3 things that Notre Dame fans should be most worried about following the national championship defeat to the Ohio State Buckeyes
Heading into the 2024 college football season, Notre Dame was viewed as a sleeper team to make a deep playoff run. Those dreams were seemingly dashed in the second game of the season against Northern Illinois, but head coach Marcus Freeman and his squad responded brilliantly and won 13 straight. That miracle season came to […]
Heading into the 2024 college football season, Notre Dame was viewed as a sleeper team to make a deep playoff run. Those dreams were seemingly dashed in the second game of the season against Northern Illinois, but head coach Marcus Freeman and his squad responded brilliantly and won 13 straight. That miracle season came to an unfortunate end, falling to Ohio State 34 to 23 during the national championship on Monday night.
Even after the loss, there is a lot of optimism for the future of the Notre Dame program. There are, however, some major question marks that do still exist. Here are the three questions that Coach Freeman and the team need to answer this offseason.
Answers to biggest roster issues
In the end, the two biggest roster issues were on display during the loss to Ohio State. Outside of Jaden Greathouse, the wide receiver group just wasn’t very good. With someone like wide receiver Malachi Fields coming in from Virginia, there’s optimism that this group can be a ton better, but it’s just a projection at this point. The 2025 wide receiver class also was a major letdown so it’s unclear where the needed answers are coming from.
On the defensive side of the football, the defensive tackles were largely a non-factor. With Rylie Mills and Howard Cross gone this offseason, and the unlikely return of Jason Onye, the Irish are left to scramble for some notable performers. They return Donovan Hinish and Gabriel Rubio, but there’s no guarantee that either player is anything more than a good rotation piece. Former Louisville standout Jared Dawson will also play a role, but to what level? Can someone like Armel Mukam take a step forward? There’s a lot to figure out.
Defensive turnover
With the impending expectation that Al Golden is going to take the defensive coordinator position with the Cincinnati Bengals, there is going to be a new play caller with the Irish next season. The early name to know is secondary coach Mike Mickens, but there is little evidence how good of a play caller he will be. There’s a chance he’s excellent, but nobody will know until he shows it in a football game.
To make Mickens’ job even worse, Notre Dame will say goodbye to several outstanding defensive players. Those losses include safety Xavier Watts, defensive tackles Rylie Mills and Howard Cross, linebacker Jack Kiser, and most likely cornerback Benjamin Morrison. Of course, the Irish have a ton of talent ready to make their mark, but losing so much experience at key positions is never a good thing.
Injury concerns
We are coming off of just the first season with Loren Landow as the Director of Football Performance with the program, so the jury is still out on just how good he is. The injuries in 2024, however, were quite concerning. Notre Dame was without Benjamin Morrison, Boubacar Traore, Jordan Botelho, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Howard Cross and Rylie Mills for long stretches of the season. We also saw running back Jeremiyah Love and offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp banged up down the stretch of the season. Is that just because of the length of the season? Was it more of a freak coincidence? It is something to monitor closely.
3 things to be most excited about Notre Dame football heading into the future, and their continued progress to build a championship winner
The future for Notre Dame is bright.
