Notre Dame was moments away from lifting the natty, but they fell short to the Buckeyes at the final hurdle. It’s a no-brainer how hungry Marcus Freeman can be to fill the narrow gap and make a championship return next season. But wait! He has to do it without his crown jewel from the past season, Riley Leonard, the Irish starting quarterback, and a few other aces. Leonard moved to the NFL draft, trying his luck to get a chance to play in the pros. But how did Freeman manage to cope with the loss? Will Notre Dame look the same this year without Leonard under the center?

These are some head-on questions that need to be addressed quite soon if you want to soak in the high-flying natty dream. The veteran QB1 capped off the championship game by completing 22 of 31 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to his touchdown run in the first quarter, Leonard had 40 rushing yards, cementing his blueblood role in a close championship run for the Irish. Now, as he shifted his focus to the pro, Freeman was left without a reliable leader of the offense, a seasoned signal-caller.

Their existing QB prospects seem quite inexperienced compared to Leonard’s levels. CJ Carr can’t be trusted on that elite level, as he hasn’t seen any snaps in his first season as a freshman. Then there’s Kenny Minchey, a sophomore last year who didn’t have numbers. He just racked up 16 yards in his whole Irish career. The only player who has some potential to turn to is Steve Angeli. But none of them seem to help to fulfill the Irish’s goal to follow up their best season in 30-plus years. ‘

‘It won’t be the same this year. Riley Leonard deserves a ton of credit for that. Just having a quarterback who’s that mobile and can get out of trouble and is a veteran, I don’t think Steve Angelli, Kenny Minchey got the wheels, or CJ Carr have that kind of IT factor, so to speak, but they will be playing behind a bigger, stronger, better offensive line, at least from day one,” Insider Matt Fortuna splashed some harsh reality to the fans.

There is still no definite name as the QB1 of the Irish heading to the spring practices, which is quite concerning. ON3 predicted CJ Carr to be in the lead in the starting QB race, with Angelli coming second. While any of them can win the job at South Bend, their lack of experience and proneness to injury can be a significant drawback in the resume.

Irish fans are ready to embrace some fresh “homegrown” Notre Dame QB room, but only if “rookie” mistakes can be well-researched and limited. Well, we all know this is easier said than done, but Freeman has to find some middle ground and do the best he can. However, the new general manager added to the concern, warning about the portal business trending in the contemporary college football reality.

Irish GM had an underrated direction on Marcus Freeman’s portal plan

One of the key cornerstones of Freeman’s successful stint at South Bend is his master strategy in roster building. His 8.7M roster stands against one of the coveted in the business, Ohio State’s $20M roster strength, and embraced a loss with grace. It’s of no debate that Freeman has an ace over the portal and a strong nose for talent. But his newest addition in the GM spot, Mike Martin, has some advice to dish. The NFL vet didn’t deny the impact of the NIL market and the crucial role of roster-building through the portal.

But he asks to be cautious and not to be blown away by the portal lure only. There should be precision in every decision to make it as poised as possible. ‘We’ll do some of that by going to the portal; we won’t live in the portal, and obviously, we have academic things here, right? The academic rigor, like we pride ourselves on that. So, we won’t be able to reach out to every single person in the portal; we’ll be very selective there,’‘ the former Browns guy noted.

He also keeps the academic priority somewhere at the top, asking, “Can you tell me any other schools where you can compete for national championships on the field and work in the classroom toward Ivy League-type degrees?” The answer is a clear no. The Fighting Irish hold an elite place in terms of academic excellence. So, sticking to that standard will help to add to their reputation amidst the championship aspiration, with or without Riley in it.