The Notre Dame Fighting Irish begin their 2024 campaign on the road and in a toasty atmosphere against the Texas A&M Aggies. Besides the Texas heat and humidity, the electricity of the crowd should be evident with the Aggies’ new head coach and former Irish defensive coordinator, Mike Elko. For the previous three seasons, Elko served as head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.
Notre Dame has multiple new faces in the starting lineup, with Marcus Freeman set to begin his third full season as the team’s head coach. Unfortunately, training camp has dealt the squad with a pair of losses on both sides of the line. Left tackle Charles Jagusah was lost for the season with a pectoral injury, while backup defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio broke his foot during the first practice. Still, the Irish exited camp the healthiest they have been overall during Freeman’s time as head coach of the Fighting Irish.
Below are some of the key matchups to watch:
QB Riley Leonard vs. Texas A&M Defense
Like Elko, Leonard arrives from Duke; only he takes over the Irish signal-calling duties. He’s coming off an injury-plagued 2023 season but showed his talent in a near-upset of Notre Dame. His mobility and running talent are weapons that new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock hopes to use, but the hope is that his passing skills will also do some damage.
Roughly two-thirds of the 22 transfers brought in by Elko are on defense, a clear sign that this unit needed help. One of those transfers, end Nic Sourton, led Purdue with 10 sacks last year. During the Aggies’ six-loss season last year, their defense struggled against teams that could run the ball, an area that they need to fix with a player like Leonard behind center.
Notre Dame Defense vs. QB Connor Weigman
The Irish rarely lack defensive talent but need to fill some important holes and deliver as quickly as possible. Al Golden has molded this unit into a team strength, but in two of last season’s losses this group broke down (Louisville, Clemson). Keeping that from happening against the Aggies could end up helping to decide whether Notre Dame starts on the path to a playoff berth.
Weigman’s 2023 season ended far too soon, the byproduct of an ankle injury. When he’s healthy, he can move the football through the air, so getting pressure on him is a necessity for Notre Dame defenders. He’s a potential top NFL prospect but his struggles to stay on the field may end up helping teams decide on his football future.
LT Anthonie Knapp/Tosh Baker vs RDE Shemar Stewart
Knapp won the starting LT spot in camp and was listed as the starter on the first official depth chart – without an “OR” designation – so he’ll get the nod to start the season. He is, after all, just a true freshman, though. Should he falter, even though he made his presence felt during camp and has the skills to regularly knock down opposing linemen, Baker could get the call from the bullpen. Baker is a veteran who hasn’t made a true impact during his four previous seasons with the Irish, largely due to the presence of the departed Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. He’s got the requisite size to take over for the injured Jagusah, should Knapp struggle.
Stewart has been a steady presence on the Aggue defensive line and has delivered plenty of pressure along the way. That hasn’t necessarily translated into sacks, but the junior will undoubtedly be amped up for this game. Despite his large frame, he can move on the field, scoring on a 43-yard fumble recovery last season.
CB Benjamin Morrison vs. WR Noah Thomas
Morrison delivered another solid year after an outstanding freshman season in 2022. He did have some bumps along the way but is in a position to use another strong campaign as a springboard to the NFL. The fact that he’s battle-tested in high-pressure situations should be a benefit to the Irish in this contest.
Thomas only had 29 catches last year, though that seems to be more related to the quarterback injury situation. In last year’s opener, he reached the end zone three times, so he and Weigman were starting to develop a connection before the signal-caller went down. He makes for a big target, standing six-feet-six, so he figures to be active on Saturday night.
RB Jeremiyah Love/Jadarian Price vs. MLB Taurean York
Much like the left tackle slot, both Love and Price figure to be integral parts of the Irish running game this season. They’ll attempt to fill the gaping hole left by the departure of Audric Estime, which constitutes a huge challenge for both. The two combined for 657 yards and four touchdowns on the ground last year, though neither has been used much in passing situations. Love may have a slight edge to start the game, but Freeman will need both during the steamy evening.
York is Texas A&M’s leading returnee in tackles and knows how to get into opposing backfields. His 74 tackles last season came as a freshman, so he’s another player with the ability to put up even better numbers in 2024. He figures to get some help on the outside from Florida transfer Scooby Williams, but his name is likely to be heard a great deal with the Irish are on offense.
