Notre Dame football team came out of the gates on fire last season, but a litany of injuries, bad defense and turnovers derailed the Irish's championship hopes and sent them spiralling out of the national spotlight. 2015 could very well be a different story, but there's still plenty to address before we punch Notre Dame's ticket to the College Football Playoff. Here's
5. Will The Defensive Line Step Up?
The Irish had just 26 sacks in 2014 -- not nearly to cause signficant distress to the majority of the opposing quarterbacks they faced. Defensive end Isaac Rochell (7.5 tackles for a loss, 10 QB hurries) will need to build off an impressive sophomore campaign, becoming a pure sack artist to complement two-time captain and defensive tackle Sheldon Day. There is plenty of talent on the line. But the question remains -- can they get to the quarterback?
4. Can Justin Yoon Save The Special Teams Unit?
In his last year with Notre Dame, place kicker Kyle Brindza has a frustrating, ineffective go-arounding -- missing ten of his 24 field goal attempts, including two that may have cost the Irish key victories. The onus is now on freshman Justin Yoon to salvage the kicking game, getting his reps in camp in hopes of translating his raw talent into production come the regular season.
3. Who'll Emerge In The Receiving Corps?
Corey Robinson, Chris Brown and Amir Carlisle have yet to put together consistent seasons for the Irish, but their collective talent is still enough to push this group over the top and into the rarefied air of the elite units in college football. If one, two, or all three can emerge in a big way in fall camp, starting QB Malik Zaire's job gets that much easier.
2. How Loud Will The Chatter Be Surrounding Brian Kelly?
Brian Kelly's won at least eight games in every season since he came to South Bend in 2010. However, outside of a 2012 BCS National Championship game appearance, Kelly's teams have largely underperformed compared to the talent level present. The conspiracy theorists and critics are already cropping up and heating up Kelly's office seat, so it will be interesting to see just how much that will be a storyline once fall camp is in full swing.
1. Is Malik Zaire Ready For The Spotlight?
It's Zaire's team now with Golson off to FSU, but a spotty spring performance has some fans and pundits worried about whether or not he's ready to take the load in South Bend.. He's a fantastic dual-threat weapon at his best, but he sometimes rushes his decision-making and befuddles the coaching staff by failing to efficiently and patiently cycle through his progressions. If he can get that tightened up a bit in fall camp, the Irish should be in very good shape heading into Week 1.
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