Notre Dame Football: Best Case, Worst Case for Position Groups

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: Drue Tranquill #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumbled punt in the second quarter of a game against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: Drue Tranquill #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumbled punt in the second quarter of a game against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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CHESTNUT HILL, MA – SEPTEMBER 16: Brandon Wimbush #7 of the Notre Dame football team looks to pass during the first half against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images) /

We take a quick look what the best case (and worst case) is for each position group for Notre Dame football is in 2018.

A few months ago, I took a dive into the 2018 Notre Dame football schedule to find out what the ceiling and floor are for the upcoming season.

All of theses scenarios depend on one very important component: the players.

It’s not exactly breaking news to say the results on the schedule will be a lot better if the play on the field is great.

It’s time to take a look at what the best case and worse case is for each position group.

Quarterbacks

Best: Brandon Wimbush takes the next step to develop, with the biggest improvement coming in his accuracy. In order for this to happen, Wimbush must look more comfortable in the pocket than he did last season. If this can happen, the accuracy improvement will come. Wimbush looked pretty good in the spring game, although it’s probably easier to be more comfortable knowing he can’t get hit. If all this comes to fruition, Wimbush could become a Heisman contender. Ian Book also gets some time to play against lesser teams when the game is out of hand in Notre Dame’s favor, of which there should be 2-3 of those this season. Thanks to the new redshirt rule, incoming freshman Phil Jurkovec gets a decent amount of playing time in a couple games, hopefully playing much of the 4th quarter against Ball State.

Worst: Wimbush still has accuracy issues and continues to look uncomfortable in the pocket. He looks to run more instead of pass, taking huge hits in the process — taking a toll on his health and costing him a few games later in the season. Ian Book isn’t ready either, also struggling with some of the same issues Wimbush has. Needing a spark, Jurkovec starts games to end the season, potentially burning his redshirt.