Five Wide Fullbacks returns as April is winding down and warmer temperatures are creeping towards South Bend. Today we will look at the new NCAA clock rules, transfer portal options, the most improved players of spring, positional battles to watch, and taking the temperature of Sam Hartman hype.

1) What are the top 3 positional battles to watch when August camp opens?

I tend to think Notre Dame is in a pretty good spot in terms of starters going into the summer. The bulk of the spots are pretty much known, and yes we’ll include quarterback in that group. The biggest battles to watch include:

Free Safety – Someone has to get the bulk of the snaps opposite Xavier Watts. Will it be DJ Brown? Ramon Henderson? Will the Irish rely on Thomas Harper more than expected? Or is it going to be someone new (see below).

Left Guard – I’ll add this spot with the thought that it’s the more important side of the line and it’ll determine things for right guard, as well. We thought Michael Carmody may be in the mix but he was seen playing tackle during the Blue-Gold Game. So it’ll come down to one of Billy Schrauth, Andrew Kristofic, or Rocco Spindler. The latter of that group–thought to be the long shot pick–actually looked pretty decent during the spring game.

Wide Receiver (all of them) – This is going to be a fascinating season to see how the receivers are used and who can produce the most. After Jayden Thomas (who should see the field the most by a lot) there could be a season-long battle for snaps. Will Deion Colzie and Tobias Merriweather come out strong and how much will Jaden Greathouse and the freshmen eat into that playing time?

2) Who wins the award as the Most Improved Player of the spring?

The easy answer is nose guard Jason Onye who came from out of nowhere this spring to a trusted (for now?) backup. There are some other players to discuss, too. Gi’Bran Payne could’ve packed things up and felt like he wasn’t much of a factor but looks like he could be a useful backup in 2023. I’ll throw Gabriel Rubio in there for continuing his development and looking like a solid backup. Not many people were talking about Nolan Ziegler and he’s potentially moved himself into the next starting Mike linebacker after JD Bertrand leaves. Lastly, if he’s really going to make a big leap then Xavier Watts could be a post-spring winner of this award, too.

3) Notre Dame will probably have space for at least 2 more scholarships if they want to add someone to the roster through the transfer portal. Where should the coaching staff target new talent?

There’s a lot of overlap here with the positions to watch for fall camp mentioned above. There’s been talk that taking a guard would be smart on Notre Dame’s part but I just don’t see them going that route post-spring at a place that really prides itself as being a top-notch program for offensive linemen. If they did, it would have to be an unquestioned excellent Power 5 level guard with plenty of size and experience.

Safety has really been the only position the coaching staff has brought up as a possibility. Of course, a starting-level safety would be nice but you could also argue even a decent backup for depth should be a priority. I’d also add a hybrid safety type (someone with maybe a little more size) would be important to bring in a blitzing role, as well.

I wouldn’t be shocked if a wide receiver was brought in, but again, it would likely be a depth piece and not someone who would make a big difference. Even though the receiving corps is trending up there are only 9 scholarship guys on the roster. Bringing in an experienced veteran who isn’t afraid to mentor the young receivers would be a good idea. That probably wasn’t a role Lorenzo Styles was imagining himself taking in 2023.

Prior to spring, adding someone on the defensive interior looked like a huge priority. Now it’s a little less pressing. If I could pick one position for an excellent transfer addition I might go Vyper. That position is riding on Jordan Botelho behind an incredible amount of inexperience. I’d also be open to a big difference maker at Big End, too. Really, all defensive linemen can apply!

4) With Sam Hartman’s performance during the Blue-Gold Game does it adjust your expectations for the type of season he can have and the Irish offense overall?

Immediately, yes.

Sure, it was just the spring game. But, it wasn’t one of those Oklahoma-type spring games where the quarterback has forever to throw and hits all these super wide open receivers against a half-jogging secondary. It felt a little more real and sustainable of a performance from Hartman who displayed a wide range of throws, some into tight windows with pressure in his face.

Let’s do this 15 times this season. 

An offense on the slower side may average about 12 possessions per game. If you take Hartman’s numbers from the Blue-Gold Game and plug them into a full game he would’ve been:

39 of 48 for 567 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 rushing touchdowns.

Obviously, Hartman isn’t going to have the best game in Notre Dame history every single game. But you have to love the performance given the split squad nature of the game.

I think the chances of some big-time numbers against the weaker third of the schedule are far more likely and there’s a smaller but maybe more significant chance the Irish are way more competent against the tougher third of the schedule. Do we dare think about 40 points per game and 7 yards per play in 2023? Both would be top 5-ish marks nationally…I think the schedule is a little too tough to get there but it’s fun to imagine.

5) Can you breakdown the new clock rules being implemented in DI and DII college football this season, are they good or bad?

Okay, here are the 3 new rules going into effect this season:

#1 No consecutive timeouts – A much needed change and one of those rules where you wonder how it was even allowed to go on for so long.

#2 No untimed downs at the end of the 1st quarter and 3 quarter – I don’t think this rule was that old, right? I’m struggling to understand why this ever came into being. Getting rid of this is the right move, for sure.

#3 The game clock no longer stops after 1st down except with under 2 minutes to play in the 2nd quarter and 4th quarter – I go back and forth with this one but end up being about 70/30 in opposition. College football games are way, way, way too long and I’m getting increasingly more frustrated and ornery about it as I get older. It just stinks that they’ve decided that a way to shorten game times is to allow less football to be played.

If we didn’t have to play Navy every damn year I’d be less worried. Over the last 3 meetings against the Middies, the Irish have averaged just over 56 offensive plays per game. I swear to God there’s going to be a game against Navy at some point in the future with these new rules where Notre Dame is hustling trying to get in a 2nd offensive series to finish the 1st half.

I have to think there may be backlash if games move along too quickly and we see a substantial drop in plays per game.