Notre Dame Football: What are reasonable expectations for 2019?

Notre Dame football had a successful season in 2018 building toward the ultimate goal: A National Championship. What expectations should Irish fans have in 2019?

After a perfect 2018 regular season, many people expect the Irish to regress in 2019. With marquee games at Georgia, Michigan, and Stanford on the schedule for next season, it’s reasonable to expect the Irish to have a drop-off in success based off what the team accomplished last year.

But didn’t Irish fans have lower expectations heading in to last season? Didn’t Irish fans have apprehensions about playing at home against Michigan and Stanford and on the road against Virginia Tech and USC? At this point last year, didn’t many circle “trap” games such as Navy and at Northwestern? Wasn’t it a logical thought that Notre Dame would struggle with a wacky travel schedule in the second half of the season?

On top of that, the Brian Kelly and the coaching staff was looking for ways to replace Josh Adams. Equanimeous St. Brown was on his way to the NFL a year early. Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson left a huge void on the offensive line. Brandon Wimbush needed to make major improvements or else the Irish offense was doomed.

On defense, Drue Tranquill was moving inside to a position he hadn’t played before. The safety play was a major concern. The Irish had just hired a first-time defensive coordinator in Clark Lea,.

In short, there were a lot of moving parts and a lot stacked against the Irish and expectations were another average year.

The Irish exceeded expectations and there’s no reason to believe that they can’t again in 2019. After all, the Irish have way more answers heading in to 2019 than they did last year at this time. Of all the major concerns listed from a season ago, there really is only one (the linebacker position) that rivals the level of apprehension. If recent history is any indication, the Irish will find a way to figure it out.

The only real concern this year is whether the time in the spotlight and the pressure to repeat (and exceed) standards set in 2018 will weigh on Notre Dame’s student-athletes. But at a place like Notre Dame, expectations are always high. The pressure is always paramount.

There’s an old saying that pressure can bust pipes but it also can make diamonds. It’s reasonable to expect the Irish to chase the heavy hardware in 2019.