Notre Dame 2021 Football Preview

2020 Recap

Notre Dame spent the 2020 season playing in the ACC. The Irish got off to a solid start with four straight home wins, though they weren’t all pretty. The team was clearly disrupted by a Covid break between their second and third game and took a little time finding their rhythm. After a 12 – 7 win over Louisville, Notre Dame needed to find consistency as they entered the meat of their schedule.

The team started to get on a roll with big wins on the road over Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, giving them some momentum against a short handed Clemson team the next week. The Irish won an entertaining overtime shootout against Clemson at home and then cruised down the stretch to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game.

The ACC Championship Game featured a rematch against Clemson, that did not go as well for the Fighting Irish, but Notre Dame earned a spot in the College Football Playoff nonetheless. Unfortunately, that semifinal match-up was with Alabama who was on a dominant run and won comfortably. Notre Dame had a successful first and only season in the ACC and will return to an independent schedule in 2021 looking to make another Playoff run.

2020 Leaders

Projected Starters

Reasons For Optimism

Kyren Williams and Michael Mayer

Notre Dame brings back two young stars on offense who will play a key role in 2021. Running back, Kyren Williams became a household name in 2020. He stepped into the feature role for Notre Dame’s running game and ran for 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns while averaging over 5.3 yards per carry. He was also a threat in the passing game, contributing 313 yards as a receiver as well. The other youngster that impressed was true freshman tight end Michael Mayer, who looked nothing like a freshman his first year on campus. Mayer caught 42 passes for 450 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also showing off his physicality as a blocker and runner after the catch. The duo will provide a reliable foundation for the offense to be built on in 2021.

Jack Coan

Losing Ian Book creates a void at the quarterback position, but Notre Dame found an excellent replacement in the transfer portal. Jack Coan is an experienced quarterback who has been very succesful at Wisconsin. He completed almost 70 percent of his passes in 2019 while leading the Badgers to a 10 – 2 regular season and a Rose Bowl appearance. Coan is a smart and efficient quarterback who has proven he can make the plays needed to win big games at the collegiate level. In addition to the comfort his experience and talent level provides, Notre Dame will not be forced to start an inexperienced quarterback unless he has earned the right to start over a proven veteran. The quarterback position will be a source of stability again in 2021.

Kyle Hamilton

Hamilton is one of the most unique players in college football. He has the size and strength to play close to the line of scrimmage and fight off blockers in pursuit of the football. At the same time he has the athleticism and coverage instincts to roam the secondary and make big plays against the passing game. Hamilton can play multiple spots and create confusion for the opposing offense by creating different looks for the offense just by moving him around. He is the rare defensive player that offenses have to identify before every play and make sure they have accounted for. His play has a trickle down effect on the defensive side of the ball, making it easier for his teammates to do their job because opponents are so focused on Hamilton. He will be the leader of the defense in 2021 and his presence alone gives that unit a head start.

Causes For Concern

Young Offensive Line

The offensive line is traditionally a position of strength for Notre Dame and that will likely be the case by the end of 2021, but there is inexperience at some key spots heading into the season. Notre Dame lost four starters from last season’s offensive line with three of the four drafted in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. Two of those spots are likely to be filled by Jushua Lugg and Zeke Correll who saw playing time in 2020 and did a good job filling in. The other two vacant spots could be manned by a pair of uber talented true freshman. Blake Fisher and Rocco Spindler were two of the best prospects in an excellent offensive line class for Notre Dame, but they are still in their first year on campus. Also added to the mix was Cain Madden, who transferred in from Marshall this summer and could take the guard spot from Spindler. Madden is very talented but Notre Dame is a big step up from Marshall. An inexperienced offensive line is bound to have some growing pains early in the year, though the unit should gel as the season progresses.

Key Receiving Threats to Replace

Notre Dame will be replacing three of their top six receiving threats from 2020 this season. Javon McKinley led the team with 717 receiving yard last season and was a key big play threat downfield. Also gone is Ben Skowronek who excelled in contested catch situations last year and finished third on the team with 439 receiving yards. At tight end, Notre Dame lost Tommy Tremble who played in two tight end sets with Mayer and was sixth on the team in receiving yards with 218 receiving yards. These three players accounted for nearly half of Notre Dame’s receiving yards in 2020. Even with Michael Mayer back at tight end and Avery Davis ready to step up in one of the receiving spots, the Fighting Irish will need new weapons to emerge in the passing game to replace the lost production.

2021 Schedule

Top 25 Players

2021 Projection

Notre Dame has a strong schedule in 2021 that features several big tests throughout. They open the season at Florida State where Mike Norvell is hoping to show improvement in year two of his tenure. The toughest stretch of the season begins with a showdown against Wisconsin at Soldier Field, followed by a home game against Cincinnati and a trip to Virginia Tech. Notre Dame gets a bye the next week but finishes the stretch with two home games against USC and North Carolina. For Notre Dame to have a chance at the playoff they have to win at least four of these five games and avoid any upsets before or after. There are two more tricky games at Virginia and at Stanford to finish the season, both teams have the potential to pull an upset at home. Notre Dame has a talented roster and has recruited well enough to restock when they lose talent, expect them to finish 2021 with ten games, though 11 and a potential trip to the playoff is not out of the question.