Way too early fall depth chart for Notre Dame Football

Welcome to January. The roster for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team has already had a massive jolt this offseason. NFL departures and transfers have changed the outlook of the depth charts on both sides of the ball, and now we have many months of debate ahead of us.

A reader asked me to do this — and so here we are. This is the WAY too early depth chart for fall (but we will get to spring stuff soon enough).

OFFENSE

The big news, of course, is at quarterback. Ian Book is returning and Phil Jurkovec is transferring. This catapults Brendon Clark as the back-up, and Drew Pyne will settle in as the 3rd stringer.

The entire offensive line returns, and that second spot across the board is not as black and white. Josh Lugg becomes a really important player as a swing man at guard and tackle.

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Running back is going to be interesting. Jafar Armstrong is slotted at the top, but he could mutate into more of a flex position this spring. I still like Jahmir Smith a lot, and he could see a big increase in carries with Tony Jones Jr. gone and that possible flex move from Armstrong. I foresee a true #3 this year with Chris Tyree that could also see a bump up like Smith. I’m still not sold on C’Bo Flemister, but I still think he gets some carries.

There are rumors of a possible Brock Wright departure, but I believe that he will return (as of right now) and be the top TE on the depth chart along with Tommy Tremble. Michael Mayer will get a fair amount of playing time along with George Takacs.

Kevin Austin makes his triumphant return, and opposite Braden Lenzy, the position looks extremely dynamic. As far as the slot goes, Lawrence Keys III will lock that down with Joe Wilkins backing him up (another “move back”).

DEFENSE

Clark Lea’s special baby is losing quite a bit from last year — but we should all have faith in what’s happening on this side of the ball.

The interior of the defensive line stays the exact same as it was in 2019 with hardcore veterens Kurt Hinish and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa leading the way. The Irish lost a lot on the edge with Khalid Kareem, Julian Okwara, and Jamir Jones — but they return a lot as well. Adetokunbo Ogundeji and Daelin Hayes are the clear starters at Shark and Strong respectively, and have solid depth with Justin Ademilola, Ovie Oghoufo, and Isaiah Foskey. I think NaNa Osafo-Mensah will start to work himself into the rotation — although not regularly.

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The linebackers could see a shift with the loss of Asmar Bilal. In the end, I think Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ends up moving to BUCK with Paul Moala taking over at ROVER. Drew White anchors them at the MIKE.

At safety, Kyle Hamilton takes over as the full-time starter in place of Alohi Gilman. As far as Jalen Elliott’s spot goes, my money is on Ohio State transfer Isaiah Pryor. Houston Griffith gets moved back to safety (his better position) and could be a key part of the Nickel package. D.J. Brown plays a back-up roll again — but this group is a lot less deep than in 2019.

Cornerback has numbers again, but it’s young and untested. Shaun Crawford and TaRiq Bracy will take leading roles with K.J. Wallace and Isaiah Rutherford providing depth. Both Cam Hart and freshman Caleb Offord add to that depth with more untested potential.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicking and punting duties stay strong with Jonathan Doerer and Jay Bramblett. The Irish will need a new long snapper with the loss of John Shannon, and that should end up being freshman Alexander Peitsch. Braden Lenzy finally was back at KR against Iowa State, and I imagine (and hope) that stays true in 2020. Punt returner... those are the biggest guesses in this whole mix.

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