8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Brandon Wimbush, QB
Notre Dame heads into 2018 having lost major pieces from their offense. Josh Adams and his 1430 rushing yards in 2017 won’t be back this season. Their leading receiver in 2017, Equanimeous St. Brown, is gone as well.
Don’t forget the Irish’s best two offensive linemen, Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson, aren’t around either. The one guy returning, with it all on his shoulders, is quarterback Brandon Wimbush.
Wimbush accounted for 2,674 yards and 30 touchdowns last season on a Fighting Irish team that didn’t have enough late in the season. We will see what Wimbush can do with significantly less help in 2018. His development as a better pocket passer would be a big-time boost to this team, and no one questions his running ability.
The Irish have rising talent on their defense heading into the season, but no single player on that side of the ball means as much as Wimbush means to Notre Dame’s offense. No matter if the Irish rise and make the playoff, or they fall back to mediocrity in 2018, Wimbush remains the one player this team cannot afford to lose.