Notre Dame football: 5 questions the Fighting Irish must answer in 2020

3. Does the Notre Dame front seven offer the same juice?

One of the things that made Lea’s defense so special in the 2019 season outside of the secondary was the pass rush that they were able to produce. The combination of Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem and even Jamir Jones was a terrific and experienced group that came together for 14 sacks and over 20 tackles for loss on the season. They’re all gone now, though.

While the front seven must replace those players up front, the Fighting Irish should be in a good spot as it pertains to linebackers with two of their three top players at the position returning for the 2020 campaign. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the standout in that group and has the possibility to continue developing into the next great playmaking linebacker for Notre Dame football with the trajectory he’s on.

But when you move onto the defensive line, there are guys who need to step up. Adetokunbo Ogundeji at defensive end and Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa at defensive tackle are both expected to be veteran leaders in that department and continue to produce when it comes to getting into the backfield and making plays.

Though the secondary still has talent, maintaining a potent front seven is key for the Notre Dame defense staying at a high-quality level. They’ll need the replacements for Okwara, Kareem and Jones to step into the fold and make it seem like a smooth transition for that to happen. The good news is that’s most definitely in the cards.