Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Notre Dame Football: 5 potential breakout candidates for 2017

By Connor Muldowney

GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Brandon Wimbush #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish warms up before the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Brandon Wimbush #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish warms up before the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

Notre Dame football desperately need a bounce-back season in 2017, and these five breakout stars could help provide that.

If you’re Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly, you have to be weary f what the 2017 season might bring. Following a forgetful 2016 campaign which yielded a 4-8 record, the Fighting Irish are looking to turn things around, but one misstep by Kelly could mean the end of his tenure in South Bend.

The Fighting Irish aren’t void of talent, though. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. If there’s one thing Kelly has been doing well over the past few years, it’s recruiting. He may not be on the same level as Alabama or Ohio State, but Kelly has brought in enough talent to make a true turnaround.

Don’t knock the guys that were already in place, though. Although the Fighting Irish lost both DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire to the NFL and a transfer, respectively, they have a rising star under center who might just break out in 2017.

Let’s take a look at which young, relatively inexperienced Fighting Irish players may just break out in 2017.

SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 19: Bucky Hodges #7 of the Virginia Tech Hokies catches a tpouchdown pass in front of Julian Love #27 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 19, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Virginia Tech defeated Notre Dame 34-31. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 19: Bucky Hodges #7 of the Virginia Tech Hokies catches a tpouchdown pass in front of Julian Love #27 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium on November 19, 2016 in South Bend, Indiana. Virginia Tech defeated Notre Dame 34-31. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

As a true freshman cornerback, Julian Love got a chance to see the field thanks to the fact that the defense was scrambling for answers early in the year. The secondary was getting burned early by teams such as Texas, Michigan State, Duke and Syracuse, but it slowly improved and finished 21st in the nation against the pass.

In fact, the Irish allowed just under 200 yards per game through the air, which is shocking seeing as they got off to such a slow start.

The defense began to round into form and Love was a major reason for that. He finished his freshman season with 45 total tackles, two tackles for loss, three pass deflections, an interception and a forced fumble. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback grew into his own and gained confidence as the season progressed.

Returning as a sophomore starter, Love has the potential to be a lockdown corner for the Irish and he’s the only returning starter in the secondary. All eyes will be on him.

Home/Notre Dame Fighting Irish