Season Superlatives: Who will shine this fall for Notre Dame Football

The season is just a few days away and we can’t wait for the appetizer on Thursday and the main course on Saturday with some desert on Monday. Many of us can’t help but imagine how Notre Dame’s season will play out, so here are some best guesses at who will be the MVP’s, breakouts and impact freshman for this Irish this fall.

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Offensive MVP - RB Logan Diggs

Notre Dame’s Logan Diggs (22) runs past Georgia Tech’s Quez Jackson (4) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in South Bend, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

The offensive line as a group that is going to have a massive season. They are young, yet experienced, and have loads of talent. The running lanes that will created are going to be large, so going with one of the running backs is a good idea, just which one will get the most playing time? Logan Diggs should emerge from the pack and be the lead back by the end of the year and will thus earn offensive MVP for the Irish.

Defensive MVP - DE Isaiah Foskey

Sep 18, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Isaiah Foskey (7) celebrates after a sack in the fourth quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

This one is relatively easy. When there is a defender who returns with 15.5 career sacks, eleven of them coming last year it not a hard choice. The expectation is that Isaiah Foskey will have better numbers than the previous campaign which will make him not only the Notre Dame defensive MVP but will get him some national award recognition as well.

Offensive breakout - WR Jayden Thomas

Apr 23, 2022; Notre Dame, Indiana, USA;Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jayden Thomas (83) carries in the second quarter of the Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Jayden Thomas took a redshirt in his first season in South Bend but after impressing during the spring and carrying that over into fall camp, he has earned himself a starting position. The former two-sport star finally turned his focus away from also playing baseball and solely on football. It paid off so far and it should do the same with Thomas breaking out this season. (This would have been Lorenzo Styles Jr., but his breakout was complete with one score and 136-yards in the Fiesta Bowl.)

Defensive breakout - DE Rylie Mills

Rylie Mills #99 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against Cormac Sampson #62 and Graham Mertz #5 of the Wisconsin Badgers at Soldier Field on September 25, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Notre Dame defeated Wisconsin 41-13. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

If the defensive line wasn’t so deep last year, Rylie Mills would have gotten much more playing time. What he did with it was impressive however, registering three sacks and 16 total tackles. Even if Mills just doubles what he did last year, those numbers will look awfully impressive for a player just getting his first real chance as a major contributor.

Offensive true-freshman contributor - WR Tobias Merriweather

In this era of playing the best player regardless of class, there is always going to be a freshman making an impact. Last year on offense there were multiple players, offensive tackle Joe Alt, running back Logan Diggs and wide receiver Styles Jr. With the offense being so young all around, it going to be hard for a freshman to carve out that kind of role like the year before. This is a shot in the dark, as no true-freshman was on the two-deep, but wide receiver Tobias Merriweather brings the size and talent where he could make an impact early. It might not be early in the season, but when Merriweather gets a chance, he’s going to impress.

Defensive true-freshman contributor - Linebacker Junior Tuihalamaka

The youngest linebacker on the two-deep, Tuihalamaka wasn’t even the highest ranked linebacker at his position in the 2022 recruiting class (Jaylen Sneed). Rankings don’t mean much when you arrive onto campus, so Tuihalamaka is the first one to crack the two-deep. That means he will get some solid playing time, even if it is in mop-up duty. Expect Tuihalamaka to perform at a high level when he does see the field.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire