Notre Dame football: 3 incoming freshmen who could start in 2024

2. Kedren Young, 4-star RB

Gone is Audric Estime after a huge season with the Irish. He finished with 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns on 6.4 yards per rush. He was one of the best running backs in the country and a legit contender for the Doak Walker Award, but he came up just short. Heck, he was even a Heisman contender at the beginning of the season.

Replacing him won't be easy.

The early favorites to do so are Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Gi'Bran Payne. These three are going to do an excellent job of replacing Estime, but are any of them truly capable of being that workhorse back? Love had just 385 yards last season, Price had 272, and Payne finished with 168. Not exactly proof that any of them are workhorse material.

Enter, Kedren Young, a four-star running back from Lufkin, Texas. He is the No. 111 prospect in the 2024 class as well as the fourth-best running back, per 247Sports.

Young has a strong 5-foot-10, 217-pound frame that should give defenses problems. He could enter the regular rotation right away and even replace one of the three aformentioned backs. I wouldn't be surprised to see him start at some point as a true freshman.