Other outlets have updated their pre-season Top 25 and it was 247Sports turn to do the same thing but with a caveat. “This isn’t an updated version of something 247Sports put out in the winter. This is a start-from-ground-zero ranking that takes into account an offseason worth of coaching changes, recruiting wins and transfers.” I’m sure other publications take this into their equations as well, but the eight experts polled by 247Sports just wanted to make sure you knew the criteria for their rankings.
With that in mind, Notre Dame has come in 8th in this newest update. At first glance, noticing the Irish ranking 83rd overall in returning production is a bit scary. This shouldn’t be a concern at all, look at the rest of the teams ranked in this Top 10. Each of the top three schools, Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama are in comparable returning production areas, while Oklahoma, who is ranked 7th is just one spot ahead of the Irish.
The Irish preview starts on the offensive end as “Notre Dame has maintained some offensive continuity this offseason by promoting quarterback coach Tommy Rees.” The offensive line will clearly be a strength for the Irish this season but having to replace each skill position starter is a challenge. Chris Hummer, who wrote the snippet, see that “there’s a strong skill cast beside him and some exciting impact freshman (Chris Tyree, Jordan Johnson) than can help right away.” It is a lot to ask for freshman to be big time contributors, but the Tyree, the Virginia running back and Johnson, the Missouri wide receiver could do just that. Look out for Kentucky tight end Michael Mayer to make an impact as a first-year player as well.
Looking on the other side of the ball, Hummer is a bit worried about the “defense is far more of a question mark with just five defensive starters returning.” Yes, it is a bit worrisome but as I mentioned earlier, returning production doesn’t tell the whole picture. “You have to trust coordinator Clark Lea, though. He’s put together back-to-back top 15 defenses.” The trust is there, with a reworked secondary and the emergence last year of linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah the base for a solid defense is there.
As we have seen the Irish have been ranked somewhere in this range by the majority of outlets. A pre-season Top 10 ranking will bring a lot of expectations in South Bend. Brian Kelly will have his work cut out for him to finish with Notre Dame’s fourth consecutive 10-plus win seasons.