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Calling Our Shot: Hot Takes for the 2025 Season

When it comes to surprises, good or bad, college football is chock-full of them. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are no exception, as each year, there are always some unanticipated developments. Today, my goal is to cherry-pick a few bold predictions and hopefully nail a few (or maybe all) of them. Let's get into it!

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Malachi Fields - 800+ Receiving Yards (Regular Season)

Want to know the last Notre Dame pass catcher to eclipse the 800-yard mark? That would be Michael Mayer in 2022. The last wide receiver to do it? Kevin Austin Jr. in 2021. Although this prediction may not sound like the boldest, it's important to remember that Notre Dame has a stable of running backs that are likely to be the feature of the offense, with Jeremiyah Love at the forefront. Similarly, Notre Dame's wide receiver room is probably the most talented it has been in a long time. With this much production being attributed to one player, it might be a little less attainable than it initially sounds. Fields, a Virginia transfer, amassed over 800 yards in his last two seasons on a mid-to-bottom-tier ACC team. The big-bodied perimeter threat should get the lion's share of the targets on the outside throughout the season, and will be a very comfortable safety blanket for whoever starts under center. I think there is certainly the potential for him to reach this milestone for the third straight season, especially given that Notre Dame will march out a quarterback who has high-floor arm talent. Can he outshine the rest of Notre Dame's emerging talent in the wide receiver room? My prediction is yes.



Boubacar Traore - 10+ Sacks

Notre Dame's defensive front was ravaged by injuries last season, leaving a lot of folks wondering what could have been for a talented redshirt freshman EDGE rusher. Boubacar Traore had been turning heads for quite some time at Notre Dame before he even played his first snap. Last season, before suffering a season-ending ACL tear, Traore had amassed three sacks and a pick-six in just five games. He looked like one of the best defensive players on Notre Dame's roster and should be primed to bounce back in a big way, provided his recovery timeline stays on track. With Notre Dame losing its senior production on the interior in Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills, a thundering presence off the edge is an absolute must for the Irish to make some noise this season. And while I have a lot of faith in Joshua Burnham and Bryce Young, I believe it will be Traore's time to shine this season. Look for him to be a major factor in games this season. If teams aren't already game planning for Traore, they will be after they see him take the field for the first time this season.



Jeremiyah Love - Wins Heisman Trophy

I'm not going to mince words here. Jeremiyah Love is easily one of the most electrifying Notre Dame players I've seen in my lifetime. And if recent Heisman Trophy winners have proven anything, they certainly needed those "wow" factor plays to set themselves apart. Love has given us plenty of those moments throughout his Notre Dame career thus far, whether that be leaping over defenders countless times, willing his way through tacklers on the goal line, or hitting a home run play when the team needed it most. Love has all the talent and expectations in the world heading into his third season at Notre Dame. I don't think there will be much of a question about his ability, but more so his workload and health throughout the season. In all likelihood, we're going to see a similar split carry look from Notre Dame that we saw this past season. Although Love will be the featured back, we'll still see plenty of carries go to Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams throughout the course of the season. With Love averaging a little over ten carries a game last season, that number will certainly need to increase for him to have a shot at taking home the Heisman. The good news is that Love looks to be recovering well from a nagging injury that hindered a lot of his production in the later stages of the season. If he can stay healthy, half the battle is already won. He'll also be running behind an offensive line that boasts more experience this season, which should only serve to aid in his efforts. Finally, Notre Dame won't have Riley Leonard at their disposal this year, so Love is in a position to collect plenty more touchdowns and carries in the red zone this season that would have otherwise likely gone the way of a designed QB run. If Love can get an extra 4-5 carries a game, there's no telling what he'll be able to do as a result. Is it a long shot? Maybe. But is this also the best position a Notre Dame running back has been in to take it home? I'd argue yes.


So, what do you think? Are these takes a little too hot? Not hot enough? We'd love to hear your opinions and any other takes you might have in the comments below!


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