Notre Dame Football: Ranking every position group for 2018

With an exciting offseason in full-effect, here’s a look at Notre Dame football’s position groups and how they rank comparatively.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has done a good job at piecing together a talented roster in the last few years, putting together solid recruiting classes in back to back years. However, questions still remain on both sides of the ball.

With that said, Notre Dame will seek to build on a strong 2017 season by fine-tuning their roster throughout the season. They are in a great position to do that, so here’s a look at what the Irish coaching staff has at their disposal as it sits right now.

The Irish are somewhat thin along the offensive skill positions, but there is still plenty of available talent. However, that talent hasn’t been able to translate into on-the-field success, especially in the case of tight end Alizé Mack. The Irish’s receiving struggles can easily be linked to quarterback Brandon Wimbush’s lackluster arm, but last year’s receivers still had trouble creating separation.

This unit took a hit following the 2017 season, losing wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and tight end Durham Smythe to the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins, respectively. The Irish will also be missing wide receiver Kevin Stepherson in the wake of his dismissal following a string of off-the-field incidents.

The Irish have plenty of speed and physicality on its way, but the majority of their latest recruiting class won’t see the field in 2018. Offensive coordinator Chip Long is starting to recruit his kind of players, assembling an offense that closely resembles his former Memphis offense.

As it stands right now, Chase Claypool, Miles Boykin, and Chris Finke figure to get the most snaps at wide receiver while Mack is positioned for one last-ditch effort at a breakout season. While good things are ahead for Long and his offense, the Irish will have to settle for Claypool and Boykin as current stopgaps on the outside.