Notre Dame football has been blessed with winning seasons as of late. It's been a while since they've finished below .500 — the last of such a record occurred in 2016. Since then, the victories have outweighed the losses, and the Fighting Irish fandom has more or less enjoyed the sight of their favorite team on the field. Still, there's always room for improvement, and many fans surely hope that Notre Dame takes it up a notch this season.
What does that entail? Well, considering how the Fighting Irish are already a strong team in general, shifting to a higher gear only means one thing: playing a level of football that results in a CFP return.
Can they do it? Possibly. Several factors do point in that direction. Notre Dame's manageable schedule comes to mind. The hiring of Mike Denbrock as the new OC also factors in. Lastly, there's the current lineup, which can only be described as “promising.”
Looking closely at the roster, a number of talented names stand out. Riley Leonard — a highly-touted standout from Duke — leads the way among incoming Notre Dame transferees. There's also cornerback Benjamin Morrison, who's arguably the best player in the team's loaded defense. Eyes will also be fixated on Howard Cross III, who tallied 66 combined tackles for the Fighting Irish last year. However, this article will talk about two other players, names who could arguably be the X-factors of the team. These difference-makers won't garner the most spotlight, but they'll be crucial in elevating Notre Dame's overall performance.
X-factor #1: Mitchell Evans, TE
In the midst of a breakout season last year, Mitchell Evans suffered a torn ACL during Notre Dame's win over Pittsburgh. As a result, he finished his 2023 campaign with just eight games played. Still, Evans was very productive, tallying a total of 422 yards on 29 catches to garner the second-most amount of receiving yards for the Fighting Irish. He also averaged 14.6 yards per reception and scored a touchdown during the team's October game against Louisville.
With Chris Tyree departing via the transfer portal, Evans now becomes the top pass-catcher among all the returnees. It'll be hard to predict if he ends up as Riley Leonard's number-one target though. In place of Tyree, Notre Dame secured the services of Kris Mitchell, an ex-Florida International football star who put up a 1,000-yard campaign last year. Regardless, as long as Mitchell Evans stays healthy this year, he'll surely be in for his biggest season yet.
X-factor #2: Xavier Watts, S
If there's one thing that Notre Dame fans can be excited about, it's the defense. As mentioned earlier, names such as Benjamin Morrison and Howard Cross III are predicted to shine this coming season. Add Xavier Watts to that list as well.
One can argue that Watts is more of a full-blown superstar than an underrated X-factor. It's understandable, considering how the safety was both a unanimous All-American and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner in 2023. However, it still feels like many tend to overlook Watts' heroics on the field. Certain publications have decided to exclude Watts from their All-American predictions for this year. Furthermore, several outlets did not rank Watts as a top 50 player in the country.
This can be quite confusing to anyone who's followed Notre Dame's 2023 campaign. Besides the awards, one has to look no further than Watts' numbers to see how much of an impact he made on the team. In 13 games, the safety tallied a total of 52 combined tackles (30 solo) — the most out of anyone among the Fighting Irish's secondary. He also had four passes defended and was credited for half a sack.
The most impressive parts of Watts' stat sheet last year? His seven interceptions and 137 interception return yards.
Oh, and he also managed a fumble recovery that resulted in a returned touchdown. Interestingly, this came at the expense of none other than Caleb Williams and USC. Here's the video below, per Notre Dame football's official X account. The Fighting Irish won that game, 48-20, and Watts also finished the outing with two interceptions.
If being overlooked gives Xavier Watts more motivation, then Notre Dame football will surely take it. Fans can expect another stellar season from the safety this year.
Final thoughts
All in all, things are looking good for the Fighting Irish. In addition to their formidable defense, the offseason tweaks have resulted in a much-bolstered offensive unit. Add these to their not-so-difficult schedule and one can deduce that the team has a very high 2024 ceiling.
Who knows? Maybe Notre Dame football might just end that four-year CFP drought in the next few months.
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