If incoming transfer QB Riley Leonard comes back fully healthy, which he is expected to, he has the potential to be one of the best QBs in the country next season. He played extremely well in his time at Duke with less talent.
Coach Marcus has consistently improved as a coach in his 2 full seasons as head coach. After losing his first game as the interim coach, Freeman won 9 games for the Irish in 2022, followed by 10 wins in 2023.
Retained key players like TE Mitchell Evans, who was 1st in 2023 team receptions and 2nd in yards, WR Jordan Faiser, who was 4th in reception yards as a freshman, and S Xavier Watts, who led the team in INT last season.
Has one of the easiest schedules among playoff caliber teams, the Irish has 6 home games and 2 neutral site games, allowing them to only play 4 on the road this season.