Notre Dame Football: Irish's Most Indispensable Players for 2015

Notre Dame is once again in the conversation for a College Football Playoff spot. However, the Irish hope to actually make good on those expectations, unlike last year when they started 6-0 and lost five of their final six regular-season games. 

Getting to the playoff is a combination of several factors. Notre Dame's best players have to play well, but also stay healthy and eligible, which has been an issue for the past two years. As we've seen, things can go south when things don't line up. 

Which players are the most indispensable for Notre Dame in 2015? We look at a handful in the following slides based on past production, talent and what they mean to the team. In other words, if Notre Dame were to lose any of these players, its playoff hopes could go out the window. 

Quarterback Malik Zaire

Joe Raymond/Associated Press

It's not that Malik Zaire is the most proven or best player on Notre Dame's offense, it's that the quarterback position took an interesting turn following the departure of Everett Golson. 

Zaire is the only quarterback on the depth chart who has any sort of playing experience—and even that is limited. Zaire has one start—in the Music City Bowl—and didn't see significant playing time until the end of last season. DeShone Kizer and true freshman Brandon Wimbush will battle it out for the No. 2 spot, but neither has taken a snap in a college game. 

As Tim Prister of IrishIllustrated.com wrote in early June, "Compared to his backups, Zaire is a veritable seasoned veteran." 

Notre Dame has utilized multiple quarterbacks in the past few years, but experience was usually never an issue for at least one of those signal-callers. That's not the case in 2015. Zaire may not be the most proven player, but he is the most experienced in an inexperienced group. 

Linebacker Jaylon Smith

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Linebacker Jaylon Smith is very likely the most indispensable player on Notre Dame's roster, period. 

The junior has started all 26 games in his career and can play a couple of different positions in the middle of the defense. Wherever Notre Dame's coaching staff puts him, he's athletic enough to play sideline to sideline, in a phone booth or in the backfield. 

Last season, Smith led the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks, and finished tied for second in quarterback hurries. 

Per Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, Smith is a likely first-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. He's the ultimate example of talent and production coming together. Without him, Notre Dame's defense wouldn't be the same. His impact is more deeply felt than any other player. 

Offensive Lineman Ronnie Stanley

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

For as much NFL hype as Jaylon Smith has entering the 2015 season, tackle Ronnie Stanley has just as much, if not more. Stanley is the way-too-early No. 2 overall pick, according to Brugler, and the No. 4 overall player, according to B/R's Matt Miller.  

Like Smith, Stanley is a two-year starter who has played multiple spots in his position group. He spent all of 2013 at right tackle before making the move to left tackle last season. That versatility is huge for an offensive line that has to protect a new starting quarterback. 

Stanley could have departed for the NFL after last season but opted to return for another year. He's one of the most experienced and talented players in the trenches. Losing him would be a huge blow to the offense's production capability.  

Defensive Tackle Sheldon Day

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Like Stanley, defensive tackle Sheldon Day could have departed for the NFL after the 2014 season and made himself a nice chunk of change. Instead, he returns to the Irish as the defense's top run-stuffer. 

That's a big deal as Notre Dame was average, at best, against the run last year (4.24 yards per rush, 21 touchdowns allowed). Combined with Jarron Jones, however, Notre Dame should have one of the best starting interior defensive lines anywhere in college football.

The problem is that there's a lot of inexperience behind Day and Jones. Backup Jay Hayes got valuable playing time against Louisville, USC and LSU because of injuries to Day and Jones. Toward the end of the season, Notre Dame's defense took a turn for the worse, giving up 479.8 yards per game in the month of November. 

If Day (and Jones) can stay healthy, the run defense should improve. But things could get bad again if Day gets dinged up again. 

Wide Receiver William Fuller

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Wide receiver is one of the deepest position groups Notre Dame has this season. Still, asking someone to match the production of junior William Fuller from a season ago would be hard to do. 

Fuller led the team with 76 receptions for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns. By comparison, the next-leading receiver, Corey Robinson, had 40 receptions and five touchdowns. 

If Fuller were to miss any time, the Irish are loaded enough that the passing game wouldn't cease to exist. However, Fuller is the team's top deep and open-field threat. In early June, Matt Brown for Sports on Earth described Fuller as a "terrific big-play threat with explosiveness after the catch, and while the offense will change with the more run-oriented Malik Zaire at quarterback, Zaire has a big arm and should mesh well with Fuller." 

If Notre Dame focuses more on the running game, it'll need a vertical receiving threat to complement. That's where Fuller's value really shines. 

Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All quotes cited unless obtained firsthand. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.