Bye week boredom, so this in an early start to a favorite off-season topic.  As Senior Day approaches vs Wake Forest next week, I read an article that got me thinking about who ND might return next season. 

Irish Sports Daily - Returning Players in 2024

1. Senior Day next game vs. Wake Forest.  Will be interesting who walks.  The Covid year is still in play for this Senior class, and the 85 scholarships is a hard limit.  Transfer portal drop/add is a factor.
2. 7 players out of eligibility:  Hartman, Salerno, Jean-Baptiste, DJ Brown, Harper, Vinson, Schrader.  Farewell to them.
3. Seniors/Grads with a Covid year of eligibility remaining:  Cross, Hart, Kiser, Bertrand, Lifau, Nana, Correll, Kristofic, Ford, Carter.  Who's leaving??
4. Alt leaving for the NFL. 23 commits in the '24 class, plus 76 potential returners puts us at 99 scholarships, approximately (also, Kahuna Kia returning from 2-year mission)

I know there's always some natural attrition, but it seems like this gets crazier every year.  My best guess is we're heading for roster cuts before and after spring ball.  If a bunch of vets stick around it gets really ugly.  How do we get there this time?

 

2 minutes ago, JeffV said:

They would cut players to keep those 2 if they had to!

Amen to that

I am interested in the LBers too.  i didnt realize JD could come back.   I really want to see what we have in the young LBers but if JD came back, I wouldnt hate that either.  

Next year, luckily, no one on the team will be old enough to buy alcohol.

Sounds like Fisher is looking to move on. All three senior LBs as well. I think if any of them come back it’s Marist. 

Edited November 20, 20231 yr by Big23Head

I think JD will have as high of a stock as possible, he has been the backbone of a good defense for the past 3 years. I think fisher should stay another year as I agree with the announcers during the Wake Forest game, he is still a project and he could come back and be "the guy."

Changing my predictions a bit...

I think Xavier Watts will come back. It's not a sure thing, but he was not announced during Senior Day, even though he has already graduated. Apparently, he is working on his masters and would likely need another two semesters to complete that degree. He is a finalist for a few national awards and will likely be named an All American (probably second or third team) at the end of this season. I thought he would strike while the iron is hot, but I respect it if he comes back to improve his draft stock. He has really only been a starter for one season, so another year could really help him develop into a Day 2 pick (no idea how his measurables compare).

I think Marist will come back. This is more of me hoping than hearing anything, like with Watts. He improved dramatically from last year to this year, but still has work to do. I think he needs another year of strength and conditioning - he seems too small to hold up in the NFL. If he leaves after this season, I bet he gets drafted in Day 3. Maybe coming back in 2024 will help him get to Day 2. I know Dane Brugler (The Athletic CFB Scouting/NFL Draft guy) loved him as an underclassman.

I still think Mills leaves. Nothing concrete on this, more of a hunch. It sounds like NFL scouts love him. He has great size. I bet he tests really well. I believe Bruce Feldman of The Athletic had him on his annual Freaks List.

I think Nana will leave. This is entirely based on Senior Day, as he seemed more emotional than most. I could see him going the grad transfer route to a lower-tier P5 team to get more playing time. But I'm sure ND will try to convince him to come back. He would likely be a captain if he did. He would just have to accept a similar role to this year as a second teamer getting 15-20 snaps a game.

To echo Big's post above, it sounds like Fisher will leave. Nobody thinks he is ready yet, and I'm sure the coaches will share his NFL feedback (he'll get a "return to school" grade) and try to convince him to stay. But it sounds like a situation where Fisher thinks he is more ready than everyone else does. Would be a huge loss, as there are not a lot of guys who can play OT on the current roster.

My opinions on the rest of the guys have not changed from the above post.

I've had the impression since your earlier post, tneun, that most grads are leaving.  Senior Day was packed, and that gave me the sense that a lot of them are heading out.

I hope Fisher and Watts stay, but Watts should probably take advantage of his buzz.  It solves the scholarship #'s real quick.  And we'll have a handful of transfers out, too, so I'm betting we'll again be active in the portal, as we'll need some experienced dudes and we'll have scholarship space.

ND is expecting to have around 30 players move on as of now. 

Agree with everyone on Fisher.  He needs another year.  He won't be a tackle in the League and will be moved inside to guard is my prediction.  Probably late day 2, more likely day 3 pick.

On 11/10/2023 at 12:12 AM, Baldy said:

Same goes for Correll, because he has been put on his a** too many times this season. What sucks is he still has two years of eligibility remaining. 🙄

Agreed - Ashton looked  better, and has more eligibility / a higher upside

59 minutes ago, Wharton70 said:

Agreed - Ashton looked  better, and has more eligibility / a higher upside

I thought so too, so the future looks much better with Craig at center!

On 11/20/2023 at 12:55 AM, Big23Head said:

Sounds like Fisher is looking to move on. All three senior LBs as well. I think if any of them come back it’s Marist. 

Sounds like Marist is gone. II is reporting Mills, Watts, Cross, Kiser are guys they think lean toward returning. Sounds like Cross is a definite yes right now. 

43 minutes ago, Big23Head said:

Sounds like Marist is gone. II is reporting Mills, Watts, Cross, Kiser are guys they think lean toward returning. Sounds like Cross is a definite yes right now. 

This is good news for sure!

With the recent transfers and senior bowl invites accepted (Liufau, Bertrand, and Hart), ND is currently sitting at 88 scholarship players for 2024. Which is not too bad, however, I think everyone is expecting ND to get 3-5 players from the transfer portal. This means that ND will need to see 6-8 more departures from the current roster. I see a few people going through spring practice and realizing that they are not the starter, then transferring in April (particularly on the OL).

QB - Leonard
WR - Mitchell, maybe another one
DB - Clark

I like that DT from Penn that looks like a copy of R. Mills

ND will have no issues getting under the 85-player limit.

There will be many more transfers out, probably at least 10 more - some in this first transfer window and some after spring practice when players find out where they stand on the depth chart.

In addition to Leonard, Mitchell, and Clark. I expect ND to land another WR, maybe an OT, maybe a TE, at least one DL (maybe 2), maybe LB (depending on if Kiser comes back), one safety, and one kicker. 

ND will likely add between 8-10 transfers when all is said and done.