Notre Dame Breakout Players - 2023 Offense Edition

A look at my prediction for three breakout players for the Notre Dame offense for the 2023 season

One of my favorite topics to discuss every season are the breakout players for Notre Dame. It happens every year, some player either goes from a quality starter to a star, a backup to a productive starter, or from a lightly used player into a key rotation spot.

Breakouts are important for a football team to either maintain past success, or in Notre Dame's case to improve. You never fully know who they will be, but you know they are important to a team's success, and for Notre Dame there are several players poised for breakouts. 

For me a breakout can be one of three things. 

1) A good and productive starter turns into a nationally recognized impact player

2) A player with potential that shows flashes becomes a consistently impactful and/or productive player

3) A depth player becomes a starter and has a big jump in production and play

With this in mind, there are several players that are poised to be potential breakout players for Notre Dame. I discuss my top three breakout predictions in the podcast above, but there is a look at all the top contenders for a breakout that I see this season, going position by position.

RB Audric Estime - You might be surprised to see Estime on this list considering he already broke out last year when he rushed for 920 yards and 11 touchdowns. The reason Estime is on my list is because I feel like he is being vastly underrated from a national standpoint. His breakout won't be with Notre Dame fans, it will be nationally. If Estime is able to handle the workload of being the feature back he'll put up big time numbers (1,300+ yards of offense) and finally get recognized as one of the best backs in college football.

RB Jadarian Price - Price would have been a freshman sensation for Notre Dame in 2022 if not for the Achilles injury he suffered last summer. Assuming he's back to full speed, Price is going to surprise a lot of non-Notre Dame fans, and even some Notre Dame fans who don't really follow recruiting. Price is an explosive runner with home run ability, at least he was before the injury. His instincts as a runner are impressive, and if he's healthy he'll emerge as the number two back at some point this season, and fans will quickly get over the loss of Logan Diggs. Price is also a much better complement to Estime from a style of play standpoint. Estime and Diggs are very similar runners, but Price brings more of a one-cut slashing style and outside speed to punish defenses.

WR Tobias Merriweather - This won't surprise anyone, as Merriweather is the trendy pick to be a breakout for Notre Dame this season, and for good reason. Merriweather's size, athleticism, route running skills and ball skills are all outstanding. He should have played more last season, but after earning a starting role this spring he's put himself in position to see a big jump in production. He caught just one pass last year, so it's hard to imagine him not having some sort of breakout. The only question at this time is how much of a breakout does he have. Are we talking a 30-40 catch season, or will Merriweather become the true alpha pass catcher for the Irish? Both will be breakouts, but obviously one will have an even greater impact on the pass game.

WR Jayden Thomas - A preseason prediction I have is that Merriweather and Thomas become Sam Hartman's top targets this season, especially in the first half of the schedule. Thomas had a bit of a breakout last season when he caught 25 passes for 361 yards after not catching a single pass in 2021. Thomas shows good route running skills, he's physical, he can play inside and out, and he showed this spring he has some big play potential as well. Thomas has a chance to take on some of the routes that we saw Michael Mayer run last season, and he has a chance to become the team's top third-down weapon. I'm not sure he'll have a monster jump in numbers, but if he's as clutch as I expect him to be he'll not only improve his numbers, he'll be the face of a much, much improved wide receiver room.

WR Chris Tyree - Tyree has produced in the past, but he has a chance to flourish in his new role as a slot player. Expect to see him still get his fair share of carries on jet sweeps, reverses and even the occasional handoff out of the backfield. Tyree is also expected to be a screen game weapon and his speed should allow him to get into some catch and run situations. Notre Dame seems set on making him a focal point of the offense, and if Tyree can pick up the necessary route running nuances and catch the ball consistently I fully expect him to make some really big plays, put up impressive numbers (600+ yards) and force defenses to account for him in the slot, which then opens up opportunities for the outside receivers and tight ends.

WR Deion Colzie - This is one of the biggest enigmas on the offensive depth chart. Colzie has the size, speed and skills to be an impact player. Not just a key part of the depth chart, but a true difference maker, if not the top dog at wide receiver. The question, however, is can he show the drive and consistency to turn his immense potential into production. If the light goes on, so to speak, Colzie could be an outstanding player for Notre Dame, one capable of having a Miles Boykin type of breakout season. At the very least he'll be a key part of the Irish depth chart, like we saw in the second half of the 2022 season, and there's value there. At best he becomes a force in the boundary and jumps to at least 40 catches and becomes a big play threat for the Irish.

TE Mitchell Evans - This one should be easy, assuming Evans is able to hold off Holden Staes for the starting role. Notre Dame isn't going to suddenly stop prioritizing getting the tight end the football. Evans showed in the bowl game that he can be a weapon in the pass game when he hauled in 3 passes for 39 yards, but beyond the numbers he showed clutch playmaking ability. Evans will have to stay healthy, something he hasn't been able to do yet in his career, but if he does expect him to be at least a 30+ catch, 400+ yards type of player in 2023.

OL Blake Fisher - Fisher was a quality starter for Notre Dame in 2022, but he's capable of so much more. He went into the 2022 season with very high expectations, but Fisher was a bit inconsistent. That shouldn't be a surprise considering he was a true sophomore with just two career games under his belt. When Fisher was "on" he looked like the big time player we all know he can be. In 2023 it's time for Fisher to be that player on a far more consistent basis. That means getting his weight to the right place, playing with more force in the run game and being more consistent in the pass game. If Fisher plays to his potential he'll combine with Joe Alt to form the best tackle tandem in college football, and he could challenge for his own All-American honors.

OL Billy Schrauth - After not playing a snap as a true freshman, Schrauth quickly emerged as the top candidate for the starting left guard job for the Irish. Playing between Alt and Zeke Correll should prove beneficial for Schrauth and allow him to make a quicker transition into the starting lineup. Schrauth has a unique combination of power and athleticism, and once he gets comfortable in the starting lineup he'll start to flash big time ability. Then it becomes a question of how quickly he can gain the consistency needed to shine. Either way he'll be a breakout, but we don't yet know just how big of a leap he'll make. Are we talking about a Zack Martin/Quenton Nelson type of sophomore jump, or more of an Aaron Banks type sophomore jump? That remains a question.

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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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