Notre Dame Football: The Biggest Offseason Storylines for the Irish
Notre Dame’s last-second 31-28 win over No. 23 LSU in the Music City Bowl helped change the vibe surrounding the program. Now the Irish enter an offseason filled with optimism and questions.
The acidic taste of a four-game losing streak to end the regular season isn’t completely washed away, but the outlook is certainly sweeter after senior kicker Kyle Brindza buried a 32-yard field goal as time expired to topple one of the SEC’s elite. And while there are positive takeaways from the performance in Nashville, Tennessee, there are questions too.
So what are the biggest offseason storylines for Notre Dame?
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What Happens at Quarterback?
Bet you saw this one coming.
It’s the clear-cut biggest offseason storyline for the Irish. There are multiple layers, and the potential consequences go without saying.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Malik Zaire made his first career start against the Tigers and impressed, completing 12 of 15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Zaire, a natural runner, shined on the ground, directing a nifty read-option to the tune of 96 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts.
Everett Golson, who went from Heisman candidate to punching bag while starting all 12 regular-season games, didn’t draw the same headlines that Zaire did against LSU, but Golson was needed, too.
He connected on six of 11 passes for 90 yards and thrived on Notre Dame’s game-winning drive. Golson pulled the Irish out of 2nd-and-long with a 14-yard completion to Will Fuller before finding Ben Koyack and Tarean Folston on consecutive plays for first downs. Golson’s final pass—an eight-yard toss to Chris Brown—moved the Irish within Brindza’s range.
So what happens next?
Does Irish head coach Brian Kelly truly commit to utilizing both quarterbacks moving forward? Can a platoon actually work?
If Zaire is named the singular starter, what becomes of Golson?
Meanwhile, if the Irish do turn to Zaire—either in a platoon situation or in a full-fledged starting role—is Kelly committed to deploying a run-based offense?
We’ll see.
There’s still a lot to be decided through winter workouts and spring practice, for starters.
Who Returns?
Even early in the season, when the Irish rolled to a 6-0 start, many Notre Dame followers realized the arrow was really pointing toward 2015, when a heaping crop of underclassmen would return with added experience.
The future is still undoubtedly bright in that regard.
Now, though, we wait and see who returns.
Redshirt sophomore left tackle Ronnie Stanley was one of four Irish players who submitted the paperwork for an evaluation from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, per B/R's Keith Arnold.
If Stanley returns, he'll immediately stabilize an offensive line that played physically against LSU and will only lose Christian Lombard.
Junior defensive end Sheldon Day also hasn’t officially announced his intention one way or another.
The decisions by arguably Notre Dame’s best offensive and defensive lineman, respectively, are critical, but so too are other potential returns.
If cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive end Ishaq Williams do indeed return after missing the entire 2014 season, there will be two more starting-quality players on the defense. Russell, in particular, would team with breakout cornerback Cole Luke and offer one of the strongest cornerback tandems in the country.
There’s less clarity with wide receiver DaVaris Daniels. In late November, Kelly said Notre Dame was at the point of “determining eligibility as it relates to academics” with the athletic wideout.
And we can’t forget about all the injuries, either.
The health of middle linebacker Joe Schmidt (ankle) and defensive tackle Jarron Jones (foot), as well how quickly they can round back into form, will be pivotal for the center of the Notre Dame front seven, which was decimated by injuries and accordingly shredded by offenses down the stretch.
Defensive Growth
Notre Dame’s defense mashed expectations early in the season. The young group didn’t allow more than 17 points in each of the first five games, and the Irish even shut out Michigan. The final seven games of the regular season were a different story before—but especially after—the injuries mounted.
The injuries make it difficult to truly assess the defense. Were the struggles in the second half of the season closer to the norm than the stifling defense at the outset? And how much can be pinned on health?
After all, Notre Dame was healthy against North Carolina, yet the Tar Heels tallied 43 points in South Bend. And then-No. 2 Florida State notched 21 points in the second half of the showdown in Tallahassee.
The injuries started cropping up against Navy, but the Midshipmen ran the option for 39 points.
With a healthy group, defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder will have a chance to re-evaluate and reload.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.
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