Notre Dame Statistical Leaders Predictions: Offense

The current Notre Dame roster looks very different than it did coming out the bowl game victory against South Carolina. There are some new faces as well as some holes left by players who would have had major impacts on the roster this upcoming season. Now that the dust has (for the most part) settled and the roster is set, it’s time to make some statistical predictions!

This week we will be focusing on the major offensive stats and including who I think will be the top 3 in each!

HERE WE GO

Passing

I’m really going out on a limb here to say (barring injury) that Sam Hartman leads every statistical category. Look for him to challenge Brady Quinn’s single season passing TD record of 37 and his single season passing yard record of 3,913.

The next question is....who will be number 2? The battle between backups Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey will be heated this summer. Angeli is more seasoned and Minchey has a higher upside. My gut says that Angeli will be the solid #2 all year, and Minchey may get a few opportunities in blow outs. If Hartman goes down, all bets are off as I think eventually Minchey would step in.

Rushing

Yards

1. Audric Estime
2. Devyn Ford
3. Jadarian Price

Analysis: Estime is going to be the workhorse and get the bulk of the carries. I think we see a combination of him/Ford as a 1-2 punch to start the year. Price will work his way into the regular rotation after a few games and should really come on strong late in the year. I think he heads into next year as 1A, but will take this year to get his body adjusted. He could burst onto the scene, but I’m taking a cautious approach to his workload this year.

(I love Estime)

Touchdowns

1. Audric Estime
2. Jadarian Price
3. Devyn Ford

Analysis: Again, Estime is the workhorse. What gets interesting is that Ford is not a short yardage back and has skillsets similar to that of Logan Diggs. As we saw a year ago, this resulted in Estime dominating the amount of TDs compared to Diggs. I put Price ahead of Ford as I think he will get opportunities in blowout type games earlier in the year and will finish the year as the #2 back.

Receiving

Yards

1. Tobias Merriweather
2. Jayden Thomas
3. Chris Tyree

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Analysis: Thomas is going to be WR 1 this year, but that doesn’t mean he will necessarily have the most yards. I think he will be a go to guy who makes his money on receptions between 8-25 yards. He has shown the ability to get behind defenders and make contested catches, but primarily we will see him work intermediate routes. Merriweather has the ability to take the top off the defense and has elite speed. This will allow him to have more yards on fewer receptions. Tyree is the wildcard here. If he gets going, he will have a LOT of yards because he should get the ball in space.

Touchdowns

1. Jayden Thomas
2. Tobias Merriweather
3. Deion Colzie

Analysis: Thomas is reliable and again, will be WR1. He will average around 5 ish catches a game and will be trusted, especially around the red zone. Merriweather will grow as the season goes on, but I think Thomas bests him at the #1 spot. The wildcard in this one is Colzie. Colzie showed some impressive skills late in the year, especially against USC. Without Mayer as the big red zone target, I could see Colzie making his money in the red zone as a back shoulder/jump ball guy. If Colzie stays healthy, he has the physical tools to be special.

Receptions

1. Jayden Thomas
2. Tobias Merriweather
3. Jaden Greathouse

Analysis: Again, Thomas and Merriweather should be a great 1-2 punch for the receivers this year. Enter Jaden Greathouse.....are we overhyped because of a dominant spring game? Probably. However, he will get onto the field, especially later in the year. He proved he can pick up the offense very quickly and also knows how to get open and find the soft spot in the defense. He can be a 30-40 catch guy this year if he cracks the rotation early enough. Also, without Mayer, there will be much more distribution of the football. That #3 spot is wide open at this point, but my optimistic gut is on Greathouse.

Fun Ones

Longest Reception

Tobias Merriweather

I’m picturing it now. First and 10 from our own 20......single coverage on the outside...Sam Hartman looks off the Safety and throws a 25 yard pass down the right sideline and Merriweather high points the ball. The defender falls on the way down and Merriweather races his way all the into the end zone. Bliss.

Longest Rush

Jeremiyah Love

Which back on the team has true breakaway speed? At this point, the only answer is Love. I can see him getting work during the blowout games and taking one 75 + yards to the house. Love is electric with the ball in his hands, but still needs some strength between the tackles. Luckily for him, I see this rush happening untouched.

Thoughts? Leave your own takes and comments below!