Notre Dame Football: 5 Storylines Heading into Spring Ball

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are trying to make sure that this is the year that they live up to the expectations. After a couple of subpar seasons under Brian Kelly, Notre Dame returns a total of 15 starters and are hoping that they can take the next step into accomplishing their BCS goals.

Although we still may be months away from college football kicking off, spring ball is right around the corner. The Irish hold their first spring practice March 21st, and the spring game will take place on
April 21st.

As we get ready for everything spring has to offer, here are the top five storylines to pay attention to.

Who Will Replace Michael Floyd?

The Irish may not necessarily need to replace Floyd, but they do need to have a few playmakers to emerge on the offensive side of the ball. After all, replacing over 3,600 yards and 37 touchdowns is nearly impossible.

Tight end Tyler Eifert is going to be the top target for whoever becomes quarterback. Upperclassmen TJ Jones and Theo Riddick will be the starters heading into the season, but that third slot remains vacant on this offense.

There are several players on the roster currently that could step up, but players like Robert Toma, Davaris Daniels, Chris Brown and new recruit Justin Ferguson will remain the favorites to contribute in a big way. 

Brian Kelly should be looking for any receiver to emerge from the pack and become an elite playmaker for this offense.

Can We Please See Davonte Neal?

It took the Irish long enough to finally land the 5-star recruit, now it's time to see what he can do on the football field. We know he's capable of playing wide receiver or cornerback at a high level, and that's extremely valuable considering those are two areas the Irish need help in.

But with his speed he's capable of becoming a playmaker as a punt returner. With the Irish averaging less than four yards a return last season, they could use the speedster there as well.

Neal is one of the more exciting recruits to commit to Notre Dame in a long time, and it's going to be fun to watch him play and see where Kelly and company end up putting him on the field.

How Will Coaching Changes Affect the Team?

Head coach Brian Kelly made a tremendous amount of coaching changes to his staff throughout the offseason. And to put it simply, there is not one coach on the offensive side of the ball that has the same title this season.

There are a bunch of new faces, like Bob Elliott becoming the safeties coach, and old faces that just moved to a different position, such as Tony Alford moving from wide receivers coach to taking on the running backs.

This could be the third different coaching change in their career for some players. Will the changes help the players, or will it drive them crazy and create even more growing pains?

Time will tell and we may have a better answer as spring practice kicks off.

Who Will Fill in the Secondary?

The front seven of the Irish defense should be in good hands, but anytime you lose three starters in your secondary, you have reason to worry.

Players like Robert Blanton, Harrison Smith and Gary Grayare no longer on the team since they ran out of eligibility.

Senior safety Jamoris Slaughter should help fill one of the holes, as he finished his junior year with 45 tackles and had two sacks and 10 tackles in the bowl game against Florida State. Senior Zeke Motta is also expected to start at safety, as he has a lot of experience in the secondary and finished his junior year with 40 tackles and one interception. 

As far as cornerback is concerned, there isn't much experience, and the positions look to be much more wide open than safety. Juniors Lo Wood and Bennett Jackson are the favorites heading into spring, but don't count out the youngsters in Josh Atkinson, Jalen Brown and Tee Shepard.

None of those three have any game experience, but they have great speed and are great coverage corners. The defensive backfield will be a very fun area to watch and see young players fulfill their potential.

Who Will Play Quarterback?

Isn't this the question that haunts nearly every college football team during the spring? This will be the main concern heading into the season, as the answer to the question could be anybody at this point.

It could be Tommy Rees again, who didn't play bad last season, but he did make key mistakes which really didn't help the Irish win games. Although, he did complete 65 percent of his passes and threw 20 touchdowns. He does also have more experience than any of the other quarterbacks that are options to start.

Andrew Hendrix has great size at 6'2", 220 pounds, and he has an absolute rocket for an arm. Everett Golson would probably be the best fit in Brian Kelly's offense, as he is a dual-threat quarterback and is accurate throwing the ball on the run. Then of course you have freshman Gunner Kiel, who is a long shot, but will be given an opportunity during the spring. 

This will take up most of the talk until a decision is made, and Kelly needs to make sure he makes the right decision.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].