Notre Dame football: 4 big ‘what-ifs’ from the 2021 regular season

The Notre Dame football team finished the 2021 regular season with an 11-1 record, and a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, but there are a bunch of ‘what-ifs.’

Early on in the 2021 college football season, it looked like the Notre Dame football team would be solid at best, after struggling against the likes of Florida State, Toledo, and Purdue. After a loss to Cincinnati, they seemed like a long shot to make the College Football Playoff, but they banded together as a unit and made a real run to the final four.

Here, we look at some big ‘what-ifs’ from the 2021 campaign.

Notre Dame football: 4 big ‘what-ifs’ from the 2021 regular season

Blake Fisher never got injured

Going into the 2021 college football season, it was clear that left tackle Blake Fisher was the No. 1 true freshman on the roster. A Day 1 starter at the left tackle position, Fisher was supposed to come in and soften the blow of the loss of Liam Eichenberg, an anchor for the Irish at left tackle for multiple seasons.

Instead, Fisher saw his first season with the Irish get derailed early on, as he suffered an injury against Florida State in the opener, and would be lost for the year. At first, it seemed like there was an outside shot he could return, but as the season went on, Fisher was sidelined, and we will have to wait until 2022 to see the big guy in action once more.