3 reasons Notre Dame football could disappoint in 2024

1. The health of Riley Leonard

Let me preface this by saying that I'm a big fan of Riley Leonard's game. I think he was one of the best portal pickups of the offseason by any team and if he can stay healthy, he's going to be the difference between Notre Dame flirting with a top-15-20 finish or making the playoff as a top-10 team.

That's a big if, however.

Unfortunately, 2023 showed us that Leonard's aggressive play style and his willingness to run can get gim into some trouble, injury-wise. He played just seven games and missed some crucial parts of Duke's 2023 season which caused the Blue Devils to fall out of the ACC title race and land in the mediocre Birmingham Bowl against Troy.

Notre Dame has much more talent surrounding Leonard, so even if he were to miss a couple of games, the Irish would likely stay afloat because of that solid defense and quality skill position players on offense helping Steve Angeli out. But if it came during a tough stretch, it could keep the Irish out of the playoff.

Even if Notre Dame were to weather the storm but Leonard was out for the season, we all saw how the playoff committee held an undefeated Florida State team out because it didn't have its starting quarterback. That could also happen.

If Leonard stays healthy, I think Notre Dame is a playoff team. If his injuries carry over into 2024, the Irish could be in a little trouble.