2024 Notre Dame Update
State of the Chart update: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The path to the expanded College Football Playoff is paved for the Fighting Irish. They must just take care of business and they will have their moment. As Marcus Freeman and his staff built this 2024 roster, they went to the Portal for the second year in a row at Quarterback. This time bringing in former Duke signal caller, Riley Leonard, to replace Wake Forest transfer-in Sam Hartman. Click the links throughout this update to view the depth charts themselves to see more about each of the position groups, rankings and depth grades. Enjoy.
CFBDepth.com: 2024 Notre Dame Depth Chart
Quarterback: Freeman extends the streak of hitting the Portal to bring in a starting quarterback as they get Riley Leonard from Duke to replace Sam Hartman. That run may come to an end after Leonard moves on following this season with some really top options waiting in the wings. None bigger than incoming freshman CJ Carr, who they wrestled away from Michigan in a recruiting battle and should be the starter in '25.
Running Back: Audric Estime moves on to the professional ranks, opening the door for Jeremiah Love, Jadarian Price and others to step into roles. Gi'Bran Payne was hurt in spring ball and will miss all of '24 and that's a big hit to depth in this room. It may force the hand to get true freshmen Kedren Young and/or Aneyas Williams on the field sooner than originally planned. Love and Price should handle the majority of the load - and do so very capably.
Wide Receiver: This room has been lacking a true star for a while now. They really need that go-to guy and other complimentary pieces to keep defenses honest. They believe they have that now, bringing in Kris Mitchell (FIU) and Beaux Collins (Clemson) into the mix. They join returners Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse to build a room they can be confident in supporting Leonard and keep this offense from being one-dimensional.
Tight End: They used a lot of different players here last, partially due to injuries. Holden Staes will not return, but others do. Including Mitchell Evans, the best receiver of the group, who hauled in 29 catches in 8 games a year ago. They have others who helped out more with blocking than anything else. This group remains strong.
CFBDepth.com: 2024 Notre Dame Depth Chart
Offensive Line: Major losses on this line, including LT Joe Alt, C Andrew Kristofic and RT Blake Fisher. Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler return. There are plenty of highly touted internal repalcements here, but we just don't know a ton about them yet. If Tosh Baker is really expected to take over that RT spot, he's going to have to play better than what we saw in his limited opportunities in '23. OL coach Joe Rudolph will certainly earn his keep here by molding this line back to one of the top units in the country.
Secondary: They have quite the tandem to shut down on the corners with Benjamin Morrison returning and Rod Heard II as the prized Portal pick-up from Northwestern. They also added some depth with Jordan Clark (Arizona State) who will play some nickel for them. Xavier Watts is a solid returning FS -- with the other safety spot the only question mark in this really solid secondary.
Specialists: Mitch Jeter comes in from South Carolina to provide a veteran kicker. However, Chris Salerno is the long returning punter and we haven't seen much from him. They must have confidence he can handle the job.
