Notre Dame football: Three big questions entering fall camp

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Jan 1, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receivers C.J. Sanders (9), Torii Hunter Jr. (16), Corey Robinson (88) and Amir Carlisle (3) against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2016 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Can anybody replace Will Fuller?

In the past two seasons, Notre Dame has had 55 passing touchdowns. Twenty-nine of them came by way of Will Fuller.

That level of production is just staggering, and now that Fuller is gone, the Irish will have to find a way to pick up the slack. It doesn’t help that another 12 of those touchdowns, in the form of Chris Brown, Amir Carlisle and Corey Robinson, are also gone.

Having an explosive, reliable target on the outside is always necessary for an effective offense, and Notre Dame has had a few of those over the past few years in Fuller, T.J. Jones and Michael Floyd. But that need is even greater this year, as the Irish are unsettled and inexperienced at running back and don’t know who will be starting at quarterback.

Regardless of whether DeShone Kizer or Malik Zaire starts, they will need a receiver upon which they can depend. Will it be Torii Hunter Jr., the guy everyone seems to think will step up? Or what about Equanimeous St. Brown? What about an explosive punt returner like C.J. Sanders?

Next: When will the red zone woes stop?

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