What to expect from Notre Dame's offense as Marcus Freeman's first QB battle begins

SOUTH BEND, Ind.

Notre Dames social media team released a video montage of winter workouts Tuesday, and it was notable for who it didnt feature more than who it did.

The weight room shots and agility drills were limited to mid-year enrollees and incoming transfers basically no one who played a part in Notre Dames historic run to the national championship game that ended barely two weeks ago .

Advertisement And that makes sense.

The longest season in Notre Dame football history was always going to have a hangover, regardless of the outcome in the national title game.

Three more games, all bangers against Georgia, Penn State and Ohio State.

Hundreds of more snaps, wearing down the tread on Notre Dames tires.

When spring practice starts next month, it might lean more on the new faces inside the program than the ones who got Notre Dame so close to the mountaintop.

1 day at a time #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/CE0m5SBXFJ Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) February 4, 2025 Heres how Notre Dames scholarship roster on offense will take the field next month, although thats hardly a guarantee of how offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will deploy them as the Irish work toward the Blue-Gold Game on April 12.

Class years indicate a players class entering the fall.

Transfers not yet with the program are not listed.

Snaps indicate a players career workload on offense only.

Quarterbacks (4) On the list of firsts for Marcus Freeman, it took until his fourth season to get to his first true quarterback competition.

Tyler Buchner and Sam Hartman were almost certain starters, Buchner beating out Drew Pyne and Hartman beating out Buchner the following year.

Riley Leonard was never named the starter during a spring practice schedule that he missed almost entirely due to injury, but he was clearly brought in from Duke for the job.

Notre Dame hasnt had this open a quarterback competition since DeShone Kizer versus Malik Zaire nine years ago, which Brian Kelly called a draw, which helped lead to a disastrous season.

It doesnt make much sense for Freeman to name a starting quarterback before August, no matter what Steve Angeli, Kenny Minchey and/or CJ Carr show during spring ball.

Angeli has high-stakes experience after leading the field goal drive in the Orange Bowl.

Carr has the pedigree and the expectations, even after last seasons elbow injury slowed his rise.

Minchey feels like a man without a country, but in a quarterback competition this open, that doesnt mean he cant make a move.

GO DEEPER Can Notre Dame keep winning big? 'This has to be the new normal' Running backs (6) Notre Dame doesnt need to see anything more from Jeremiyah Love during spring practice.

If there ever was a case for a red jersey on a running back, this is it after Love battled through an MCL injury during the College Football Playoff that stole much of his explosiveness against Penn State and Ohio State.

The Irish know what they have in Love.

Hes a potential first-round pick and Heisman Trophy candidate.

Notre Dame doesnt need to confirm that in March or April.

Advertisement Statistically, Jadarian Price doesnt have much to prove, either, after rushing for 746 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 6.2 yards per carry.

Yet Price was too much of a boom-or-bust back last season.

One-third of his season rushing total came on just five carries.

He averaged 3.1 yards per carry on the other 158 attempts.

Can Price add efficiency to his skill set? Spring could be a time to prove that.

Aneyas Williams probably did enough during the postseason to keep the RB3 job over a healthy GiBran Payne, who missed last season with a torn ACL.

Few programs will have a better one-two-three punch at running back, and there will be more carries to go around with Leonard removed from the run game.

Wide receivers (10) The most interesting name in Notre Dames receiving corps next season isnt listed because Virginia transfer Malachi Fields wont arrive until summer.

He should lock down one starting position, which creates honest competition at the top of the depth chart for the first time in years.

Instead of hoping for production at wideout, the Irish actually return some, both homegrown and via the transfer portal.

Will Pauling arrives from Wisconsin with 129 career catches, 1,372 yards and nine touchdowns, doing most of it in the Big Ten after transferring from Cincinnati instead of Marshall (Jayden Harrison) or Florida International (Kris Mitchell).

And considering the woeful state of Wisconsins quarterback play, Paulings production feels even more impressive.

Paired with Fields (129 catches, 1,849 yards, 11 touchdowns), Notre Dame should know what its getting from both its transfer takes.

The big difference is Notre Dame brings back actual recruited talent at wide receiver for the first time under Freeman in Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison.

Though neither is Golden Tate or Will Fuller, both are athletic enough to win one-on-one and run away from defenders in the open field.

Can the Irish get something from KK Smith, the sophomores or the freshmen? There are reps up for grabs, which makes spring practice critical for those seven.

Advertisement Tight ends (4) No position takes a bigger step back than tight end this spring, as Notre Dame lost Mitchell Evans to the NFL and Cooper Flanagan to a torn Achilles suffered against Georgia.

That leaves Eli Raridon, who came through last season healthy for the first time in his Notre Dame career; sixth-year senior Kevin Bauman, whos struggled with injuries; and sophomore Jack Larsen.

Ty Washington wont arrive until summer after his transfer from Arkansas.

Notre Dame used less 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) under Denbrock last season than it did under Tommy Rees and Gerad Parker, who were both blessed with NFL talent up and down the position.

The lack of tight end skill during spring ball might force a continuation of that trend, perhaps opening the door for a different kind of offense that features multiple running backs and four-wide sets.

Offensive linemen (14) Notre Dames starting offensive line in the 2024 opener at Texas A&M brought back six career starts.

Next seasons could field 58 career starts when the season kicks off at Miami, with the potential for the entire starting lineup to return in 2026.

The most interesting part of the line will be how Joe Rudolph sorts it after thinking outside the box last season, benching experience (Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler) for potential (Sam Pendleton and Billy Schrauth), only to revert back to experience for reasons of injury and performance.

Does Anthonie Knapp move to guard considering the potential of Charles Jagusah at left tackle? What to do with sophomore Guerby Lambert, who might have the most potential of anyone up front? Can Ashton Craig give the Irish anything during spring practice after Septembers torn ACL? Is there a rotational role for Sullivan Absher? While other positions might be more interesting for how Notre Dame develops its depth, the offensive line will be a more top-heavy story as the Irish sort out their best five ...

or at least begin that process.

Regardless of how Rudolph settles on a lineup, hell have a much better grasp on the group than last year, even if the line ultimately overachieved.

GO DEEPER Notre Dame mailbag: What's next at defensive coordinator? How big are portal losses? (Top photo of CJ Carr and Steve Angeli: Joseph Weiser / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

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