Notre Dame football is set to kick off the 2024 season against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday night. Irish fans have spent the offseason reading, listening, and getting to know the team as much as possible. With anything, the preseason serves as a mystery, and understanding every part of a team just isn’t possible.

That always makes the topic of “breakouts” a really fun one. Some are obvious, while others seemingly come out of nowhere. Now a day away from the season kickoff, here are my predictions for the emerging stars in the Irish program we will be taking about this fall.

RB Jeremiyah Love

This admiration for Love shouldn’t be overly surprising at this point. The former top recruit showed his upside in spurts as a true freshman, going for 462 total yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. That was just a small taste of what the St. Louis native was capable of behind Audric Estime.

Now up to 210 pounds, Love is an impressive blend of explosiveness and versatility. If he has added more power to his profile, then look out. Notre Dame hasn’t had a running back this dynamic in some time. His upside is immense.

WR Jaden Greathouse

There’s a great debate about who will lead the Irish in receiving yardage in 2024. Some believe that former FIU transfer Kris Mitchell could be that guy. Others believe it could be former Clemson transfer Beaux Collins, or potentially tight end Mitchell Evans if he’s healthy for the full season. My money is on Greathouse, who has had a great offseason.

Now working from the slot, Greathouse should thrive. At 6-1 and 215 pounds, the Texas native is a densely put-together wide receiver who is a crafty route runner. Greathouse should make a lot of receptions in 2024, and could be a bit of a safety blanket for quarterback Riley Leonard.

OT Anthonie Knapp

There’s a good chance that Knapp has some early struggles as he transitions to the college game, but he won the starting left tackle job at the University of Notre Dame, as a true freshman. When you take a step back and appreciate that, it really puts the situation into perspective. As long as he shows improvement throughout the year, a Freshman All-American honor could be on the horizon, as he cements himself a part of the long-term plans up front.

Knapp isn’t the prototype left tackle at 6-4 and 294 pounds, but the Georgia native makes up for that with a good level of foot quickness, impressive strength, and advanced technique. Throughout the year, expect Knapp to begin to develop into one of the best starters on the offensive line.

CB Christian Gray

“The other cornerback opposite Benjamin Morrison”, there’s an argument that Gray is even more physically gifted. Irish fans got a short dose of Gray as a freshman in 2023, including a sick one-handed interception against Pittsburgh. His combination of ball skills, length, and movement skills is really impressive.

Gray was a part of a fierce offseason battle for the field cornerback along with Jaden Mickey. While Mickey is a solid player, and will play a lot, Gray’s overall talent eventually won out. There’s expectations that this could be a breakout season, but then Gray is passed the torch as the dude on the back end for the Irish going into 2025. He’s that talented.

S Adon Shuler

Former Northwestern standout Rod Heard was brought in to solidify the safety depth, and potentially start opposite Watts. For a long time this offseason, that seemed like the most likely outcome. Then Shuler put his head down, and earned the trust of the Notre Dame defensive staff. Heard now looks like he’s ready to backup both safety spots.

The safety position is going to be a ton more athletic in 2024, and Shuler is a big reason for it. He is a downhill player who plays with some bad intentions. Shuler is also very smart, and always seems to be around the football making plays.