Notre Dame football 2019 spring preview: Irish out to prove 2018 was no fluke

Notre Dame earned a spot in the College Football Playoff last year but can they repeat in 2019?

After a 10-3 finish with a Citrus Bowl victory in 2017, Notre Dame went undefeated in 2018 to earn a spot in the playoff. Unfortunately, dreams of another national championship were dashed with a loss to eventual champion Clemson in the semifinals. Kelly will look to find similar success in 2019. Many key players leave on offense and defense, so the Irish will have a different look.

• 2018 Record: 12-1
• Spring game date: April 13

Biggest spring storyline?

Last year’s starting linebacking corp is gone. For a unit that finished 30th in the nation in total defense, that will be tough to overcome. The leader last year was Te’Von Conley who led the team with 123 tackles. In addition, Asmar Bilal and Drue Tranquill leave for the NFL as well.

The men slated to replace them are largely unknowns. Jordan Genmark Heath saw the field a bit last season, but only managed 16 tackles as a sophomore. Shayne Simon and Bo Bauer barely saw action as freshmen, but Kelly has high hopes for them. All three are projected coming into the spring to take over as the starters. It will be an entirely new group at linebacker.

The biggest reason for optimism?

Notre Dame might have a dark horse Heisman candidate in quarterback Ian Book. After a tough 2017 season, Book stepped up in a major way last year. He replaced Brandon Wimbush as the starter and passed for 2,628 yards with 19 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

While he missed time at the end of the season due to a rib and back injury, Book seems to be the man moving forward for the offense. The coaches have noted he has taken on a more serious leadership role this spring coming in as the incumbent starter with several key seniors departing. Fighting Irish quarterback is arguably the most glamorous position in college football and Book looks up to the challenge. Last year he made the safe throws and was backed by a senior-loaded defense. Can he take his game to the next level in 2019 for this team to put together three straight double-digit win seasons?

Biggest question mark/concern?

A quarterback is only as good as how many weapons he has in most cases. Book will have to familiarize himself with new go-to-guys at receiver and a new starting running back.

Dexter Williams led the way on the ground last season. The senior racked up 995 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. His departure leaves the door open for Jafar Armstrong to take over. Armstrong was third on the team in rushing last year with 383 yards on 72 carries. He also finished second in rushing touchdowns with 7. The incoming junior showed promise in 2018, but can he bring as much as Williams did to this offense?

When Book needed a big play, he was often looking for Miles Boykin. The senior led the team in receiving yards with 872 and touchdowns with 8. Chris Finke is also gone, who was the third-leading receiver with 571 yards. The good news? Chase Claypool announced in January he will return for his senior season. Claypool finished second in receiving yards with 639 and hauled in four touchdowns last year. Look for new faces such as Michael Young and Kevin Austin to make bigger contributions next year as well.

Biggest offseason addition/newcomer?

The Irish are losing three starters on the offensive line for next year including center Sam Mustipher. The good news is they might have found his replacement in their latest recruiting class. Zeke Correll from Cincinnati is a player Notre Dame fans should get used to hearing this upcoming season. Correll is the number three rated center in the country and in the state of Ohio. Despite strong interest from powerhouse Alabama, the four-star recruit chose to take his talents to South Bend. He enrolled early so he will be looking to compete for the starting gig right away. Junior Colin Grunhard is penciled in to take over, but do not be surprised if a good spring is enough to convince Kelly Correll is worth getting a shot.

Biggest game to look forward to?

Being an FBS Independent, Notre Dame has the luxury of playing a variety of good schools every year. They will be tested early in 2019 in week three when they face the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. Georgia will no doubt be a top five preseason team and this game could decide if the Irish are truly capable of contending for a national title again.

One of the criticisms of this team last year was playing a relatively easy schedule, especially down the stretch. They only faced one ranked opponent in No. 12 Syracuse. The Georgia game is their toughest of 2019 without question. It could also be the destination for College Gameday that week.