Notre Dame had arguably the most impressive win of Week 1.
Facing a strong Texas A&M team on the road in a raucous environment, many people doubted whether the Irish offensive line had any chance to keep quarterback Riley Leonard off his back.
Not only did the o-line more than hold their own, Leonard and the offense controlled the tempo of the game – and Notre Dame’s defense proved they could be an extremely special unit this season.
Of course, it’s only one game – but something about this Irish team just feels different.
Marcus Freeman has grown by leaps and bounds as a head coach – and despite in-game blunders and wasted timeouts here and there – he’s proven to be a coach that players will run through a brick wall for.
Freeman and the staff have also done a phenomenal job on the recruiting trail. All in all, the future is looking very bright in South Bend.
Under former head coach Brian Kelly, the Fighting Irish enjoyed a stretch of dominance, securing at least 10 wins each season from 2017 to 2021.
However, when it came time to play the big boys, Kelly’s teams routinely shrunk in the big moments.
Irish fans (and LSU fans for that matter) don’t even want to hear Kelly’s name right now. While they still have a whole lot to prove, it certainly looks like this Notre Dame team will be able to answer the bell when the competition truly stiffens up later in the season.
You can count ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit as a firm believer in the 2024 Irish.
Herbie went as far as stating that Notre Dame is a lock to make the College Football Playoff.
“You look at their schedule, probably going to be favored in every game,” Herbstreit said on The Pat McAfee Show. “They play USC at the LA Coliseum at the end of the year, and that’s definitely an interesting game to keep in mind. But Notre Dame, I think they’re mature, they’ve got a great group together. They’re a team that’s going to be in the playoff without a doubt.”
Herbstreit also made it clear that he’s a huge fan of Freeman and the energy he brings to the program.
“AJ (Hawk) knows him (Freeman) better than anyone…but I’m not sure there is another head coach that relates to the players better, genuinely, authentically, than Marcus Freeman,” Herbie said.
“He’s got Jim Tressel and his style and playing for him – he told me before the game ‘hey, a punts OK, we’re breaking in a freshman left tackle, we’ve got some new people up there’, and then in fourth quarter he’s ‘I told you!’ as he told his guys they were going to find a way to win it in the fourth quarter.”
He also noted Notre Dame’s clear improvement in overall talent.
“They’re only going to get better with Riley Leonard at quarterback and that offensive line is so young that they’re going to come together, I like the skill.
“Notre Dame through recruiting, through the portal, they look so different than where they were a few years ago … They used to always have big linemen, big tight ends, big d-linemen, big linebackers, man their skill it just looks different. They’re long, they’re bouncing, athletic guys.”
Notre Dame will play their home opener this Saturday against Northern Illinois.
What are your thoughts on Herbie’s prediction?
Is Notre Dame indeed a lock for the playoffs? … Assuming they make it, will they be able to make any noise???