Which Incoming Freshmen Have The Best Shot At Playing In 2021?

Breaking down the incoming freshmen that have the best chance to earn playing time for Notre Dame in 2021

Notre Dame landed a recruiting class that SI All-American ranked as the nation's eighth best haul, and it was the program's first consensus Top 10 class since 2013. We all remember what kind of impact talent that class possessed.

While the 2021 class might not have the five-star talent of the 2013 class that had Jaylon Smith, Will Fuller, Mike McGlinchey and other past stars, it's a deep and talented group of signees. There will certainly be freshmen that get every chance to come in and compete for playing time.

Here's a look at the freshmen I believe have the best chance to earn some level of immediate playing time:

QB Tyler Buchner - I'm on record as saying I expect Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan to be the starting quarterback, and I'm also okay with that (see below). But even if Coan starts every game, the Notre Dame coaching staff must find a way to make Buchner a part of the offense in 2021.

Redshirting a player like Buchner is useless, because he isn't staying five years if he's as good as we all think he is. Coan is also gone after 2021, which means a first-year starter will be lining up against the Ohio State Buckeyes to start the 2022 season. If that is Buchner those snaps can't be his first non-mop up minutes.

Working him into low stress games (Toledo, Purdue, Navy, Georgia Tech as examples) for a series or two would be a wise idea, and whenever the team has a big THIRD QUARTER lead the staff should give Buchner a series with the first team offense before yanking them all out of the game.

RB Audric Estime/Logan Diggs - Notre Dame returns just three scholarship running backs, and in three of the last four seasons the Irish have had at least four running backs carry the ball at least 20 times in a season. 2020 was an exception due to players getting injured and/or leaving the program.

That means one of Estime or Diggs (if not both) will get some action in 2021. Since five-year running backs are a rare thing, redshirting either of them makes little sense, and finding opportunities for both at some point in the season would be ideal. Whether that's short yardage situations or getting them the ball as an occasional change of pace, on top of mop up minutes, would make some sense.

WR Lorenzo Styles Jr - Styles is on the small side, but he's strong and physical for his size. I believe he's more than ready to be part of a wide receiver rotation right away. Now whether or not the staff makes the necessary changes that allow for a talent like Styles (and Colzie), Jordan Johnson and Xavier Watts to get on the field before they've mastered the playbook remains to be seen, but getting Styles on the field must happen in some capacity.

One area I'd look for him to get a chance to play during the spring and fall camp is as a punt returner. His combination of toughness, lower body strength, quickness and burst are all traits that you want in a top punt returner.

WR Deion Colzie - In past years Colzie would find himself as the youngest giant on a roster full of giants. In 2021, however, he will be unique in that he will be the tallest of the wideouts, and the most natural boundary receiver. 

Colzie is young and his game is still developing, but he's big and very talented. The Notre Dame staff needs to do with him what it should have done with Johnson and Watts, and that is early in the season find 5-10 snaps a game for him to allow him to get his feet wet, and when he does come in the game for mop up minutes, give him a chance to catch the ball.

The fact Johnson and Watts were targeted in the pass game as many times as Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey in 2020 remains one of the weirdest and worst decisions we've seen from a staff that has otherwise done a lot of really good things in recent seasons.

OL Blake Fisher/Rocco Spindler - Freshmen don't often play on the offensive line at Notre Dame, and for good reason. The Irish line is usually loaded, and there are plenty of talented older players that will have a better grasp of the offense and are prepared to shine. Fisher and Spindler, however, aren't your typical freshmen offensive linemen, and the fact both are early enrollees only increases the odds that one of these talented newcomers works his way onto the field in some capacity.

Offensive line is one position that I usually prefer to redshirt players, even top ones, but the reality is if Fisher is as good as we all think he is the odds of him being a five-year player are slim. He's more likely to go the Quenton Nelson/Ronnie Stanley/Aaron Banks route. So get him some action in 2021 and put him in position to push for a starting role in 2022.

DT Gabriel Rubio - Notre Dame is loaded on the interior of the defensive line, and every player that took a snap at DT last season returns. The possible move of Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa to the big end position should open up a chance for Rubio to see some action in 2021. I don't necessarily expect him to get 20+ snaps a game, but I could see him getting some Howard Cross types snaps this season.

LB Prince Kollie - Notre Dame has major questions at the rover position, and a player like Kollie could have an immediate impact on the defense, even with him not being an early enrollee. He is an instinctive player with the athleticism and toughness to play as a true freshman.

Even if he isn't able to work his way onto the field as a linebacker, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he ends up as a regular on special teams in a manner that is similar to what we saw from Bo Bauer as a true freshman. He's just too good not to use in some way, and like I've said about other top prospects, the odds of him being a five-year player aren't great, so use his talent.

CB Ryan Barnes - Barnes would be a no-brainer first-year player for me if he would have played as a senior. Him missing the season (the state canceled football) means he lost a season of development, but he's still walking into a great situation. Notre Dame has very little proven production returning at cornerback, and only Cam Hart has the kind of length and size that Barnes brings to the position.

Barnes is also a natural corner, possessing the instincts and feel for the position that should allow him to pick things up quickly. Barnes, in my view, is also a better athlete than Clarence Lewis, who started games for Notre Dame as a true freshman in 2020. He has far better size than TaRiq Bracy, who earned snaps as a freshman cornerback in 2018. 

Barring injury, I not only expect Barnes to play as a freshman, I think he could do in 2021 what Lewis did in 2020, which is push his way onto the field.

CB Philip Riley - Riley is another defensive back I expect to play as a freshman. Notre Dame has never landed a defensive back more physically ready to play as a freshman. He's over 190 pounds, cut and very strong. Riley should be the best tackler among the freshman defensive backs right away, and he's faced top-notch competition throughout his career.

Riley is also an extremely versatile defender. I could see him playing all five spots in the Notre Dame secondary, which means it will be very easy for the staff to move him around in order to find a home for him in the fall. I would be shocked if Riley doesn't find a role on defense, and even more surprised if he's not a regular on the Notre Dame special teams.

S Justin Walters/Khari Gee - Notre Dame is extremely thin at safety, and that could open up a chance for either Walters or Gee to find a role in the two-deep. 

To comment below be sure to sign up for a FREE Disqus account, which you can get HERE.

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content, our premium message board and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes.
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel.
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter