Notre Dame football: Way-too-early breakout candidates for 2023

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 15: Tobias Merriweather #15 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown reception with teammates against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

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Notre Dame football is looking to make some noise in 2023 and if Marcus Freeman and the Irish are going to do that, they’ll need to replace some big-time departures.

Michael Mayer is gone along with Isaiah Foskey, Jayson and Justin Ademilola, and Brandon Joseph. There are some big shoes to fill on both sides of the ball.

The best programs reload instead of rebuild, so who could step up and have a breakout season in place of some big names in 2023?

I was tempted to put a different defensive transfer in this spot as I really like what Thomas Harper brings to the table, but I’m buying stock in Ohio State transfer Javontae Jean-Baptiste ahead of the 2023 season.

The former four-star linebacker and edge rusher had a quiet four-year career with the Buckeyes, recording just 51 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. He played in 33 games and didn’t quite reach his ceiling so he decided to opt for a fresh start at Notre Dame and he’ll play a big role, replacing Justin and Jayson Ademilola on the defensive line.

Jean-Baptiste is built perfectly for the edge rushing spot and he’s an impressive athlete. I don’t even think he’s scratched the surface yet and I’d bet he has a career year in 2023.

Maybe he’ll even improve his draft stock from off-the-radar to a middle-round pick.

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