ESPN: Notre Dame Is A Dark Horse National Title Contender

One ESPN analyst believes Notre Dame is a long shot candidate to win a championship in 2024

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and safety Xavier Watts / Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

It has been quite some time since Notre Dame has won a national championship, but at least one national analyst believes the Irish are dark horse candidate to end that streak. In a "spring buzz" piece for ESPN, college football writer Adam Rittenberg picked the Fighting Irish as his long shot candidate to win a championship this season.

In an exchange with fellow college football analyst Heather Dinich, Rittenberg made his case for Notre Dame as a team to keep an eye on this season.

"Notre Dame fascinates me. The defense has been excellent under coordinator Al Golden and could be even better this fall, as Thorpe Award winner Xavier Watts and playmaking cornerback Benjamin Morrison lead an excellent secondary. Notre Dame usually can count on its offensive line and tight ends to be very good at worst, and I liked what I saw from running backs Jeremiyah Love, Gi'Bran Payne and Aneyas Williams in the spring game.

"The big key is getting more from the quarterback spot and the passing game against top competition. Notre Dame didn't really get a chance to evaluate Duke transfer Riley Leonard this spring because of his lingering ankle issues, but the team thinks it has an upgrade from Sam Hartman. The return of coordinator Mike Denbrock, who oversaw a record-setting LSU offense last season and understands the unique elements at Notre Dame, is a very sharp move." - Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

Rittenberg is spot on with his analysis of the pass game and the quarterback discussion. That is a topic that I broke down in a recent Irish Breakdown podcast. He's also not wrong in the belief that those around the program believe Leonard is an upgrade over Hartman, especially when one considers the fit into Denbrock's offense.

Notre Dame has a lot to prove in 2024, but it was certainly a pleasant surprise - and break from the norm - to see a national analyst at a place like ESPN actually talk about the Irish in such a positive light.

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