Notre Dame Football: Freshmen will wait their for their turn on defense
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football team could see some true freshman start on offense in 2021, but the same thing may not be said about the defense.
After seeing nine members of the 2020 Notre Dame Football team get selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Irish had a lot of work to do in terms of the roster. Luckily, they have some elite talent coming back this season, and they should once again be in the conversation for making the College Football Playoff.
This is a program that has been to the CFP twice in the last three seasons, and while they have to replace some All-American talent, they have veterans ready to step up. In addition, they have some true freshmen who could crack the starting lineup, but that is likely to happen only on the offensive side of the ball.
Guys like Blake Fisher and Rocco Spindler are widely considered legitimate candidates to start along the offensive line, but on defense, it will be familiar faces that dot the starting lineup, at least to start the 2021 season.
Notre Dame Football loaded with veterans on defense
Last season, we saw Clarence Lewis come in as a true freshman and start right away, something that was a bit of a surprise. However, looking at the depth chart for the defense in the 2021 college football season, it will be tough for any true freshman to come in and earn a starting spot.
That is not to say that some of these true freshmen won’t make an impact in Year 1, but this is a veteran group on that side of the ball that could be one of the best in the country. On all three levels, new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman has experienced guys he can lean on, and there are some All-American candidates on that side of the ball as well.
The 2021 recruiting class was a solid one, as players like Prince Kollie, Gabriel Rubio, and Philip Riley are going to be stars down the road. However, in 2021, the defense is going to be led by guys who have waited their turn, and we could see some exciting years from the likes of Isaiah Foskey, Drew White, and Cam Hart to name a few.