Marcus Freeman’s predecessor, Brian Kelly, won 12 games and reached the BCS Championship Game in his third season as Notre Dame football coach. The BCS is long gone, but that’s the level of season Fighting Irish fans are hoping for as Freeman enters his third full year with the program. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish haven’t ranked higher than 15th at any point in the College Football Playoff Rankings during Freeman’s two years at the helm, a stat the coach is aware of as the third Notre Dame football camp under Freeman began on Wednesday.
With college football realignment, and with several teams in new conferences and playing unfamiliar opponents, this could be Notre Dame’s best opportunity to get back into the national title game picture. These camp practices are where the 2024 Notre Dame football depth chart will be established, and while the Fighting Irish don’t have a new conference, they do have several new players on the Notre Dame football roster to weave into Freeman’s system. If you want to see the latest Notre Dame football camp news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at Irish Illustrated, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Notre Dame.
Led by Tim Prister, who has covered Notre Dame since 1982, the staff at Irish Illustrated is on the ground covering every Fighting Irish practice and game. With their decades of experience, Irish Illustrated is one of the most trusted authorities of Notre Dame football coverage. They are always out front on football news, analysis and insight and there’s no better collection of veteran voices than at IrishIllustrated.com, which also features community message boards where fans can connect and get even more insider information.
The team at Irish Illustrated will be covering every practice, so head to Irish Illustrated now to see see the latest news. And right now, Irish Illustrated is offering 30% off the first year* of an annual membership, so get started today.
Top Notre Dame Fighting Irish practice storylines
Replacing running back LT Joe Alt will be one of the highest priorities for Freeman. Alt became the Irish’s first Unanimous All-American tackle in 30 years last season, which led to him being a top-five draft pick. Alt skipped the team’s bowl game, as freshman Charles Jagusah got the start, and he appears to be in the lead to man the position in 2024 even after playing in just two games last year.
Right tackle Blake Fisher also departed for the NFL, so the Irish have questions at both offensive tackle positions. Tosh Baker and Aamil Wagner are expected to battle for the right side, but Guerby Lambert is waiting in the wings. The freshman was an early enrollee in January and was the eighth-ranked tackle prospect in his class by 247Sports. Get more updates on the Notre Dame RB at Irish Illustrated.
Who emerges at safety opposite All-American Xavier Watts is one of the biggest storylines to follow for Notre Dame. Safety D.J. Brown helped the Irish allow an FBS-low of seven passing touchdowns last year as a starter but is now trying to make an NFL roster. Rod Heard II, a sixth-year transfer from Northwestern, is competing with holdover sophomore Adon Shuler for the starting position. Heard has more experience but just arrived on campus in June, while Shuler was more highly touted coming out of high school as a four-star.
However, with five of the six players who saw the field for the Irish at safety last year since departed, there are plenty of snaps to fill. Freeman revealed that both Shuler and Heard will see the field to Irish Illustrated after the team’s opening camp practice, saying, “Both of those guys are going to play for us. I’ll tell you that right now. And you know, I just want to make sure their mindset is right, like, it doesn’t matter who goes out with the ones.” Find out more about Mike Denbrock’s new offense at Irish Illustrated.
How to get insider Notre Dame football practice insights
The staff at Irish Illustrated is on the ground for every Notre Dame practice. They will be regularly reporting on Notre Dame football breakout players, Notre Dame football recruiting, and Notre Dame depth chart projections, so be sure to get every update now.
Who is dominating at Notre Dame’s football practices, and what will the 2024 Notre Dame football depth chart look like? Go to Irish Illustrated to see all the latest Notre Dame football news, all from a team of reporters with decades of experience covering the Fighting Irish, and find out.
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