Notre Dame Football 2023 Positional Group Rankings: Offense

Notre Dame’s 2023 roster in terms of both staff and players will look much different than it did even just a year ago in many ways. There are lots of new faces that will be making huge impacts come next fall. Particularly on the offensive side of the ball, there are going to be a lot of competitive battles for playing time.

As a fan, entering this year full of “new”, what positional groups do you feel the best about? What areas are you concerned about? Let’s take a moment to break down the offensive position group confidences.

RB-An Abundance Of Riches

Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estime (7) runs as he is tackled by Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (44) during the first quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

I love what this group offers in terms of both depth and skill variation. Aside from the proven blend of Audric Estime, Logan Diggs & Chris Tyree, a healthy JD Price should be joining the fold, giving the Irish maximum flexibility.

Everybody in this group can contribute when called on and offer some overlapping and some varying skill sets. I love this level of diversity and options in terms of the most effective deployment. This group should be a strength all year.

QB-Talent Rising

Oct 8, 2022; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman (10) looks to pass against the Army Black Knights during the first half at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone who follows the Irish has known for years that the QB play was not nearly high level enough, consistently enough for Notre Dame to reach their ultimate goals. That dynamic is changing fast.

A competition between Sam Hartman and Tyler Buchner is one that I’m interested in. That is a 1-2 punch at QB that provides much more high-level stability than Notre Dame has had recently. This group will continue to get more competitive as Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr settle in in the upcoming years.

Offensive Line- Stay Healthy

Nov 27, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish offensive lineman Joe Alt (76) blocks Stanford Cardinal linebacker Jordan Fox (10) during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

This group is undergoing some major changes as Harry Hiestand announced his retirement and Joe Rudolph assumes the role for 2023. As with most offensive lines, health is a big key. If this group can stay relatively healthy all year anchored by tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, this group should be stable.

Should there be a lingering injury or 2 that throws off chemistry or forces players to move positions, there may be some cause for concern. Players like Billy Shrauth, Andrew Kristofec, and Zeke Correll will be leaned upon this year and must be up for the task.

TE- Next Star Up

Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer (87) avoids Virginia cornerback Nick Grant (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Charlottesville, Va. (AP Photo/Mike Caudill)

Notre Dame’s lineage of terrific Tight End play over the last 20 years has been nothing short of outstanding. Most recently, Cole Kmet landed with the Chicago Bears and is a nice contributor there and Michael Mayer will soon be drafted high as well.

Who will be next to carry on the terrific lineage at this position? Mitchell Evans has already demonstrated that he has great hands and Holden Staes got some snaps last year as well. I expect these players to continue to emerge in 2023 with some more inexperienced and or injured players to follow. Notre Dame produces Tight Ends like Ohio State Produces WR talent. It’s “our thing” and will continue to be.

WR- Let's Have Some Fun

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA – OCTOBER 15: Tobias Merriweather #15 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish catches a pass for a touchdown against Kendall Williamson #21 of the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2022 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

This group enters 2023 with a lot of questions. The good news is I think there will be solid answers to said questions. The first thing that will help this group overall is Sam Hartman. If he indeed wins the starting job, Irish Receivers will know they have a passer who can both see them and hit them all over the field, a unique luxury at Notre Dame.

Players like Tobias Merriweather, Jayden Thomas, Deion Colzie, and Lorenzo Styles will all return with another year of experience. Can any of the incoming freshmen push for starting roles or meaningful snaps? The competition between the returning players and incoming young athletes like Rico Flores, Braylon James, and Jaden Greathouse should raise the profile of the entire group. It seems this group is on a major upswing and much is expected of them this fall.

For more Irish news & notes follow John on Twitter @alwaysirishINC, Always Irish on Youtube and or your preferred audio podcast provider.

Story originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire