The Notre Dame football team had a pretty solid regular season this year as the Fighting Irish went 9-3 and are ranked #16 in the country heading into bowl season. Notre Dame still has one more game this season as they are headed to El Paso, Texas to take on Oregon State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on December 29th. The Beavers are also a top-2o team, and that should make for a good bowl matchup. However, both teams will be without their starting quarterbacks in this game as Sam Hartman is sitting out and hoping to go to the NFL, and DJ Uiagalelei is transferring for a second time.

Sam Hartman also knows a thing or two about transferring. Before he led the Fighting Irish to this year's 9-3 finish, he was the QB at Wake Forest. Hartman had some incredible seasons for the Demon Deacons as he threw for over 4,200 yards in 2021 and added 39 touchdowns, and in 2022, he threw for 3,700 yards and 38 touchdowns. He had some incredible seasons there, but his numbers weren't quite as flashy this season for Notre Dame football. He finished the season 191-301 for 2,689 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In his defense, he didn't throw the ball as much as he did at Wake Forest as the Fighting Irish had some great running backs.

If a couple of plays went differently for Notre Dame this season, this season could've looked a lot different for the Fighting Irish and Hartman. First, Notre Dame lost an early season home game to Ohio State in a matchup that they absolutely should've won. The Fighting Irish had the game wrapped up and completely beat themselves in the final minutes of the game, and they suffered a brutal defeat that took a lot of wind out of the sail. They then also lost to Louisville and Clemson later in the season, two teams that they certainly should've beaten. It could've been a special season in South Bend.

Now, Notre Dame football fans are looking to 2024 for a special season, and they will have another transfer QB leading the way, and it is another ACC QB. It's easy to see what type of QB Notre Dame likes. Next season, it will be Riley Leonard leading the way as he is transferring to the Fighting Irish from Duke. Leonard was a big part of Duke's surprisingly successful season this year, and he should be a major key to success for Notre Dame next season.

This season for Duke, Leonard had to miss the final few games of the season with a toe injury, and his numbers reflect that. He finished the year 95/165 for 1,102 yards and he added three touchdowns and three interceptions. It wasn't his best season, but the year prior, he threw for nearly 3,000 yards. It's going to be interesting to see him take the field for Notre Dame, and here are three way too early predictions for his 2024 season.

Riley Leonard will throw for 2,500 yards

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After seeing the way Sam Hartman's numbers dropped this season after making the move from Wake Forest to Notre Dame football, I'm not expecting anything super crazy from Leonard next year. That isn't a knock on Leonard, the Fighting Irish just have a lot of talented running backs that they are going to use often, and Leonard might not get enough passing attempts to rack up crazy numbers. I'm expecting him to be around the 2,500 yard mark next season.

Riley Leonard will throw for 25 touchdowns

Leonard is going to be able to have success through the air in this Notre Dame offense if he stays healthy, but the Fighting Irish are going to have a balanced attack on offense. Don't expect Leonard to put up any Heisman numbers in terms of touchdown passes. He had just three this season at Duke, but he will certainly be able to improve that total next year. He will have a lot more talent around him, and he should be able to work his way around the 25 touchdown mark.

Riley Leonard will lead Notre Dame to 10 wins

Notre Dame's win total in 2024 will improve. The Fighting Irish won nine games this season, but Leonard will lead them to the double digit mark in the regular season next year. They have some tricky matchups against Texas A&M (where Leonard will go up against his former Duke head coach, Mike Elko), Louisville, Florida State and USC. Those are going to be tough games, but the Fighting Irish can win two of them.