Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame football program has done a heck of a job adding players the Fighting Irish will find indispensable in the offseason. There really isn't a single player that was added through the portal that won't be important as the Golden Domers attempt a title run.
There are however, some players that stand out from the group. There are players that are likely going to make a bigger impact than others. Players in a position group that had great seasons for their former team and will likely have fantastic years for the Notre Dame football team this coming season.
The first player on this list should surprise no one. He's one of the best players to transfer to Notre Dame football but he's also one of the best players to transfer period. The only reason he didn't get more attention nationally is because of how quickly he made a call.
Notre Dame football adds one of the best quarterbacks in the transfer portal
Riley Leonard was someone who the Notre Dame football team had on the radar even before he officially entered the portal. It's not hard at all to see why the Irish seemed so interested in the dual-threat quarterback.
Leonard is basically Sam Hartman, only he could actually be even more of a threat on the ground while also still offering one heck of a weapon through the air. And those Notre Dame football fans who are disappointed by his play in 2023 are missing the point.
Leonard's big production was when he was fully healthy. In 2022 he was the kind of quarterback that other teams feared.
In his second season with Duke, Leonard completed 63.9 percent of his passes despite not having a ton of top weapons to throw to. He threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowsn and just 6 interceptions. And then there's the damage he did on the ground with 699 yards and 13 touchdowns.
There's a reason Notre Dame football is quite excited about what Riley Leonard has to offer.
Riley Leonard was the high profile get from the Duke Bluedevils that everyone who loves Notre Dame football has talked about for most of the winter. But you ignore one of his teammates that joined him in South Bend at your peril.
R.J. Oben is one of those additions that might not get a ton of press over the offseason, but could indeed be one of the team’s MVPs once the season starts.
Oben is a pass rusher extraordinaire who didn’t rack up a ton of tackles but when he did reach his quarry, he tended to take them down behind the line of scrimmage. In three seasons as a starter, he had 14 sacks and 4 force fumbles. He even had an interception.
One of the most important things to remember about Oben is that while he tends to put up bigger numbers when he’s rushing the passer, he’s not someone who can’t play against the run.
He took part in 404 snaps on the defensive line in 2023 and 161 of those were during run plays.
The Duke transfer was a sometimes dominant player for a defense that wasn’t particularly good. It stands to reason he will take a pretty big leap for Notre Dame football under Al Golden’s tutelage.
There was no position group that saw a bigger shakeup for the Notre Dame football team than the wide receiver room. That group even switched up its coach from Chansi Stuckey to Mike Brown.
Right after the portal opened, several Fighting Irish receivers decided that the grass was greener elsewhere. It became clear almost immediately that Marcus Freeman and company were going to need to reload there.
And so they went to work. They added several receivers to the mix but the one that stands out the most is Kris Mitchell. The wide receiver from Florida International isn’t a household name yet. But he could certainly become one before it’s all said and done.
Mitchell took a big jump in his final season with the Panthers. He wasn’t a go to receiver before 2023 but once he became one, he was absolutely the man the team looked to as often as possible.
Mitchell caught 64 passes for 1,118 yards and 7 touchdowns. More important than the total numbers is how he reached them. Mitchell is the kind of speed threat that is going to be fun to see team up with Leonard.
The receiver averaged 17.5 yards per catch. And even when he didn’t have a ton of catches in season, he showed the ability to make a big play. That’s damn attractive for Notre Dame football in the coming season.