It’s safe to say there’s more intrigue on the defensive side of the ball with fall camp beginning tomorrow. Yet, Notre Dame recruits better, has more talent and depth, plus dare I say has better coaching on offense. This side of the ball is a lot more fun for Irish fans, no doubt. Let’s check in where things stand a month before the season starts.

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Winning with Wimbush

We’re mere weeks away from the Wimbush era beginning in earnest. The St. Peter’s Prep product is the highest rated Irish quarterback to see the field in the Kelly era (former 5-star Gunner Kiel was 22 spots higher in the national rankings but transferred after a redshirt year) and now becomes The Guy more so than any other signal-caller in recent years in South Bend. He’s talented, he spent an entire spring taking first team reps, and he’s not being seriously challenged by anyone on the depth chart.

Experience needs to be built quickly and hopefully an intense fall camp with tons of first-team reps can add confidence for Wimbush. He’s seen action in 2 games from 2015 following a redshirt last year highlighted by one long touchdown run against UMass.

Wimbush’s spring was pretty good and things should heat up considerably for fall camp. When we last saw him he had a bit of an up and down spring game with a healthy YPA with several impressive throws but also a couple interceptions and a spring game-y 7 sacks given up.

The Keys to Chip Long

Chuck Martin briefly had the keys while Mike Denbrock and Mike Sanford each had some of the keys in recent times. Heading into 2017 new offensive coordinator Chip Long is getting a fresh set while Brian Kelly (apparently, I must stress) is taking a back seat during games.

There may be more pressure on Long than anyone else on the staff. Some may not expect the defense to be good and therefore the offense will have to carry the team throughout many stretches of the season. Additionally, the offense is set up rather nicely with few weaknesses and plenty of depth.

At minimum, Long can’t mess things up on this side of the ball. Who knows how high the ceiling may be but there’s enough talent on offense to do some serious damage.

Adding New Game Breakers

Aside from the transfer of quarterback power from DeShone Kizer to Brandon Wimbush this 2017 offense is going to have the personnel look that’s very similar to the 2016 version.

That is, except for the addition of a few players:

TE Alize Mack – Returning from academic suspension which kept him out for all of last season. His snaps-to-catch ratio as a true freshman was sneaky good and he has as much ability as anyone nationally to stretch the field from the tight end position.

WR Chase Claypool – The rising sophomore Canadian caught a trio of first down passes last year (among 5 receptions overall) but is far from a household name. His combination of height and speed adds an athletic down field target to Wimbush’s repertoire.

WR Cam Smith – We know a few things about the Arizona State grad transfer: he’s quiet, he’s smart, and when healthy he’s really fast. The rumors from summer workouts are that he’s looking quite healthy.

Positional Battles

Right Tackle

This was completely a Tommy Kraemer vs. Liam Eichenberg 50/50 split during the spring practice period, although Kraemer worked with the first team for the first practice and also for the Blue-Gold Game. That makes this at least a 60/40 edge for Kraemer going into the fall.

Slot Receiver/3rd Receiver

Equanimeous St. Brown is comfortably the top receiver and if Kevin Stepherson’s weird spring brings no issues into fall camp he’s the number two guy. By the way, my brief research indicates Stepherson had the third most receiving yardage for a true freshman ever in school history–not too bad.

Anyway, the race for the slot and/or the third receiver could be wonderful. C.J. Sanders has the fit, production, and experience but Chris Finke shows no signs of going away. Plus, the aforementioned Claypool saw a lot of time in the slot during the spring, too.

Tight End

We could have 5 guys all fighting for something. I’ve probably seen enough of Durham Smythe to think he’s ‘just a guy’ waiting to be overtaken (see below) and of course Mack is likely to have a larger impact anyway whether it’s attached or detached from the line. Then we have Nic Weishar who has shown a little bit of promise and a pair of really highly recruited freshman are ready to get their first taste of action.

Injury Report

RB C.J. Holmes, separated shoulder – The freshman suffered this injury early in spring practice which should make him plenty healthy for fall camp. However, he had surgery on the same shoulder 3 years ago so who knows how he’ll bounce back this early in his college career.

Freshmen Watch

QB Avery Davis – I’m interested to see his skill-set as a smaller quarterback now up against physically larger opponents. Prior to spring he likely had a chance to be the backup but Ian Book seems to have that on lock down now.

RB C.J. Holmes – Due to his injury it’s thrown his first season into a bit of a chaos, particularly since Deon McIntosh was moved to the backfield during the spring. He was a pretty well regarded tailback with special teams ability but absent a crazy huge camp he can’t sniff real running back snaps.

WR Jafar Armstrong – A stocky 3-star that everyone hopes overachieves.

WR Michael Young – A smaller speedy 3-star that everyone hopes overachieves!

TE Brock Wright – Enrolled early and had himself an okay spring. How much he plays depends upon several factors including how deep the coaches intend on reaching through the depth chart at this position.

TE Cole Kmet – Turning a lot of heads during summer workouts. Also, as a reminder Kmet isn’t a football fake 6’5″ (meaning closer to 6’3″) but every bit of a lanky 6’5″.

OL Robert Hainsey – Hit a freshman wall towards the end of spring but seriously impressed at left tackle of all places (most thought he was a guard in college). He could have a big role in 2018 which means shooting quickly up the depth chart and staying with varsity this fall.

OL Aaron Banks – Also looked pretty good for his age during the spring as another EE student. Does he stay away from the scout team, as well?

OL Josh Lugg – Back in February he would’ve been the easy choice to come in and be a true freshman knocking on the door as a backup tackle. Now, his classmates got a head start.

OL Dylan Gibbons – If he can maneuver his way into a starting role at some point in his career this could be quite the haul for the Irish on the line. However, it’ll be difficult for him not get swallowed up by seemingly more talented classmates and the typical deep Notre Dame offensive line.

Quick Takes

The X-Factor: OL Sam Mustipher

God willing, the left side of the line should be as good as they’re hyped to be across the nation. The right side might not come close to playing at that level but if Mustipher can develop into a future NFL pick, even in the later rounds, the line could be one of the best in the country.

Redshirt Freshman to Watch: RB Tony Jones

Heading into camp Jones is nominally the third-string back, however, we’re being told all 3 guys are going to be used a lot and maybe we’ll even run the ball a lot more! Well, that last part probably won’t come to fruition to any great degree yet Tony Jones is still in line to get reps during games.

Under the Radar True Sophomore: WR Javon McKinley

Last season saw McKinley play early on without a catch prior to breaking his leg. He was able to participate in spring but not really catch anyone’s eye. On the one hand, he’s a sleeper who was the No. 117 overall national recruit and could explode on to the scene. However, he’s 6’2″ and 220 after his first spring and might struggle being able to bring enough speed to the receiving corps.

Stock Low, Buy a Bit: OL Alex Bars

This may be a bit unfair to Bars. He was serviceable at right tackle last year but serviceable is rarely good enough on the offensive line. Still, you get the sense that Bars isn’t being talked about enough for someone who could still become a very good player and provide flexibility at three different positions.

Now or Never Senior: TE Durham Smythe

It feels like this is Smythe’s 5th season being the No. 1 tight end and yet he’s sitting at 14 career receptions, just one ahead of Alize Mack. Every year we get a couple guys who everyone questions why they play so much and if there’s not an uptick in production Smythe is my guy for that frustration in 2017.