Notre Dame football: Opposing assistant coach weighs in on 2023 Irish
Notre Dame might not be entering 2023 seen as one of the nation’s best football teams, but it certainly rates among the most interesting.
The Irish added one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the history of college football, Sam Hartman, but lost offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, legendary offensive line coach Harry Heistand and star special teams coordinator Brian Mason this off-season.
2023 will largely be defined by how Notre Dame handles the big three on its schedule: Ohio State, USC and Clemson.
So how are Notre Dame opponents viewing the Irish heading into the 2023 campaign? While reading the Athlon Sports preview magazine, I came across an at-length quote from an opposing assistant coach regarding Notre Dame.
Here is what that unnamed coach said about the Irish:
2023 will tell us about Marcus Freeman
Anonymous opposing assistant coach to Athlon:
“We’ll have a pretty good idea of what this head coach (Marcus Freeman) is capable of at that university by the end of the year. There’s a lot of big questions. Why was the OC search an internal promotion when it seemed like they were striking out on better names? Was it really a money issue? Honestly, you’d hope that was it and not concerns about internal structure.”
The questions surrounding the offensive coordinator search have been well documented in Notre Dame circles. The best way to quiet that noise would be for new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker to put on a clinic in 2023 with his star quarterback and the rest of the Irish offense. Otherwise those concerns will clearly grow going forward.
Expectations for Sam Hartman
Anonymous opposing assistant coach to Athlon:
“(Sam) Hartman is a great QB, and he’s capable of the job, but he’ll be under an extreme amount of pressure to produce and carry those guys right away. ND won’t run those Wake (Forest) RPOs, though, and they don’t have proven targets for him, either. You’re asking a lot of this kid. …”
Hartman comes with a resume greater than any Notre Dame quarterback since Brady Quinn entered the 2006 season. Although the Irish didn’t meet the hype that fall, Quinn ended up being a Heisman Trophy finalist. Let’s hope the Hartman adjustments worked themselves out early in the spring and don’t show themselves come September.
Evaluating the Defense
Anonymous opposing assistant coach to Athlon:
“They have some really nice pieces on defense that could make a big jump this season.”
We all know about Benjamin Morrison (above), but so much of the rest of the defense is a question. I hope this opposing coach is right because I have a big fear Notre Dame is going to have to learn how to win shootouts more regularly than it has been accustomed to.
Eliminating Marshall and Stanford hiccups
Anonymous opposing assistant coach to Athlon:
“The difference between 8-4 and 10-2 last year was two bad losses (Marshall and Stanford), which you want to chalk up to first-year problems. I think everyone at the school is invested in Marcus (Freeman), so long as that’s behind him.”
I haven’t figured out what I think this Notre Dame team will do in 2023, but one thing I know will not be acceptable. Going 9-3 will not be a thrill but will at least be OK if those losses come against the big three. If there are three or more losses and they come against someone other than Ohio State, USC and Clemson? Then it’s a trend that Notre Dame fans aren’t going to be comfortable thinking about.
More from Athlon Sports
Check out where Notre Dame ranks in the Athlon Sports top 40 teams entering the 2023 season here.
Purchase a copy of the Athlon Sports college football preview magazine here.
