Notre Dame Football: 3 early storylines heading into 2020 season

2. Younger players rounding into shape

Part of the DNA of Notre Dame football is the running game. We’ve seen the caliber of offensive linemen the Irish have sent to the NFL in the last few years. This season’s offensive line will feature some younger players.

There is sure to be a freshman or sophomore starting next season. Not only that, but there also is not much experience in the backfield save Jafar Armstrong. Ian Book will contribute to the running game, but Notre Dame needs one of its younger backs to play better with Armstrong coming back fully healthy.

Neither C’Bo Flemister nor Jahmir Smith stepped up to take carries away from Tony Jones Jr. last season.

If the Irish want to compete for a national title, one of their young speedsters needs to step up and become the consistent deep threat the Irish have lacked. Whether it’s Braden Lenzy or Lawrence Keys, the Irish need a game-breaker if they are going to threaten any of the country’s elite.

Defensively, the Irish need one of their young defensive ends to step up and replace the pass rush lost by the graduations of Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem. The pass rush was one of their strengths defensively, and they need a young player to step in and generate pressure consistently.

They are also replacing their entire secondary. Though they have known commodities in Kyle Hamilton and Ohio State transfer Isaiah Pryor, the Irish are going to be young and inexperienced at cornerback.

In short, the theme of next season will be, “How long until the young guys mature?”