College Football
How well the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will do in 2018 comes down to the performance of 3 key players
No one is 100% on how well the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will do in 2018. According to the ESPN FPI, they are slated to win 9.9 games. However, ESPN also has them as the favorite in all 12 of their regular season games. Regardless, how well Notre Dame performs on the field this season is going to come down to the play of three key players.
1. Brandon Wimbush QB
Of course, for any team to perform well their quarterback has to perform well. Last season the first year had a superb year on the ground with 804 yards, 5.6 avg., and a team record 14 TDs. However, his performance through the air was a bit lackluster.
The signal caller went just 136-275 passing which clocked in at a 49.5% completion percentage and 1870 yards. To go along with that, Wimbush tossed 16 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions. Wimbush likely will not ever be a quarterback who throws 40 touchdown passes in a season, but to ensure a 10+ win season for the Irish, he will have to improve his passing game in 2018.
2. Alize Mack TE
The 6’5” tight end is looking to make a major splash for the Fighting Irish this season after being named to the watch list for the Mackey Award for the third straight year. Last season due to limited play and the team’s lack of passing game, Mack did not put up big stats. In 6 games he had 19 receptions for 166 yards and 1 touchdown. Mack is a hidden weapon on offense that could come up big for the Irish in 2018. His size will no doubt make him a threat in the red zone and his athleticism will create a mismatch when being covered by linebackers.
3. Miles Boykin WR
The Fighting Irish will have to look for new receivers to step up this season with Equanimeous St. Brown and Kevin Stephenson both no longer being options. Boykin is no doubt going to be looked at as one those guys. The redshirt junior showed his big-play potential last season with a game-winning touchdown catch against LSU in the Citrus Bowl. An article on IndyStar.com covers head coach Brian Kelly discusses the progress and importance of Boykin going into this season.
“I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence as a guy that, obviously now with (Equanimeous St. Brown) moving on, has an opportunity to really shine,” Kelly said.
It’s clear judging from this list that many of Notre Dame’s key will come on offense. However, their offensive production will not mean anything without a solid defense. And this season the defense will be in the hands of new coordinator Clark Lea. Former coordinator Mike Elko has left for Texas A&M, but Lea had spent last season as Elko’s protege coach linebackers. A player Lea will look to for leadership on defense will include defensive back, Julian Love. The Junior is a Jim Thorpe Award hopeful this season. Bottom-line, the aforementioned three players performance will be critical to how well the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will do this season.
