players who have not played a significant role in previous seasons finally shine through? Will there be more freshmen who make immediate impacts like Morrison? Notre Dame has long been seen as a defensive-driven program, and it's led by a defensive-minded head coach in Freeman. But given all the Irish lost and the up-and-down play of who's coming back, wondering if Notre Dame can field a championship-level defense this fall is entirely justified. REPLACING MICHAEL MAYER The Notre Dame offense has some known commodities. Junior running backs Audric Estime and Logan Diggs, who combined for 1,742 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2022, are two of them. So are some of the offensive linemen they run behind, most notably junior tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. But out- side of Hartman being a shoe-in to win the starting quarterback job, there are several holes to fill offensively — none bigger than the one left behind by likely first-round NFL Draft pick tight end Michael Mayer. Mayer was targeted 101 times in the passing game last season. The next closest Irish player in that category was rising junior wide receiver Lorenzo Styles, who had a disappointing year in many regards, including leading the team with 6 dropped passes. Departed graduate student receiver Braden Lenzy was third on the team with 40 targets. Hartman is a difference-making quarterback who can make the players around him better, like a point guard who distributes the ball on a dime. But Notre Dame's pass catchers have to meet him halfway. Or at least stick their necks out a little farther than they did for Pyne and Buchner last fall. Notre Dame is looking for Styles to rebound. The Irish need one of several tight end options to step up and at least cover some of what's lost with Mayer leaving. And Styles isn't the only re- turning wideout who needs to improve dramatically. Fellow rising juniors De- ion Colzie and Jayden Thomas also can be more consistently reliable. The passing game is going to be a big part of what Notre Dame does this season, but it's only going to be a pretty product if the targets Hartman is throwing the ball to are ready to produce at a high level. ✦ New Notre Dame graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman went 27-18 as a starter at Wake Forest the past five seasons. PHOTO BY ETHAN HYMAN/THE NEWS & OBSERVER Notre Dame needs senior defensive lineman Rylie Mills to step up with the loss of several key defensive line cohorts to the NFL Draft. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER