Notre Dame Football: Projecting Who Will Win Irish's Open Starting Positions

Notre Dame football celebrated seven NFL draft picks and 13 players who signed professional contracts, but that success also means the roster has plenty of vacancies to fill.

Fortunately for the Irish, their unfortunate trend of injuries last season means a few open spots already have proven options available for the 2016 campaign.

Consequently, each position highlighted will be occupied by a new full-time starter. The lone exception is one spot where a replacement player is projected to maintain his season-ending job.

And it won't be a surprise where that position is found.

Injured Players Assuming Previous Roles

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Injuries didn't quite decimate the 2015 Notre Dame roster, but they certainly affected the starting lineup. Several players are—or should be—healthy for 2016 and ready to take back the No. 1 role.

Running Back: Tarean Folston recorded a team-best 889 yards and six touchdowns in 2014, but a torn right ACL ended his junior season after three carries. Folston's top competition is Josh Adams, who scampered for 838 yards and six scores last year.

Tight End: A torn right MCL and shoulder sprain limited Durham Smythe last season. While Alize Jones will be a factor at the position, Smythe should be the starter.

Nose Guard: Jarron Jones received a sixth year of eligibility following a torn right MCL. He and Daniel Cage will likely split time as the defensive line's anchor.

Strong Safety: For the second straight season, a knee injury (torn right ACL) shortened Drue Tranquill's campaign. When healthy, though, he's the clear-cut No. 1 option at strong safety.

Quarterback

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Previous Starters: Malik Zaire, DeShone Kizer

Projected Starter: DeShone Kizer

Adams, Jones and Cage are each talented enough to overtake Folston, Smythe and Jones, but the previous starter is in slightly better shape. The same is not true at quarterback.

Malik Zaire won the competition once. That is undoubtedly meaningful looking forward to the fall. However, DeShone Kizer's progression while in an unexpected role was tremendous, and he's enjoyed a healthy offseason to further that development.

At this point, every projection is a gut feeling. But head coach Brian Kelly seems prepared for that to decide the competition's winner.

"I think I'm going to have to make a judgment call," he said, according to Evan Sharpley of 247Sports. "There will be a time when I'm going to have to say, that's our quarterback, let's go with him, we're all in, and let's move forward. They are both that good; I already know that."

Wide Receivers

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Previous Starters: Will Fuller (X), Chris Brown (W), Amir Carlisle (Z)

Projected Starters: Equanimeous St. Brown (X), Torii Hunter Jr. (W), C.J. Sanders (Z)

No position was hit harder by departures than wide receiver.

As a team, Notre Dame totaled 240 catches, 3,360 yards and 25 scores. The trio of Will Fuller, Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle combined for 141 receptions, 2,206 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Since Hunter compiled a 28/363/2 line in 2015, he's easily the most experienced target. Sanders returned kicks and punts last year, but he and St. Brown each grabbed a single pass.

Continued development is paramount for the unit.

Offensive Line

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Previous Starters: LT Ronnie Stanley, C Nick Martin, RG Steve Elmer

Projected Starters: C Sam Mustipher, RG Hunter Bivin, RT Alex Bars

The above positions don't match perfectly because Mike McGlinchey is sliding over from right tackle to the left side. Quenton Nelson is the lone starter returning at his previous spot (left guard).

Mustipher seems to have secured the starting job at center. According to Andrew Owens of Rivals.com, Kelly said "Sam's been very good" and only mentioned competitions on the right side.

Guard is more of a question than tackle. Hunter Bivin is attempting to hold off Colin McGovern and Tristen Hoge for the starting position alongside Alex Bars at right tackle.

Defensive End

Credit: 247Sports

Jay Hayes

Previous Starter: Romeo Okwara

Projected Starters: Jay Hayes and Andrew Trumbetti

Romeo Okwara wasn't a dominant player off the edge, but he was easily the most productive rusher. Okwara notched nine sacks, the program's second-highest total since 2006.

Notre Dame probably wouldn't replace his disruption with one new starter. So, the Irish aren't planning to force the issue.

Tim O'Malley of Scout.com notes D-line coach Keith Gilmore expects to use a platoon "based on who we're playing and what kind of offense" Notre Dame is trying to contain.

"If it's a power team you'll probably see Jay Hayes more," he said. "If it's a passing team you'll see Andrew [Trumbetti] more. They'll both start and play a lot. We want that competition."

Defensive Tackle

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Previous Starter: Sheldon Day

Projected Starter: Jerry Tillery

Sheldon Day is one of the toughest players to replace. The 6'2", 285-pounder was a fixture up front, amassing 32 tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hurries during his college career.

Jerry Tillery should assume Day's spot, though the sophomore is currently a work in progress.

"He's got a lot of work to do, defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said, per Sharpley. "Jerry, he's got a lot of work to do. He's gonna be a good player. We've got to make some big strides right now with Jerry."

Middle Linebacker

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Previous Starter: Joe Schmidt

Projected Starter: Nyles Morgan

Nyles Morgan didn't receive much playing time in 2015 despite Joe Schmidt's occasional struggles. Next season, that job security—for better or worse—will belong to Morgan.

During the spring, the junior linebacker impressed.

"He's gotten our defense lined up effortlessly," Kelly said, according to Nick Ironside of 247Sports. "There's been great communication and he's played extremely well at that position, and I think a lot of it has to do with how he hard he works at the game."

But almost every player is a spring standout. The trick is earning a similar reputation once the regular season arrives.

Weak-Side Linebacker

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Previous Starter: Jaylon Smith

Projected Starter: Te'von Coney

In 2015, Jaylon Smith almost registered as many solo stops (69) as Schmidt—the second-leading tackler—had total (78). No pressure, new guy.

Injuries to Greer Martini and Te'von Coney pushed Asmar Bilal into the first-string position at weak-side linebacker during the spring, and he's a legitimate candidate to earn the starting role. However, Coney is still the favorite.

"Te'von is maybe not as athletic as Asmar, but he's very instinctive, very smart," linebackers coach Mike Elston said, per Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune. "So he can get there at the same time, because he can diagnose it a little bit quicker."

Cornerback

Credit: 247Sports

Shaun Crawford

Previous Starter: KeiVarae Russell

Projected Starter: Shaun Crawford

Though it doesn't happen often, special freshmen can surge into the starting lineup. Shaun Crawford would've been the nickelback in 2015 before a torn right ACL stopped him from taking the field.

Following the redshirt season, Crawford should be ready for 2016. The same cannot be said for some of his competition. Devin Butler will be sidelined until October because of a foot injury, per Angelo Di Carlo of WNDU-TV. Nick Watkins is recovering from a fractured left humerus.

Crawford figures to maintain the lead he has on Nick Coleman and officially secure a starting job opposite Cole Luke.

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All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.