Our chat with One Foot Down
Hello all! The Q&A comes at you today after a lovely chat with Patrick Sullivan of the esteemed Fighting Irish SBN Community, One Foot Down. Read below on his thoughts regarding the transition from Brian Kelly to Marcus Freeman, how The Irish stack up against Tech’s rushing attack, and what in the world happened against Northern Illinois… something we know too much about around here (thanks, Geoff).
1. With Brian Kelly now at LSU, it’s a little bit easier to pull for Notre Dame as a neutral fan. Have you noticed any team culture differences between Kelly and Freeman? Is Freeman recruiting at as high of a level that Kelly did?
There are certainly differences that just stem from how different Marcus Freeman is from Brian Kelly — it’s so nice that ND now has a head coach who seems like a decent guy, is cool and fun to root for, and seems to really embrace ND’s unique qualities as strengths instead of whining about how they’re keeping him from competing for championships, etc.
But with that said, Notre Dame hired Marcus Freeman specifically to maintain the team culture that Kelly had helped build over the prior 5 years, as the players, staff, and administration all agreed the program had a really strong culture that was worth trying to maintain. That’s a big reason why Freeman was offered the job, why Tommy Rees was kept as the offensive coordinator (Kelly tried to take him to LSU with him), etc. So I would argue the overall culture actually has stayed the same in a lot of ways, just with a more likable leader whom the players seem to connect with, and respond to, better.
Freeman has definitely improved recruiting just because he’s a younger, more charismatic guy who seems to work way harder in that arena than Brian Kelly ever did. However, his arrival at ND was tough timing with the permitting of NIL, as I do think that leveled the playing field for a guy who would otherwise CLEAN UP walking into high schools and recruits’ homes and charming/impressing kids and parents with ease. Still, the depth has been much better under Freeman, as he’s done a great job pulling in more 4-star level recruits and making sure there are fewer massive gaps at specific positions. He definitely uses the transfer portal to help there as well (with varying results, but he’s always been good about going to get experienced guys for positions of need).
The big thing Freeman hasn’t yet been able to deliver on are the elite, program-changing, 5-star recruits. He’s landed commitments/silent commitments from several who ended up wavering and decommitting, such as Keon Keeley (flipped to Alabama), Peyton Bowen (flipped to Oregon and then Oklahoma), Deuce Knight (just flipped to Auburn a couple weeks ago), Ivan Taylor (flipped to Michigan), and Dante Moore (was rumored to be a silent commit but ended up going to UCLA and then transferring to Oregon). So, that’s been frustrating, because the program’s biggest issue under Kelly was also missing on those elite recruits at key positions like QB, edge rusher, DB, and WR. But the floor for talent in the program has certainly risen, so I would argue he’s elevated recruiting, just not as much as we were hoping when he came in as Defensive Coordinator and started landing top targets left and right.
2. The 2024 Irish have a couple of good road wins over ranked teams, but also a huge blemish on their record with the Northern Illinois loss. What’s the ceiling for this team this year? And what went wrong against Northern Illinois that hasn’t happened in the other wins?
The ceiling for this team is definitely not winning a title, and with the injuries they keep stacking up each week, I’m starting to question if even making the Playoff is the ceiling, let alone winning a game or two in the Playoff once they make it (which would have been my answer earlier in the year).
The Irish have now lost 5 starters to season-ending injuries, including their best overall player and corner (Benjamin Morrison), their top two pass rushers (DEs Boubacar Traore and Jordan Botelho), their best offensive lineman (center Ashton Craig), and their starting left tackle (Charles Jagusah). Add in multi-game injuries to RG Billy Schrauth and WR Jordan Faison, plus experienced reserve corner Jaden Mickey deciding to redshirt and enter the transfer portal after 4 games, and things are starting to look rough out there.
Luckily, the Irish are through the worst of their schedule with Texas A&M and Louisville behind them and with teams like Florida State and USC looking way less daunting than they did in the preseason. And despite games like Georgia Tech, Army, Navy, Virginia, and USC still offering tough tests that can’t be taken lightly considering the attrition the Irish have suffered, I think this team is still good enough, with a really good defense and an offense that runs it well, to sneak into the Playoff. However, I won’t feel comfortable about that until it actually happens — that’s what losing to Northern Illinois does to your confidence as a fan…anyone could end up beating this ND team down the stretch.
I’m still trying to figure out what happened in that NIU game, especially because it’s not like NIU has turned out to at least be the class of the MAC this year or something — they followed up the ND win by losing to Buffalo and NC State in back-to-back games and look decidedly mediocre overall. As for what happened in that one, it can mostly be attributed to the offense. Riley Leonard was horrible passing the ball, the offensive line struggled against the Huskies front seven, and the wideouts didn’t exactly seize the few opportunities they had (Leonard’s one really nice deep ball was dropped by Jaden Greathouse, who’s typically one of the most reliable targets).
Add in some bad special teams play (e.g. I can’t get over how poorly punter James Rendell has looked) and the defense playing well overall but allowing a couple flukey big plays and then allowing the game-winning field goal drive in the 4th quarter, and you get an ugly, embarrassing, devastatingly weird loss. This is an ND team who otherwise has looked pretty darn good, beating A&M on the road, handling Louisville at home, and outscoring the dregs of the schedule (Purdue/Stanford/Miami Ohio) by a combined score of 143-17.
3. Through 5 games, Riley Leonard is only averaging around 24 passes per game. That’s not military academy-level passing attempts, but it’s still pretty low in the modern era. Are the 2024 Irish run-heavy because the passing game hasn’t been reliable? Or have they not been put in many obvious passing situations?
Yes, absolutely — Leonard is an elite running QB (405 yards, 6.2 YPC, 8 rushing TDs) and the Irish have two absolute studs at running back in Jeremiyah Love (426 yards, 6.8 YPC, 6 TDs) and Jadarian Price (260 yards, 6.3 YPC, 3 TDs), both of whom have major big-play ability and excellent breakaway speed:
As a passer, Leonard at his BEST is maybe slightly above average compared to your typical college QB, and he isn’t often at his best. His deep balls have not been great, he’s super inconsistent on short/gimme throws, and it feels rare and special when he completes something over the middle of the field. So, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock has clearly decided the offense needs to really revolve around the run — especially because of the multiple offensive line injuries with an already somewhat inexperienced group, compared to a normal Irish o-line. This leads to lower pass attempt numbers and limited shots downfield, as Denbrock seems to focus on trying to get Leonard into a rhythm with shorter, easier passes that help keep the chains moving while not risking picks or drive-killing 3rd-and-long situations.
4. On the other side of the ball, Tech is running one of the more efficient offenses in the country, and Haynes King has proven more than capable of running our option and RPO-heavy offense. How do you see the Notre Dame defense attacking the Yellow Jackets this weekend? With a formidable front 7, who should we be looking out for on the pass rush side?
I think one major key is going to be how much of a push the Notre Dame defensive tackles can get up the middle. In the preseason, Howard Cross was getting tons of All-American hype and Rylie Mills was getting a lot of love as well, but the pair has definitely performed below expectations for a good chunk of this season. They seemed to get it going last weekend against a hapless Stanford offensive line, so maybe they’re turning the corner. But their ability to collapse the pocket from the inside and wreak havoc on the option/RPO before it can truly develop could be huge (or huge for GT if they can’t get a good push).
I also think ND defensive coordinator Al Golden will use his talented, athletic linebackers and safeties in numerous ways as he tries to contain the Yellow Jackets offense and King’s dangerous legs, using those two position groups to shoot gaps, set the edge, and defend against the pass in the middle of the field. This group of linebackers is pretty inexperienced besides captain Jack Kiser, but the young guys are fast, athletic dudes who have really started to flash and seem to be way better athletes than the guys ND normally trots out at the position. Sophomores Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry and true freshman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa are names to know there. Junior Jaylen Sneed could be as well — he’s struggled to earn consistent snaps this year, but he’s a freak athlete who has a history of being an option-killer against Navy, so maybe he will play a bigger role on Saturday in certain situations.
I mentioned the safeties, and All-American and 2023 Bronko Nagurski Award winner Xavier Watts is the name to know there, but don’t sleep on fellow starter Adon Shuler or nickelback Jordan Clark. Both have been really good this year and will be key in coming up to stop the run while also providing excellent coverage over the top. That will be as important as ever going forward now that we know Morrison is done for the year.
The pass rush is a bit depressing to talk about, considering Botelho’s and Traore’s injuries. I don’t think you’ll see a great one from the Irish on Saturday because of that, but look out for some well-timed blitzes by linebackers like Viliamu-Asa, Bowen, and Sneed to potentially be the best chances for the Irish at pressuring King when he drops back (along with Cross and Mills up the middle).
The other names to note are reserve edge rushers who will now be stepping into more significant roles — Bryce Young is the most promising one there, as the true-freshman son of Bryant Young is a 6’7”, 250-lb monster who’s really starting to look dangerous. Juniors Joshua Burnham and Junior Tuihalamaka and freshman Loghan Thomas will also see plenty of reps, and then it would be really nice if Duke grad transfer RJ Oben finds a way to contribute, as he’s essentially been a ghost in terms of his production despite being a highly-rated and much-celebrated transfer portal addition in the offseason.
5. In the modern age of conference realignment, power leagues, and TV money grabs, do you think Notre Dame is better able to weather the realignment storm as an independent, or in its current capacity with the ACC?
I think their current situation is serving them well, maintaining independence overall and wielding a ton of individual influence despite not being a full member of any conference. ND was a major reason Stanford and Cal got into the ACC, and the Irish administration also played a big role in forming the structure of the 12-team Playoff. Add in that this quasi-ACC setup gives all the non-football sports a conference home that generally makes sense and also typically gives the Irish 1-2 ranked opponents on the schedule per year, and it works for sure. ND might not get paid quite as much from their NBC contract as the payouts conference members get, but it’s enough where the Irish definitely don’t need to make any moves for monetary reasons, either.
So, I think as long as that all holds serve, they are set up well to weather the realignment storm, and if the ACC were to collapse or change drastically with everything happening with Florida State, etc., they could probably work out a deal with another conference without necessarily giving up independence. Love it or hate it, the Fighting Irish brand and value for TV ratings is strong and until that stops being the case, it’s hard to envision the power conferences boxing them out from the sport as an independent (if they successfully do, then I think/hope the Irish would eventually give in and join a conference — but only as a last resort to be able to keep competing for championships).
6. As the Irish travel to Atlanta this weekend, it is a shame this game is in an NFL stadium instead of Bobby Dodd. We have a heretofore unmentioned coach to thank for that from several years ago. How well will the Irish travel for this game? And does ND cover the spread as a favorite?
I completely agree — I hate neutral site games, especially for regular season matchups. College football is at its best when teams have to go to their opponent’s campus and play amongst all the weird traditions and quirks and hometown fans that come with that. Neutral site games make it all about the fans who can afford to travel to some sterile NFL stadium for an overproduced game day “experience.” Gimme a trip to Bobby Dodd over Mercedes-Benz any day.
The Irish faithful do typically travel well – largely because their fan base is pretty nationally dispersed, so there are usually solid contingents of Irish fans pretty close to wherever they play these kinds of neutral-site games. So I would bet there’s a solid number of ND fans who show out for this, considering the unique location and fun historic opponent.
I think the last I saw, the spread for this one was ND -11.5, which I don’t really love because Georgia Tech is a dangerous team and the Irish are hurting with lots of guys out and several more banged up and not 100%. This one won’t be a blowout like last week against the Cardinal. With that said, I think the Irish defense and rushing attack on offense will slowly and gradually overwhelm and wear down the Yellow Jackets, allowing for a just-barely-cover with a final score of something like Notre Dame 33, Georgia Tech 20.
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Thanks again to Patrick for the time and effort put into today’s Q&A. You can check out my half of the Q&A over at One Foot Down, right here. Be sure to stop in and say hello.
We’ll see you at The Benz at 3:30. Go Jackets!