Notre Dame Football: 5 reasons to be optimistic about 2019 season

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ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 29: Adetokunbo Ogundeji #91 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts after a play in the first half against the Clemson Tigers during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

3. Defense will once again be solid

You could look at that final game of the season against Clemson and say that Notre Dame can’t hang with the big boys, but the defense got worn down while the offense could only muster three points and 248 total yards.

The defense held its own all season long, ranking 12th nationally, per the S&P+, and it was 30th overall in yards allowed per game.

Clark Lea did a tremendous job in his first year as defensive coordinator after his mentor, Mike Elko, left for Texas A&M just one season after taking the Notre Dame job. He led the Irish defense to a new level and even though this side of the ball is losing some key pieces heading into the 2019 season, there is plenty of talent to reload instead of rebuilding.

Khalid Kareem, Julian Okwara, Daelin Hayes, Alohi Gilman, Jalen Elliott and Troy Pride Jr. all return as starters and, as mentioned before, the 2019 recruiting class is filled with stars on the defensive side of the ball.

Notre Dame’s defense will be on an elite level once again and that should help the Irish against the likes of Georgia and Michigan.

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