Notre Dame Football 2023: Fall Camp Surprises
Fall camp is a time for celebration. Football is back! The time fans coast to coast have been waiting for. Access to practice is limited, yet the thirst for information is relentless. Fans are eager to hear what the depth chart is, which players look bigger, and what Freshmen are in the two deep.
Heading into camp Notre Dame fans weren’t quite sure what they were going to get. How would the offense gel? Will this defense play better than last year’s, about the same, or regress? Ultimate answers will be found soon, but I think some practice themes have emerged that may inform us of what’s coming.
Let’s examine three surprises that have emerged from Notre Dame’s Fall camp.
Defensive Praise
Notre Dame Vs Stanford Football
In the early stages of fall practice sessions, it’s quite common for defenses to progress more quickly than offenses do. But the praise the Irish defense has received far exceeds whatever this natural difference may be.
If the reports are to be believed, Notre Dame has much more depth than most believed they had and that the defense has dominated camp. The defensive line will feature a heavy rotation that will keep everyone fresh, the LB starters are veterans with much to prove and the corner play is being reported to be the best the Irish have had in over 20 years.
Young WRs With Key Roles
Ncaa Football 2023 Notre Dame Spring Practice
If you had told me one of the Freshman wide receivers would be in the main rotation to start the year, I’d have believed you, but two? I wasn’t confident that would happen nor am I sure that it’d be a good thing if it needed to happen out of pure necessity. But here we are.
It appears that both Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores will play key roles in the Irish offense this year. Certainly, there will be some rookie mistakes, but these players have attacked camp, passed up some older players, and are earning their snaps. Exactly as they should. Hopefully, they are able to quickly find some rhythm with Sam Hartman.
On Guard
Nd Fb Spring Practice
One of the big questions Irish fans had entering camp was about the Guard positions. Would they go to Billy Shrauth, and Andrew Kistofic, or another combination? It seems as of now that perhaps Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler will claim these roles.
It’s not alarming but is a bit surprising that both of these key spots seem to still be up for grabs, but that’s what camp is for, figuring things out. Navy will try and confuse Notre Dame’s offensive front and new Offensive Line coach Joe Rudolph must ensure his group is prepared for everything right out of the gate.
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