Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock loves Notre Dame, which is why he returned for a third stint with the Irish.
Denbrock comes off a season in which he coached LSU’s 2023 offense to a nation-leading scoring average and yards per game and coached the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and this year’s 2nd overall NFL draft pick in Jayden Daniels.
“Every day is a blessing to be here. I love Notre Dame; I love an opportunity to be a part of this program and this university,” he said during his first fall camp press conference last week.
Though Notre Dame’s 2023 offensive under former offensive coordinator Gerard Parker broke the Irish’s modern record for season scoring average at 39.2 and came in second in the modern era in yards per play at 6.95, the Irish offense struggled in the biggest games—notably, in Notre Dame’s three losses, two of which came on the road.
When Parker left for the Troy head coaching job, Irish Head Coach Marcus Freman took a significant step toward solidifying an improving offense and increasing the offensive output from its young and explosive talent.
Denbrock likes what he sees so far in fall camp, with the season opener at Texas A&M just less than four weeks away.
“I really like the progress that we’re making offensively… We’re a lot farther along than we were in the spring,” Denbrock said.
“I love the work ethic, the grit, and the toughness that the guys are competing with.”
Denbrock was asked about senior transfer quarterback Riley Leonard and his development over the summer. Leonard missed spring practice after two surgeries, one on his right ankle and the other on his right foot.
“It’s nice to have an opportunity to truly evaluate him… It’s impressive way he’s picked up the system even though he didn’t get to take a bunch of reps in the spring,” Denbrook said.
“You can see there’s clear progress as far as his understanding and knowledge of what we’re doing. We purposefully had set the summer up and fall camp here to help catch him up from some of the things that he missed in the spring, if that makes sense. So, we’ve tried to kind of help him with that process but he did a great job himself over the summer of developing that himself and filling in some of the blank spots.”
That development included having the Irish wide receiver corps and freshman quarterback CJ Carr to Leonard’s hometown for summer workouts.
Denbrook acknowledges there is much to work on offensively as the clock dwindles until the season opener.
“Let’s make sure we solidify what we’re doing with the guys up front. There are some position battles going on there [on the offensive line]. Let’s make sure our overall offensive knowledge down to the fine details becomes a little bit more inside of us and in our hearts. We know the scheme; we know how to adjust it.”
Looking for Explosiveness
The Irish offense will showcase young but explosive talent, including sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love, who looks to have a breakout season and will feature as the number-one back after getting reps as a true freshman last year behind current Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime. Love has impressed this summer and camp, drawing comparisons between Defensive Coordinator Al Golden and former Irish and NFL star Ricky Watters. Love has put on 20 pounds in the offseason and looks more robust and powerful than last season when he showed bursts of his arsenal and talent.
“I’m going into this fall camp to show that I can be that No. 1 guy,” Love said.
What gives him confidence?
“It comes with being ‘D3,’ detailed, dependable, and disciplined,” he said. “What comes naturally? I’m fast, twitchy… I run hard.”
Freshmen running backs Aneyas Williams and Kedren Young have shown flashes in camp, and the wide receiver room has added experienced transfers in FIU transfer Kris Mitchell, Marshall transfer Jayden Harrison, and Clemson transfer Beaux Collins. Mitchell will likely start and serve as the Irish’s primary deep threat.
In his third camp, redshirt sophomore running back Jadarian Price is healthy and complements Love. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown against USC last season and has elite speed, just as love does.
“I think we both go a little fast. Coach Freeman has this competition where he tallies up points to see who has the fastest miles per hour throughout practice. We [Love and he] are competing in that throughout camp and just competing and making each other better,” Price said.
Sophomore receivers Jaden Greathouse and Jordon Faison got extensive playing time last year and should feature even more in Denbrock’s offense.
Mitchell Evans has recovered from last season’s torn ACL at tight end, and Eli Raridon is finally fully healthy. The tight end room is deep, and Denbrock looks forward to utilizing it in his high-powered offense.
“He’s a guy that really understands the game,” Denbrock said of Evans. “We can do a lot of things with a guy who understands the game the way he does. There’s going to be some things we can do with him versatility-wise that I’m excited about.”
A combination of youth and veterans has Denbrock confident and energized early in fall camp.
In the weeks leading up to the season opener, a position group breakdown on both sides of the ball will follow. Stay tuned for a primer on specific position groups, new playmakers to watch, and how fall camp battles play out.
