Notre Dame Football 2023 Season Predictions
Notre Dame kicks off its 2023 campaign a week from today when the Fighting Irish square off against long-time rival Navy in Dublin, Ireland. Notre Dame ranges primarily between No. 10 and No. 13 in preseason rankings, but the Irish are capable of being even better than that.
With the season upon us it's time to have some fun and make predictions for the season. The predictions below focus on the Notre Dame team record, their bowl projection and then individual player predictions.
Notre Dame 2023 Season Record Prediction: 11-1
During the show we went game by game and I predicted Notre Dame to win every game. That was a bit for fun, but the serious aspect is that Notre Dame can absolutely beat every team on their schedule. The arrival of quarterback Sam Hartman, the potential to be dominant along both lines and the skill talent on the perimeter are all reasons why Notre Dame will go into each game, each week with an opportunity to come away with a victory.
I am going with 11-1 as my actual prediction because going undefeated is going to be extremely difficult against the schedule that Notre Dame faces in 2023. The big three of Ohio State, USC and Clemson will get much of the attention, but road games against NC State, Duke and Louisville will also be challenging, as will a home contest against a Pitt team that has been known to give Notre Dame tough battles, especially when the Irish are good.
Notre Dame needed a fourth quarter comeback to defeat Pittsburgh in South Bend both in 2012 and 2018, which helped the Irish secure undefeated regular seasons.
The floor prediction for Notre Dame this season is 10-2, but if Notre Dame is the team I believe they are capable of being they will be better than that.
Bowl Game Prediction: Rose Bowl
Let's take a look at the Notre Dame player predictions.
Most Valuable Player: Sam Hartman, Quarterback
We have talked for years about Notre Dame needing impact quarterback play if the program was going to make a jump. Sam Hartman has a chance to be Notre Dame's best quarterback in a very long time, assuming he stays healthy and the pass game weapons step up.
Top Player - Offense: Joe Alt, Offensive Tackle
Top Player - Defense: Cam Hart, Cornerback
Hartman could be a candidate here as well, as could running back Audric Estime, and hopefully we're talking about Blake Fisher and Chris Tyree in this conversation at some point as well. At the end of the day, however, Notre Dame's best player is left tackle Joe Alt, who I expect to be even better as a junior.
I had a tough time zeroing in on one player defensively. JD Bertrand is going to have a really good year, and he could get MVP consideration. Benjamin Morrison is a preseason All-American and could be the team's most talented player. I also hope Rylie Mills and Jordan Botelho are making a case for this honor, but I truly am expecting special things from Cam Hart this season. His 2022 campaign got off to a rough start due to a hamstring injury, but once he was healthy and locked in Hart was outstanding. I expect that to continue into 2023, especially with opponents likely planning to avoid Morrison early, which will give Hart opportunities to make a lot more plays.
Top Rookie - Offense: Jaden Greathouse, Wide Receiver
Top Rookie - Defense: Christian Gray, Cornerback
Notre Dame has several freshmen on offense in position to make an impact this season, including Rico Flores Jr., Jeremiyah Love and possibly even lineman Charles Jagusah or tight end Cooper Flanagan. But it's Jaden Greathouse for me, and it's an easy pick after his outstanding fall camp, which followed an 11-catch performance in the Blue-Gold Game. Greathouse will be a key part of the rotation and I expect him to put up really good rookie numbers.
On defense, the options are a bit thinner due to the returning depth on that side of the ball. Linebackers Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry are certainly talented players, but playing time could be hard to come by this season. Christian Gray will be much, much harder to keep off the field and I expect him to make his presence felt.
Breakout Player - Offense: Tobias Merriweather, Wide Receiver
Breakout Player - Defense: Xavier Watts, Safety
Simply put, Tobias Merriweather should have played more last season, but it didn't happen and he caught just one pass. I expect Merriweather to haul in at least 35-40 passes, but even more is certainly possible if he's as good as I think he'll be.
The pick on defense wasn't as easy with players like Mills, Botelho and Hart all contending for this honor. I'm actually hoping it's one of the two linemen for many reasons, but my pick is Xavier Watts. Notre Dame needs a playmaker to step up at safety, and Watts is poised to do just that.
Most Underrated - Offense: Zeke Correll, Center
Most Underrated - Defense: Howard Cross III, Defensive Tackle
Fifth-year senior Zeke Correll gets over-looked for a number of reasons, including the fact the Irish have arguably the nation's best tackle tandem. Although he wasn't named a captain, Correll has shown plenty of leadership in fall camp. I expect him to be a very important, but often overlooked member of the Irish offense.
The same is true on defense, with Howard Cross III serving as an important but overlooked member of the defense. Cross is a disruptive player inside, and if he can build on his 2022 campaign he'll be a very productive player for the Irish.
Here are my predictions for statistical leaders for Notre Dame in 2023.
Passing: Sam Hartman, QB (At least 3,500 passing yards)
Rushing: Audric Estime, RB (At least 1,200 rushing yards)
Receptions: Jayden Thomas, WR (60 catches)
Receiving Yards: Tobias Merriweather, WR (800 yards)
Touchdowns: Audric Estime, RB (14 touchdowns)
Tackles: JD Bertrand, LB (110 tackles)
Tackles For Loss: Jordan Botelho, Vyper (12 tackles for loss)
Sacks: Jordan Botelho, Vyper (8 sacks)
Interceptions: Xavier Watts, Safety (4 interceptions)
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Irish Breakdown Content
2023 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2023 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
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