Notre Dame officially began preparations for the 2022 football season this weekend as new Head Coach Marcus Freeman led his team onto the practice field. This year’s squad boasts a veteran defense with considerable talent and enviable depth along the front seven. Most of the fans’ attention will be directed toward the offense, where several young players are battling for starting roles and playing time. Let’s look at where this unit stands as of today.

Quarterback is the chief concern as no clear winner emerged from the spring sessions to replace departed 2021 starter Jack Coan. Sophomore Tyler Buchner and junior Drew Pyne each saw limited action last season but one of them will be named to lead the team into Columbus, Ohio on September 3. Both are hard workers and have demonstrated genuine leadership ability. Early indications are that both showed progress since spring as a result of the unsupervised summer workouts. As of today, their competition remains ongoing and unresolved.

While this uncertainty is not problematic as yet, the eventual starter will need considerable first team reps to prepare for the difficult opening assignment at Ohio State. Buchner is the most physically gifted of the two. He is a much better runner and has a better passing arm. Pyne, however, has a sound command of the offense and finds ways to make positive plays.

My feeling is that Buchner needs to start in order to raise the ceiling of the offense. He brings a dynamic run-pass option element into the attack along with a stronger intermediate and deep passing game. Pyne’s skills are more suited to a backup quarterback who can do a credible job when called upon. He does not have the arm and overall physical skills to stretch opposing defenses.

There simply are not any viable candidates other than this pair for the next two seasons. Fans are going to have to live with the good and bad from Buchner as he grows into the job through game experience.

Three fifths of the offensive line is set in stone. Sophomore tackles Blake Fisher and Joe Alt anchor the wings while All-American center Jarrett Patterson has moved to left guard to make room for Zeke Correll at center. Correll has made sufficient strides to secure a place among the best five linemen. Veteran swing man Josh Lugg returns for his sixth season to play right guard. He will be pushed by Andrew Kristofec, Rocco Spindler and maybe even freshman Billy Schrauth.

Concerns regard Correll are understandable after he was unable to handle the left guard position last year. Through hard work and increased strength, he has convinced the coaches he is the right choice at center. My greater worry is with Lugg. He gets overpowered at times in the running game and has been susceptible to stunts in pass protection. He also does not have ideal quickness to pull and get downfield to lead the blocking.

It’s well known that Lugg has battled through injuries throughout his career and some of his past shortcomings may be a result of playing at less than 100% health. No one has outplayed him at this point, but this position definitely bears watching. Perhaps the return of venerable line coach Harry Hiestand will extract a higher level of performance out of Lugg.

Fighting Irish fans are comforted by the presence of Michael Mayer at tight end. The All-American had a strong 2021 campaign and vows to be better this year. The questions at this position start with who else will play alongside Mayer when multiple tight ends are deployed on the field. Junior Kevin Bauman seems the logical choice provided he sheds the injury bug that has bitten him since he arrived on campus. Everyone associated with the program is rooting for the talented Bauman to finally get his chance to display his talents.

More good news is that there are several promising young players who have a real shot at playing time. Despite the loss of sophomore Mitchell Evans to summer foot surgery, classmate Cane Berrong has sufficiently recovered from an ACL tear last season to resume work. He is joined by a pair of extraordinary freshmen, Eli Raridon and Holden Staes. Raridon is a physical specimen at 6’6″ 245 who has already made a strong first impression. Most observers believe he can play a meaningful role this season.

All Irish fans expect a record-setting performance by Mayer, and he expects nothing less from himself. He gives the team a chance to win even when he is double and triple covered. When that happens it will be up to the rest of the receiving corps to take advantage of one-on-one matchups. I look forward to seeing Bauman, Raridon and the others on the field this season. They will have big shoes to fill in 2023 when Mayer is in the NFL.

Perhaps the most critical competition is taking place at wide receiver. Although the starters have been penciled in, the position demands a full two deep rotation at three and sometimes four spots. Braden Lenzy and Lorenzo Styles were complementary pieces in 2021. Both will be counted upon to provide the production of a number one receiver after Kevin Austin moved on. This pair will be joined by slot receiver Avery Davis, who is on track to play in September after tearing his ACL nine months ago. Davis is playmaker and team leader whose presence will be most welcome as soon as he is ready.

The objective this month is find capable depth behind this aforementioned trio. After a pair of practice sessions, the names of sophomore Jayden Thomas and freshman Tobias Merriweather have been reported in a positive light. Former walk-on Matt Salerno has also made a few plays while Deion Colzie is still trying to stake his claim. This group will be joined by veteran Joe Wilkins once the fifth year senior recovers from spring surgery for a Lisfranc fracture in his right foot.

With four weeks remaining until the season starts, the depth chart at this position is as muddled as ever. Thomas did not catch a pass last season while Colzie had only four. Merriweather did not enroll early, so who knows how he will hold up when classes start and the aches and pains of camp take hold? All we can do is hope for the best and pray that no injuries make the situation worse. One reason for optimism is new position coach Chanci Stuckey is getting rave reviews from the group and appears to be a significant improvment over his predecessor.

The running backs are working to regroup after the departure of stalwart Kyren Williams to the NFL and the loss of freshman spring sensation Jadarian Price to a ruptured Achilles. Senior Chris Tyree assumes the role as leader of the pack. His elite speed serves him well and makes him a dangerous pass receiver as well. It is understood that durability is an issue with Tyree but there are options that will mitigate the wear and tear on him. Sophomore Audric Estime has emerged as a powerful force at 230 pounds. He is poised to provide the thunder to Tyree’s lightning.

More encouraging news arrived this week when Coach Freeman indicated that versatile sophomore Logan Diggs is ahead of schedule in his recovery from shoulder surgery. Diggs is now expected to join the rotation in September. Finally, it doesn’t hurt the cause to hear that newly enrolled freshman Gi’Bran Payne has also impressed in his brief auditions to date.

The sum of these parts in their current state indicates that we can expect growing pains to persist well beyond the first game. It would be a small miracle if Coach Freeman and Tom Rees can mold a collection of talented young individuals into a high performance machine in a few short weeks, let alone generate enough points to upset the mighty Buckeyes.

Regardless of the outcome on September 3, the season will continue. This is largely a young offensive team that will be better in 2023. In the interim, the strong front line and talented defense will make each subsequent contest winnable while the unit strives to reach its potential. Their objective is to improve each week and be good enough to prevail in November and beyond. Irish fans should set their hopes and expectations accordingly.