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Bagpipe Monday: Which Notre Dame Football Freshman Will Have The Biggest Impact In 2018?

Who becomes a legend in the quickest fashion?

By Joshua Vowles
NCAA Football: Notre Dame Spring Game Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to another Bagpipe Monday on One Foot Down. Friends, for a long time now, fans of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have made a ritual of ascension for freshmen football players during the offseason. Suddenly, two-deep projections have an unusually high amount of first year players, and an injury here or there and some units look more like a JV squad than a top 15 team.

Bagpipe Monday Notre Dame @phillykelly

Regardless of the overzealous nature of placing frehmen in major roles, it is sometimes neccessary for a handful of them to be placed in that two-deep roster. Whether it’s a numbers game, or the frehman is genuinely an outstanding player from the jump - it goes on at every program in the country.

The Irish signed 27 players for the 2018 class, with 7 of them having enrolled earlier this past winter. I believe that there are a large handful of those freshmen that have a chance to play a key role for the Irish in 2018.

Without a doubt, Notre Dame needs better safety play, and the running back depth chart took a massive hit during the offseason. Could we see a rookie help in those cases? Notre Dame still seems uncertain about its wide receiver depth, and they signed four very good recruits at the position - will the difference be made there? Perhaps it’s a combination of depth and special teams play?

I think this will all boil down to six players as a possibility:

  • Houston Griffith S
  • Derrik Allen S
  • Jahmir Smith RB
  • C’Bo Flemister RB
  • Kevin Austin WR
  • Braden Lenzy WR

Poll

Which FROSH will have the biggest impact for ND in 2018?

This poll is closed

  • 44%
    Houston Griffith
    (406 votes)
  • 9%
    Derrik Allen
    (83 votes)
  • 10%
    Jahmir Smith
    (100 votes)
  • 8%
    C’Bo Flemister
    (74 votes)
  • 7%
    Kevin Austin
    (67 votes)
  • 17%
    Braden Lenzy
    (162 votes)
  • 2%
    OTHER (please specify in comments)
    (20 votes)
912 votes total Vote Now

Of the 27 players, these 6 seem to have a natural edge to see the field quickly and often. So who is the ONE? Who is the freshman that will rise to the top and make a statement for the Irish this season?

Your fresh pipes:

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