Notre Dame ranked No. 13 in post-spring USA TODAY Top 25
It’s graduation season, which means spring football has concluded across the country. There will still be transfers, injuries and other unforeseen variables changing ahead of the season sure to throw early rankings out of whack. But on Wednesday, Erick Smith of USA TODAY released a post-spring top 25 to curb your college football appetite, at least for the moment.
Notre Dame checked in at No. 13 in the poll, which is down four spots from its No. 9 postseason ranking from USA TODAY.
“Marcus Freeman steps into the shoes of Brian Kelly after the coach departed for LSU,” Smith wrote. “Kelly’s tenure ended awkwardly, however don’t forget he won 54 games during his past five seasons with two playoff appearances. Asking Freeman to replicate that success is difficult even though the high expectations in South Bend remain.
“Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne are competing for the quarterback job and the winner will have the pressure of carrying the offense with some questions in the run game. Tight end Michael Mayer is one of the best players at his position. He should be a comfort blanket in the passing game. The defense has the makings of a good group up front. Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph should help a secondary that was shaky at times.”
Smith is correct that Mayer will provide stability in the passing game for the Irish, but his concerns about the run game seem overstated given the Irish have four running backs trending in the right direction after the spring plus a fifth with incoming transfer Gi’Bran Payne. Granted, Logan Diggs is out for a while with a shoulder injury, but it would be surprising if it became a long-term issue when it comes to his production among the group.
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The point on the secondary is valid as well, especially because the last time the Irish secondary took the field, they were shredded by what had previously been a rather pedestrian offense in Oklahoma State. Notre Dame allowed 224.2 passing yards per game last season, which was tied for 63rd nationally.
Joseph brings nine career interceptions and an All-American designation to South Bend, and by all accounts, he was already making a notable impact over the last few months. According to safeties coach Chris O’Leary, he recorded an interception in the first seven practices.
Of note, Notre Dame plays three of the teams Smith has ranked in the top 10: No. 3 Ohio State (Sept. 3), No. 5 Clemson (Nov. 5) and No. 9 BYU (Oct. 8). While some polls have USC ranked, Smith does not. Depending on how the Trojans offense looks come Thanksgiving, that could be a huge, ranked game as well.
USA TODAY post-spring Top 25
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Clemson
- Utah
- Michigan
- Texas A&M
- BYU
- NC State
- Iowa
- Baylor
- Notre Dame
- Oregon
- Wisconsin
- Oklahoma State
- Wake Forest
- Michigan State
- Houston
- Penn State
- Arkansas
- Pittsburgh
- Kentucky
- UCLA
- Tennessee
