Notre Dame Football - 5 Intriguing Freshman for 2024 Season

Which Notre Dame newcomers have the chance to be difference makers early?

New Notre Dame enrollee CJ Carr throws a pass during practice Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend. / Austin Hough / South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Notre Dame football officially gets underway with the 2024 season Wednesday morning as fall camp begins.

Notre Dame opens camp exactly one month out from a season opener at Texas A&M that is about as hyped as an opener can get. Transfer quarterback Riley Leonard takes on his old head coach Mike Elko, who now leads the Aggies, as ESPN's College Gameday will be on location.

If 2024 is to go the way Notre Dame backers hope it goes, some underclassmen will need to contribute right away.

Could some of those be from the highly regarded freshman class that enters its first fall of college football?

Here are the five incoming freshman I'm most looking forward to keeping an eye on this camp.

5. CJ Carr - Quarterback

CJ Carr isn't going to compete for the starting quarterback job by any means but you can't help but be interested in following Carr's development this fall. Realistically you're looking at Carr to compete with Kenny Minchey for the third-string spot on the quarterback depth chart but his quick release and highlights in the Blue-Gold Game make it hard not to think about the future and will be worth keeping an eye on throughout the fall.

4. Cam Williams - Wide Receiver

Notre Dame's problems at wide receiver have been well documented. Mike Evans is in as the new wide receivers coach but plenty of questions show across the depth chart. The 6-2, 195-pound freshman from Chicago's western suburbs brings an undeniable speed element Notre Dame has lacked. Can the consensus top 40 prospect force his way onto the field as a freshman like so many have struggled to do in recent years?

3. Guerby Lambert - Offensive Tackle

Notre Dame's offensive line has to replace two excellent tackles in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, who were both selected in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft. Lambert didn't enroll at Notre Dame early with some of the class but brings a body that appears to be game-ready upon entry. It's hard to see Lambert winning a starting job in camp but it's also difficult to see him going his entire freshman year without making a run at playing time as he has a chance to be Notre Dame's next in a long line of elite tackles.

2. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Middle Linebacker

Just how good does Viliamu-Asa project to be? Notre Dame successfully recruited 2022 Butkus Award winning linebacker Drayk Bowen in last year's freshman class but expect Viliamu-Asa to compete immediately for the middle linebacker job. Viliamu-Asa will one day be able to play every down on Notre Dame's defense as the uptick of linebacker recruiting continues.

1. Bryce Young - Defensive End

Bryce Young brings a couple of invaluable traits that simply can't be taught. The son of Notre Dame great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bryant Young obviously has incredible football bloodlines, but at 6-7, 258-pounds, he brings a body that is ready to compete for playing time. Notre Dame's defensive line should be as good as almost any nationally but expect Young to push for playing time and give the Irish more necessary depth and dependability as the leaves start to change colors this fall.

Related Articles:
Notre Dame's Projected Defensive Depth Chart Entering Fall Camp 2024
Notre Dame's Projected Offensive Depth Chart Entering Fall Camp 2024