Notre Dame Football: Pleasant Surprises Early in Fall Camp

What Stands Out Days in as Irish Gear Up For 2024?

Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman during Notre Dame football fall camp at the LaBar Practice Complex in South Bend. / Greg Swiercz / USA TODAY NETWORK

The first couple days of Notre Dame's 2024 Fall camp have come and gone. While Gabe Rubio's broken foot is definitely a bad break, literally, overall, there's a lot to like from the practice reports coming out of steamy South Bend as the calendar turns to August.

Let's look at a few of the early storylines that bode well for the Irish as they settle into camp. Are these items being overblown out of pure excitement of the return of football or will they be harbingers of things to come for a stellar 2024 for the Irish?

Notre Dame Offensive Line - Aamil Wagner Runs with 1's

Entering this fall it was assumed that Charles Jagusah would assume the starting role at left tackle. Right tackle though, remained less clear. Would upperclassman Tosh Baker start camp with the first-team with youthful Amil Wagner trying to overtake him for the starting role?

In fact, the opposite has happened as Wagner has opened camp in the starting role. This is a terrific sign of the coaching staff's belief in the younger more athletic player, especially considering that the first game will be in a brutally hostile environment where one would think experience would be key.

Will Wagner maintain the job all through camp or will Baker and all of his experience catch him?

This will be interesting to monitor.

Notre Dame Wide Receivers Impress Early in Camp

It's no secret that Notre Dame has struggled in the wide receiver room of late, most recently accentuated by their 0-3 recruiting stretch that found desired playmakers heading to USC, Washington, and down to LSU with old pal Brian Kelly.

Not ideal.

If you can call timeout on the recruiting worries for a moment and focus just on the players that are already in the program, the reviews have been glowing thus far.

While the 2024 group will certainly not be as dynamic as the 2019 LSU squad by any means, they will be much deeper and have some players who can take a big jump forward.

Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison supported by a refreshing amount of depth behind them. This group is not quite where the Notre Dame staff would want it to be overall, but it is improving.

Notre Dame Injury Recoveries Coming Along Nicely

One of the biggest questions entering camp had to do with the health status of three of Notre Dame's most important players: Riley Leonard, Mitch Evans, and Benjamin Morrison.

All have been recuperating from various injuries and surgeries.

Early camp reports indicate that Riley Leonard is 100% and Evans and Morrison are in limited action but are trending towards playing against Texas A&M in the opener. This is fantastic news for the Notre Dame as it will want all hands-on deck heading into a crucial week one matchup in primetime against SEC talent.

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