Around the ACC | August 31
We don’t know what Notre Dame’s roster will look like in week one against Duke. We don’t know who might be out because of Covid-19 or because they’re injured. We don’t know who will win each position battle or if some position battles will be undecided.
We do know that Notre Dame has a much deeper and more talented roster than Duke. That we have known for a long time.
The Irish could be missing some pieces and still figuring things out with their personnel, but still be favored to win. They don’t need all hands on deck to beat a program like Duke.
Duke is in a different situation. They can’t afford to not have all of their best ready to play if they are going to have a chance at beating Notre Dame. They need all of their key players to play and play well to pull off the upset.
That’s why head coach David Cutcliffe mentioning that cornerback Mark Gilbert is banged up is a big deal. A former All-ACC corner who has missed most of the last two seasons recovering from an injury to his hip, Gilbert was an elite talent when he was healthy. If he’s not healthy, the chances of them beating Notre Dame just went way down.
This isn’t Duke going against Brian VanGorder’s defense in 2016 or Duke with a future first round quarterback in Daniel Jones. This is Duke coming looking to bounce back and be a bowl team and they need all of their best players to ball out to accomplish that.
Duke needs players like Gilbert to compete with the best teams in the ACC. If he’s not the same guy he was before the injury, beating more talented teams is going to be a tall task for them.
- Georgia Tech has a four-way battle for their starting quarterback job. That seems like a really bad scenario in a year where practice is anything but normal.
This could be head coach Geoff Collins not revealing who is truly leading the way at quarterback in order to not give their opening opponent, Florida State, any edge. We’ll see where they are at with their quarterback when Notre Dame visits Atlanta later in the year, but true freshman Jeff Sims is a name to watch for them. He was a 4-star prospect who was originally committed to FSU.
- I mentioned on Power Hour earlier this week that wide receiver Jordan Addison is someone to watch at Pitt. He’s been generating plenty of early buzz and he was one of the biggest risers as a prospect during his senior year.
Notre Dame offered him last summer and liked him at cornerback, but he emerged as a stud wide receiver that I eventually ranked in my top-100 prospects in the country.
Pat Narduzzi recently threw out an Antonio Brown comparison when asked about Addison. I expect him to be a factor for them this season.
- Addison made 247Sports’ preseason freshman All-American team and there were two Clemson players on there as well.
Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee was a lock to be on there and he’s going to be a problem for Notre Dame to block this season and beyond. It may be a bit more surprising to see defensive back Malcolm Greene on the list, but Dabo Swinney has praised Greene’s impact in camp as a freshman.
As told to our friends over at the Clemson Insider:
Asked to expand on his sentiment that Greene (5-11, 190) is as good of a player as the Tigers have inked, Swinney said, “He’s just a baller.”
“The guy just gets it,” Swinney continued. “He knows how to play the game, he’s fast, he’s physical, he understands technique, and a very multiple player – he could play anywhere, he really could. He’s more of a true corner than K’Von, but he’s a lot like K’Von.
“He’s a true corner but he can play the boundary, he can play the field. He can play nickel, he can play dime, he can play safety – he can play anything. But he’s got a great knack for special teams. He’s an excellent finisher on the ball and knows how to stay in phase and just does some things naturally that sometimes takes guys a little bit longer. And then physically, he’s in such a great spot.”
Greene had an offer from Notre Dame, but could never get him on campus.
So maybe Notre Dame will have an advantage when they see Clemson at home this year with no “sea of orange” invading Notre Dame Stadium.
- I know Florida State still has some issues they need to work out, but Notre Dame fans shouldn’t sleep on them thinking it will be an easy matchup. As I mentioned in my opponent preview, the defense has a chance to be really good and has the talent to be a top-15 group in the country.
Former Notre Dame recruiting target Joshua Kaindoh is finally healthy and had a great camp. He could be a breakout player for them and the combination of him and Janarius Robinson off are another set of edge rushers that are going to make Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey work very hard to keep Ian Book upright.