Notre Dame Football 2011: 5 Predictions for Year Two of the Brian Kelly Era

Brian Kelly will have enormous expectations heading into this season on the heels of a four-game winning streak to end 2010.

With 19 starters back from a season ago, there's no reason for Irish fans, coaches and players to be dreaming big.

Along with those dreams come enormous expectations.

Follow along as we count down the five things expected of Brian Kelly and his Fighting Irish squad heading into this season.

5. Aaron Lynch Will Contribute Right Away

Aaron Lynch, a former 4-star defensive end out of Cape Coral, Fla. has been considered the best defensive prospect to commit to the Irish since Manti Te'o on National Signing Day in 2009.

The first opportunity that Irish fans had to witness the 6'6", 245-pound self-proclaimed "beast" was during the annual Blue-Gold game in April.

During the glorified scrimmage, Lynch was seemingly in the face of the quarterback on every play.

While success in the spring game doesn't necessarily guarantee success during the regular season, it is hard to imagine Lynch not being a force on Saturdays this fall.

4. Darius Fleming Will Have a Breakout Season

Notre Dame linebacker Darius Fleming has been a solid player during his three seasons in South Bend, but hasn't quite lived up to the hype.

After committing to the Irish in April of 2007, expectations for the Chicago native were sky high.

Fleming hasn't exactly lived up to those expectations as he has totaled only 103 total tackles in his career.

Compare that figure to fellow linebacker Manti Te'o's 133 tackles last season, and it doesn't look so great.

However, with one year of experience in Bob Diaco's 3-4 scheme under his belt, Fleming is primed to have a breakout season.

3. Brian Kelly Will Utilize a Two-Quarterback System

Having four quarterbacks capable of winning football games is certainly a good problem to have.

It's hard to imagine one of those players taking all of the snaps this season.

Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees each showed they were capable of running the offense, but each lacks the mobility that Brian Kelly desires in his quarterbacks. 

That's where Andrew Hendrix and true freshman Everett Golson come in. Both are perfect fits for Kelly's high-octane attack. 

However, it would be a smart move for the coaching staff to redshirt Golson in order to preserve a season of eligibility.

Expect to see Crist as the starter but share snaps with Hendrix.

If using multiple quarterbacks seems like a bad idea, just look at what Kelly did during his last season in Cincinnati. Starter Tony Pike went down with injury, Zach Collaros stepped in and the offense didn't miss a beat.

2. The Secondary Will Be Much Improved

The Irish defense finished the 2010 season ranked a respectable 25th in pass defense. The unit should be even better this season.

While depth is certainly a concern at defensive back, talent certainly isn't.

Cornerbacks Gary Gray and Robert Blanton combine to form one of the nation's best defensive back duos.

The Irish also feature standout safety Harrison Smith, who recorded three interceptions in Notre Dame's Sun Bowl victory over Miami.

The strong safety position will be manned by both Zeke Motta and Jamoris Slaughter.

If this group of players can continue to gel like it did during the last four games of 2010, the unit should be one of the nation's best.

1. Cierre Wood Will Rush for 1,200 Yards

Brian Kelly found out last season that simply airing it out won't be enough to win football games at Notre Dame.

That realization occurred right as former running back Armando Allen went down with a season-ending injury.

While that seemed like bad news, it turned out to be a perfect situation for highly touted running back Cierre Wood to earn his chance.

All he did was gain 603 yards on 119 carries, which was tops on the team.

Now that Wood is the full-time starter at the thin position, he'll be relied upon to shoulder a majority of the carries.

I envision that resulting in at least 1,200 yards on the ground for Wood.