It seems like Notre Dame football is at a major crossroads, with significant changes happening after an impressive 14-2 season. Despite the success, it's clear that the program's staff turnover is creating some big challenges for head coach Marcus Freeman. But it also looks like Freeman is working diligently to navigate these changes by bringing in some strong new hires.
Chris Ash replaces Al Golden
The decision to replace Al Golden with Chris Ash seems strategic, especially considering Ash's background with defensive backs and his leadership beside Luke Fickell. Golden's style was clearly popular, so it'll be interesting to see if Ash’s fiery approach can maintain that same level of success. His expertise should complement the strong defensive talent already present, but the transition could still have its bumps.
Ja’Juan Seider is a big get
With the talented trio of Jerimiyah Love, Jadarian Price, and Aneyas Williams at running back, having someone with Seider’s track record will certainly keep that position as a strength. His experience with developing 1,000-yard rushers at Penn State is a major win for the Irish.
A new GM (Mike Martin)
The search for a new General Manager is definitely an intriguing one. The evolving nature of college football’s rules around recruiting, the transfer portal, and NIL demands a savvy, experienced leader. Mike Martin seems like an excellent choice to help navigate this new era, and building out a robust scouting department could help the Irish gain an edge on the competition, especially with such a complex landscape.
Building for Long-Term Success
All in all, Marcus Freeman is making moves to stay ahead of the curve, and while there are inevitable challenges, these hires could help position Notre Dame for continued success. It's exciting to see how these changes will unfold and if they'll pay off in the long run. What do you think of these moves? Does the future of Notre Dame football look bright to you?
I figured Indiana deserves its own thread as we start to look at them a little more closely.
First, in my opinion, the key to the game is whether ND can run the ball. Indiana ranks 1st nationally in rushing defense, allowing only 70.8 yards/game and 2.46 yards/carry. That said, ND will be a big step up in competition.
The best rushing offense Indiana faced all year was Ohio State. Ohio State is only ranked 59th nationally in rushing offense (169.2 yards/game). They ran for 115 yards against Indiana. After that, the next best rushing offense Indiana faced was Michigan at 69th, then 93rd (Washington), 95th (Nebraska), 104th (FIU), 110th (Michigan State and Purdue), 117th (Maryland), 122nd (Northwestern), and 130th (UCLA). So, Notre Dame is a major, major step up in competition, as ND ranks 10th nationally at 224.8 rushing yards/game.
Of the teams ND has faced, the best rushing defense was Army (11th nationally, 104.0 yards/game). Like Indiana, that stat is probably inflated due to Army’s poor schedule. After Army, NIU is 20th (111.8 yards allowed/game), followed by Georgia Tech (30th, 120.2 yards allowed/game), Louisville (42nd, 135.4 yards allowed/game), and Texas A&M (49th, 137.7 yards allowed/game). So, while ND hasn’t exactly faced a murderers row, they’ve still played five defenses with Top 50 rush defenses. In those five games, ND rushed for more yards than the opposing defense’s average, with the exception of Louisville (ND only rushed for 117 yards). The others were 198 yards against A&M, 123 yards against NIU, 168 yards against Georgia Tech, and 275 yards against Army. USC has the 54th best rushing defense (140.4 yards/game), and ND rushed for 258 yards.
On offense, if Notre Dame can run the ball against Indiana, I think the offense can legitimately score 30+ points. Again, the secondary is suspect, so getting IU to be overly aggressive against the run will open up the passing game. ND’s WRs need to limit their drops, and Leonard needs to be on target and on time. Weather could be a factor.