Notre Dame Football: 10 Training Camp Priorities

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame began fall training camp this past Saturday behind a preseason ranking of No. 18 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.

Despite the hype, there are still a number of questions surrounding the team that must be answered before the start of the season on Sept. 3 against the South Florida Bulls.

However, three weeks of training camp remain, giving the coaching staff plenty of time to solidify areas of uncertainty.

What areas must the staff focus on?

Find out as we count down Notre Dame's 10 biggest training camp priorities.

10. Name a Starter at Left Guard

Left guard is the only spot on the offensive line in question heading into the season due to the departure of Chris Stewart.

The position isn't a huge concern, but a starter needs to be named so that the line can establish continuity prior to the start of the season.

The two favorites to be named the starter at the position are Chris Watt and Andrew Nuss.

Both are capable of handling starting duties, though it seems likely that Watt will take on the role after totaling 117 snaps last season ahead of Nuss' 51.

9. Finalize the Starting Rotation at Linebacker

The Fighting Irish have enviable depth at linebacker, which presents a good problem.

Which linebackers will see the field this season?

Obviously Manti Te'o is the only one of the bunch who has locked up a starting spot, but the other three spots seem to be up for grabs at this point.

Prince Shembo is a favorite to start at one outside linebacker, but will have Danny Spond pushing him for playing time.

At the other outside spot, Darius Fleming will get the starting nod and will likely give way to Ishaq Williams depending on the situation.

The inside 'backer spot opposite Manti Te'o is in hot pursuit with Carlo Calabrese being the favorite. Dan Fox will also be competing for the spot.

It's great to have so many capable players at these positions, but the coaching staff needs to decide on a core starting rotation.

8. Find a Solid Fourth Receiver

Brian Kelly has stated that he needs seven consistent receivers in order for his offense to be in full gear.

That won't be the case this season, but there's enough talent on the depth chart to make it work.

The three bona fide starters are Michael Floyd, Theo Riddick and TJ Jones, but the options below them are few and far between.

Roby Toma and John Goodman figure to be in the mix for the fourth spot along with touted freshman DaVaris Daniels.

Answers about that fourth spot are sure to come as training camp progresses.

7. Prepare Aaron Lynch and Stephon Tuitt for Game Action

If you saw this year's edition of the Blue-Gold Game, you know that Aaron Lynch will see the field this season.

His counterpart, Stephon Tuitt, wasn't enrolled early, thus not having an opportunity to participate.

However, reports from training camp are indicating that both players are physically ready to play right away. Stephon Tuitt entered training camp measuring out at 6'7" and hit the scales at 295 pounds.

The only thing left to do for each of these heralded freshmen is prepare them mentally for the game action.

6. Avoid Injuries in the Secondary

The Irish enter the season with one of the nation's most experienced defensive back duos in cornerbacks Gary Gray and Robert Blanton.

However, there isn't much depth behind them. 

Former wide receiver Bennett Jackson was converted to cornerback because of concerns about depth.

He'll be in a second unit role along with fellow defensive back Lo Wood.

The coaching staff must be extremely careful with each of these players as an injury to any would be devastating news for the defense.

5. Name the Starters at Kick/Punt Returner

The Fighting Irish were a mediocre special teams unit last season, and a large part of the problem was the return game.

Brian Kelly knows that he must shore up that return game, and his first move will be naming kick and punt returners.

A few days ago, Kelly stated that he was toying with the idea of using Michael Floyd, Theo Riddick and true freshman quarterback Everett Golson as returners.

No matter which players are named starters as kick/punt returners, they must prove that they bring something special to the return game.

4. Name a Starter at Defensive Tackle

Heading into the season, the Fighting Irish have three reliable options at defensive tackle in Hafis Williams, Sean Cwynar and Louis "Irish Chocolate" Nix.

The favorite at this point has to be Nix as he entered training camp at 326 pounds, down from 340 at the end of spring practice.

He didn't see the field last season solely due to his weight problems. Nix arrived on campus last year at over 360 pounds. However, he was able to overcome those weight issues and looks to be named as the starter.

If Nix doesn't seem to be the right guy, Williams and Cwynar will be able to step right into the mix.

3. Find a Solid Third Option at Running Back

Cierre Wood took over for the injured Armando Allen last season and proved that he was ready to be used as a "feature" back after carrying the ball 119 times for 603 yards.

Heading into this season, there aren't many options behind him.

Jonas Gray will serve as Wood's backup and hopes to take on the same role as Robert Hughes did during his time in South Bend.

However, the third spot remains a mystery.

Brian Kelly has stated that he will have no choice but to play freshmen at that third spot this season.

George Atkinson and Cam McDaniel will most likely split time in the backfield as third-stringers.

2. Name the Starting Quarterback

Perhaps the most pressing issue during training camp, the choice of who will start at quarterback for the Irish has captured the attention of fans far and wide.

Brian Kelly has four scholarship quarterbacks to choose from in Dayne Crist, Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson.

Crist and Rees have the most experience of the bunch, but Golson and Hendrix are better suited to run Kelly's offense.

At this point in time it seems that Crist and Rees are the front-runners and that Crist will win the job.

However, injuries have plagued him throughout his career, so he needs to show that he can stay healthy.

We won't be waiting too much longer before we know who the starter will be as Brian Kelly will announce his decision 10 days prior to the opener against South Florida.

1. Find an Offensive Identity

It's no mystery that Brian Kelly likes to throw the football, but he won't win football games by simply airing it out.

Last season he showed that he was willing to put an emphasis on the ground game, while then-freshman Tommy Rees was at quarterback.

This season will be different as Kelly's team faces no significant injuries to key players on the offensive side of the football.

With that fact, will this year's squad be a pass-first, run-second squad? Or will the scheme favor an equal balance between run and pass?

Kelly and offensive coordinator Charley Molnar will need to make that decision as soon as possible.