To say the Brian Kelly era has been a disappointment would be unfair. Kelly took over a severely damaged program and has returned the Irish to relevance and respectability. But, Notre Dame fans expect championship level teams, and Kelly hasn't delivered that the past two years.
Coming off an historic 12-0 regular season, Notre Dame fans expected more success in 2013 and 2014 even after Alabama dismantled the Irish on the biggest stage. Prior to the 2013 season, the Irish received devastating news when quarterback Everett Golson was suspended for the season due to academic violations. As a result, expectations were not as high as they would have been and an "excuse" was in-place to explain their struggles. Golson returned last season and the Irish coasted to a 6-0 start, only to lose to the defending champion Florida State Seminoles in the final seconds. After that, injuries and turnovers plagued the 2014 season and the Irish limped to a 7-5 record. The biggest loss was linebacker Joe Schmidt, the unquestioned leader of the defense. Schmidt's value to the team was evident by the way the defense played in the final five games, and quotes from players and coaches further lamented the negative impact without having Schmidt on the field. Yet again, another built-in "excuse".
As the 2015 season is set to begin, it is time for the "excuses" to end and for the all the so-called talent, depth, and athleticism to be proven on the field. I'm optimistic as anyone heading into the season for several reasons.
1. Quarterback Malik Zaire will bring more stability and efficiency to the offense. Zaire won't turn the football over nearly as much as Golson did, and he'll add more to the read-option attack.
2. I expect Brian Kelly to lean heavily on his experienced and talent offensive line. With an inexperienced quarterback and talented runners in Tarean Folston and C.J. Prosise, the Irish should be able to run the ball on all their opponents. Look for game plans similar to the one we saw in the Music City Bowl versus LSU.
3. When the Irish throw the ball, Zaire has a slew of weapons to choose from. Will Fuller, Corey Robinson, Chris Brown, Torii Hunter Jr., Amir Carlisle, and others give the Irish one of the deepest receiving corps in the country.
4. The defense should improve simply by being healthy and with another year under defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. One positive from all the injuries was that plenty of younger players gained experience last season. The biggest reason I believe this defense will be much better is the return of Schmidt, and cornerback KeiVarae Russell.
Schmidt rejoins a linebacking crew that is highlighted by Jaylon Smith, giving the Irish a formidable trio. I also expect Smith to utilized a bit differently this season, with VanGorder looking for ways to utilize his athleticism. Russell is widely considered one of the nation's top cover corners, and he should help solidify the secondary. The safety positions are probably the weakness of this team, but I'm hoping that another year of experience should help improve the performances of Max Redfield and Elijah Shumate. Redfield was pretty impressive in the bowl game versus LSU, so hopefully that will carry into this season. If the safeties can hold their own, this defense can be very good.
With all of that being said, I believe the Irish can win 10-plus games. Actually, I have Notre Dame going 11-1 with a loss to either Georgia Tech, Clemson, USC, or Stanford. If for whatever reason the Irish stumble and win 7 or 8 games once again, I believe that it would be time to consider a coaching change.
-Eric Tichelbaut
@etichel07
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