Notre Dame Football: What Do The Preview Magazines Say?
It’s officially college football preview magazine season, meaning we’re one step closer to getting to see Notre Dame football on the field.
Three major college football previews have come out already, with Phil Steele’s still to come in June. Each of them have differing opinions and rarely agree — especially when it comes to Notre Dame football. Whichever is your favorite is really just a matter of opinion and personal preference.
Today we’ll take a look at what Street and Smith (formally Sporting News), Lindy’s and Athlon have to say about the upcoming Notre Dame football season.
Street and Smith:
Street and Smith has Notre Dame ranked No. 14 coming into the season.
Alex Bars is listed as a first team All American — the only Irish representative on the team.
The controversy with this magazine is saying there’s a quarterback controversy in South Bend. S&S says the competition “isn’t a novelty this time” and “a rotation seems inevitable.” I think a lot of fans would disagree with this statement.
With help from 247 Sports, Houston Griffith, Kevin Austin and Phil Jurkovec are listed as the top three incoming freshmen.
Nick Watkins, who announced in late April is going to be a Graduate Transfer, is listed as a starter at cornerback. His backup is listed as Shaun Crawford.
Bill Bender, who wrote the preview in the magazine, insinuates that a 10 win season is a must for Brian Kelly, saying “it won’t come easy” but “Kelly knows that’s a part of his job.”
Notre Dame is projected to go to the Camping World Bowl against West Virginia.
Lindy’s
Lindy’s has Notre Dame ranked at No. 12.
Sam Mustipher, who is listed as the No. 1 center in the country, is listed as a first team All-American on offense. Julian Love, ranked as the second best cornerback, is a first team All-American on defense. Te’Von Coney, ranked as the fourth best inside linebacker, is named a second team All-American on defense.
Alex Bars also earned himself a spot as the No. 7 guard in the nation, while Jerry Tillery comes in as the 6th best defensive tackle. Drue Tranquill is listed as the 8th best outside linebacker, Justin Yoon is listed as the 8th best kicker and Tyler Newsome as the 5th best punter.
Overall, Notre Dame is not ranked in the Top 10 of any unit rankings outside of linebacker, where the Irish sneak in at No. 10.
On the field, Lindy’s says the defense is a strength, as is the potential at tight end. The inexperience of new DC Clark Lee is stated as a potential issue, along with possible quarterback issues and “durability at running back.”
Lindy’s also says it’s a “critical” year for Brian Kelly, but “there’s a chance” the Irish could get to 10 wins.
Lindy’s projects Notre Dame to go to the Fiesta Bowl against Group of Five representative Boise State.
Athlon:
Athlon has Notre Dame ranked at No. 15 in the preseason.
Julian Love is picked as a third team All American, as our own JP Scott wrote about .
Like Street and Smith, Athlon lists Notre Dame as having a quarterback controversy. They even go as far as to say freshman Phil Jurkovec is “expected to get an extended look.” Brandon Wimbush is listed as the projected winner.
Notre Dame opponents Florida State, Michigan and USC are also listed as having quarterback competitions.
Athlon is the only magazine of the three to project records, and Notre Dame is projected at 9-3.
The Irish are “difficult to read,” in part due to their 4-8 record between 10 win seasons. They question whether last September-October is the more “accurate depiction” or last November’s collapse a better representative of the “up and down Brian Kelly regime.”
Notre Dame is projected to the Tax Slayer Bowl against an 8-4 Texas A&M team.
Side By Side Recap:
Rankings:
Street and Smith: 14
Lindy’s: 12
Athlon: 15
All Americans:
Street and Smith: First Team: Alex Bars
Lindy’s: First Team: Sam Mustipher and Julian Love. Second Team: Te’Von Coney.
Athlon: Third Team: Julian Love
Expectation:
Street and Smith: 9-10 wins
Lindy’s: 9-10 wins
Athlon: 9-3
Next: Notre Dame vs. The Service Academies
Bowl Matchups:
Street and Smith: Camping World Bowl vs West Virginia
Lindy’s: Fiesta Bowl vs Boise State
Athlon: Tax Slayer Bowl vs Texas A&M