Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons Irish will win 2018 national title

Notre Dame football has some serious potential for the 2018 season and here’s why the Fighting Irish can take home the national title.

Brian Kelly and Notre Dame turned a corner in 2017, going from 4-8 (2016) to 10-3 with an appearance in the Citrus Bowl. Anything less than national titles or double-digit win seasons in South Bend are considered disappointments, so a step back in 2018 could be disastrous.

Turning the tide in the right direction was the saving grace for Kelly and his job, though. Had he not reached the 10-win mark, he may have found himself out of a job at the end of the season. How quickly things can change.

The Fighting Irish can take another step forward in 2018, and they have the potential to do just that.

Here’s why Notre Dame will win the 2018 national title.

5. Improving defense

I know what you’re thinking already, Mike Elko left for Texas A&M so there’s no possible way the defense can improve under a first-year coordinator, right? Wrong.

The Fighting Irish return plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball including Te’von Coney, Darlin Hayes, Drue Tranquill, Julian Love and Jerry Tillery. There’s no shortage of talent on this side of the ball and despite Elko’s departure, Clark Lea should be able to do a solid job.

In fact, Lea learned what he knows from Elko and spent the last few seasons working under him as a defensive assistant. Don’t think that just because Elko is gone that the Irish defense has finished progressing.

Notre Dame became a top-50 defense nationally last season, including No. 31 in the country in scoring defense. The improvement is evident and it’ll continue in 2018.