Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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118 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY BRYAN DRISKELL F ive of Notre Dame's 2018 opponents are ranked in the preseason top 25 ac- cording to Athlon Sports and Lindy's Sports, and eight foes overall are com- ing off bowl seasons. It is a typically challenging schedule, which means the Irish will be facing a number of tal- ented players — including 11 that were named preseason All-Americans by Athlon Sports. Best Offensive Backfields 1. Florida State — The Seminoles have one of the nation's premier backfields, and it starts at running back. Sophomore Cam Akers was a five-star recruit that rushed for 1,024 yards and seven scores as a true freshman. Senior Jacques Patrick has 1,399 career rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. A fall position battle will take place at quar- terback, with junior Deondre Francois (3,350 passing yards in 2016) and sophomore James Blackman (2,230 passing yards in 2017) duk- ing it out. If Francois returns to health and gets past some off-the-field issues, he'll likely be the starter. 2. Stanford — It isn't often a team returns a Doak Walker Award winner that was eligible for the NFL Draft, but that is what happened when Bryce Love opted to come back to Stan- ford for his senior season after rushing for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns. He racked up at least 100 yards in 11 of the 12 games he played, and also was the Heisman runner-up. Vital to the backfield's success is the devel- opment of junior quarterback K.J. Costello, who missed the spring with a hip injury. 3. Navy — The Midshipmen return a pair of quarterbacks that topped the 1,000-yard mark a season ago. Senior Zach Abey led the ground attack with 1,413 yards and 19 touchdowns, but he was supplanted under center by junior Malcolm Perry, who rushed for 1,182 and 11 touchdowns while playing mostly at slot back. Perry made one start at quarterback last season, rushing for 282 yards and four scores against SMU. Senior fullback Anthony Gargiulo (423 yards in 2017) is poised for a major jump in production. Best Receivers/ Tight Ends 1. USC — Despite losing two of its top three pass catchers from a season ago, the Tro- jans are loaded at wide receiver and tight end. Junior wideout Tyler Vaughns became a major contributor last season, hauling in 57 passes for 809 yards. Classmate Michael Pittman snared 18 passes for 340 yards in the final five games and is in line for a major jump in production. In addition, five-star recruit Amon-Ra St. Brown arrives in the fall. USC also returns a potent duo at tight end with senior Tyler Petite and junior Daniel Imatorbhebhe back to good health. 2. Stanford — The Cardinal returns its top four pass catchers and arguably the top tight end group in the country. Senior J.J. Arcega-White- side is a big-play threat on the perimeter, while Trent Irwin is a strong route runner with excel- lent hands. The two are complementary players, with Arcega-Whiteside doing damage down the field and Irwin serving as a chain mover. Junior tight end Kaden Smith was named a third-team preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, and sophomore Colby Parkinson was the nation's consensus No. 1 tight end in the 2017 class. 3. Michigan/Wake Forest — Both teams are on this list more for potential than actual proven production. The Wolverines return a pair of highly touted sophomores in Dono- van Peoples-Jones and Tarik Black, and both former top-100 recruits are expected to have breakout seasons. Michigan has a lot of tal- ented but unproven depth at the wideout posi- tion, and it also returns a pair of quality tight ends in Zach Gentry and Sean McKeon. Out wide for Wake Forest, sophomore Greg Dortch caught 53 passes for 722 yards in just eight games last season. Junior Scotty Wash- ington also has the wares to become one of the top pass catchers in the ACC. Best Offensive Lines 1. Wake Forest — All five starters from a line that helped the Deacons finish 17th COMMON GROUND Notre Dame's 2018 schedule is deep with teams that can run the ball and stop opposing rushers Quarterback Malcolm Perry is one of two 1,000-yard rushers returning to the Navy backfield in 2018. PHOTO COURTESY NAVY