4. Will the Notre Dame football secondary take a big step back?
Notre Dame defensive coordinator Chris Lea has been in focus for a head coaching job over the past few years and it’s not difficult to see why. While in charge of the Fighting Irish on that side of the ball, they’ve consistently been one of the best defenses in the country. Last year, that was a complete effort at every level. But the secondary that was so strong took a big hit with departures for the NFL.
Cornerback Troy Pride Jr. was a great and consistent player on the boundary who excelled in man-to-man situations. Meanwhile, the safety group will have to replace their two most important starters from last year’s unit, Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott, a pair who combined to be a versatile and lethal force on the back end.
With those losses incurred, Lea and Kelly must find a way to replace those guys and keep the secondary as at least a net positive for the defense. For the safety group, that could be pretty easy in terms of finding playmaking. Kyle Hamilton may have been the better playmaker out of Gilman, Elliott and himself and is back for his sophomore season. In a bigger role, he has star potential.
As for replacing Pride, the Irish cornerback group could be deeper and better. Veteran Shaun Crawford, who is in his sixth year now, will be back in the fold. The Irish also landed Nick McCloud as a transfer from NC State, who should help a ton.
The talent is there — the key is this unit living up to what last year’s group produced.