The first two notable dates of college football’s offseason passed last week, the deadline for players to enter the transfer portal before the spring semester and the deadline to enter the NFL draft. The former hardly warranted much notice at Notre Dame, only three players entering the portal after the 2022 season. While plenty did transfer from other programs, a mid-May look at that movement may better serve Irish purposes, as plenty of names will eventually leave Notre Dame.
The NFL deadline has no second passing. Players are either headed toward the NFL draft by now or they are not.
The Irish lost five players to early entry to the NFL, though two of those instances were offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson and defensive end Justin Ademilola, both of whom would have been returning for sixth collegiate seasons in 2023. So in a more genuine sense, Notre Dame lost only three players early to the NFL draft: tight end Michael Mayer, defensive end Isaiah Foskey and safety Brandon Joseph.
All five would have started for the Irish next season, obviously. But at most, Ademilola’s and Joseph’s declarations were surprises, and even those were only mild at most.
College football will slowly churn back toward college careers following “normal” timelines and more tenable roster management the further it gets from the universal pandemic eligibility waiver from 2020. That will not take all the way until the 2025 season. Coaches are already leaning toward it.
While Notre Dame would have gladly welcomed back Patterson and/or Ademilola, it also knew two realities.
1) Patterson should be a second- or third-round draft pick who could have gone to the NFL a year ago. His time is now.2) A year of Ademilola’s production would come at the expense of the development of younger players that may already be on the verge, somewhat deflating the value of his return.
In a parallel way, coaching staffs fall into two categories.
1) Either they are doing well and trust they can recruit better players than any draft debaters now. Leaning into continued successful recruiting lengthens the timeline these coaches expect to continue to succeed.2) Or they are failing and soon fired. A new coach would rather bring in new players, “his players,” to reboot the program.
In both scenarios, fewer and fewer sixth-year players will be seen around college football long before the 2025 season rules them out entirely.
All of that is to say, when discussing entrants into the NFL draft, it is more and more accurate to focus on the juniors (like Mayer) and the seniors (Foskey, Joseph) rather than the half-decade veterans. Those losses from Notre Dame’s 2023 opponents, in order of most severe to least …
Ohio State: Losing quarterback C.J. Stroud would top this list no matter who else was on it. Stroud alone would have made the Buckeyes the title favorites next season. Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also jumped to the NFL, though his final collegiate season was effectively nullified when a Joseph tackle in the season opener injured Smith-Njigba’s hamstring to an extent he never genuinely returned in 2022.
Center Luke Wypler and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. headed to the next level, as well, along with defensive tackle Dawand Jones and defensive back Ronnie Hickman.
But those latter losses are anticipated at elite programs. Ohio State has recruited to replace most of these players. The Buckeyes barely missed Smith-Njigba in 2022, and he may be the best receiver in the draft. Stroud, however, is a loss that will throw the early part of Ohio State’s 2023 into some question.
Clemson: Similarly, the Tigers losing three defensive linemen in Myles Murphy, Bryan Bresee and K.J. Henry along with linebacker Trenton Simpson may be too much to overcome in stride. As Clemson has so terribly struggled — throw some sarcasm on that phrasing — to just 10 and 11 wins the last two season, it has leaned on its defensive front.
The Tigers gave up only 102.7 rushing yards per game in 2022, No. 13 in the country, and 20.9 points per game, No. 22 in the country. A year ago, Clemson ranked No. 7 and No. 2 in the respective categories.
Replacing 29.5 tackles for loss from the 2022 season including 16 sacks will be a difficult task. Perhaps “terribly struggled” will no longer warrant sarcasm.
Pittsburgh: Not many programs saw two All-Americans jump to the NFL, but the Panthers did in running back Israel Abanikanda (1,431 yards on 5.99 yards per carry with 20 rushing touchdowns) and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (14 tackles for loss with 7 sacks in 11 games). Safety Brandon Hill also provided Pittsburgh’s defense some versatility.
USC: The Trojans also lost two All-Americans to the NFL — which, come to think of it, Notre Dame did, as well, in Mayer and Foskey — in receiver Jordan Addison and defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu. To be more clear, Addison was not a 2022 All-American, but one at Pittsburgh back in 2021. Injuries slowed him a touch in 2022, but overall, his talent is All-American in caliber.
Stanford: The Cardinal’s talent drain this offseason will warrant a deep dive. It is one to behold. The first line on it is quarterback Tanner McKee heading to the NFL with some draftniks thinking he should be an early-round pick.
When Stanford upset Notre Dame in October, McKee led the way with 288 yards on an impressive 26-of-38 completion rate. Losing him will drastically change the Cardinal ceiling in 2023, which is saying something considering how low that ceiling already was.
Central Michigan: Running back Lew Nicholls III did not have the statistical profile of someone who should head to the NFL already, with all of 616 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2022, but look back to 2021 and his choice makes more sense. He ran for 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns with another 338 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Navy, Tennessee State, North Carolina State, Duke, Louisville and Wake Forest did not lose players to any early NFL decisions.
If this list seems abbreviated, that’s because it is throughout college football. Name, image and likeness rights have made it more enticing for players to return to school Reportedly, fewer players entered this draft early than at any time in the last decade.
To think, so many people insisted NIL rights would ruin college football. Here is hard evidence it has upgraded the talent in the sport.
At least one #IrishInTheNFL is guaranteed a spot in the #SuperBowl…
— The Fighting Irish (@FightingIrish) January 21, 2023
… but who will it be?#GoIrish https://t.co/c5Noe5gQ7u
INSIDE THE IRISH
— Trio of early-enrolling Notre Dame receivers most likely of dozen arrivals to impact 2023— 40 Preseason Predictions Revisited, part I: ND’s rushing offense hid many early struggles— 40 Preseason Predictions Revisited, part II: Upset losses should have been expected from a first-year head coach
According to sources, Kathryn Tappen will make a return to @NBCSports as a sideline reporter for the @B1Gfootball primetime football package 🏈
— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) January 17, 2023
Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge will lead NBC’s Big Ten booth, while Maria Taylor will head the studio coverage. pic.twitter.com/1wOaAl7kCF
OUTSIDE READING
— 2023 NFL Draft Big Board: PFF’s top 100 prospects
— ‘Everything’s on fire’: NIL collectives are the latest patchwork solution for college athlete pay
— Numbers show NIL benefits college football— Has legalized betting led to more hurtful social media actions? Some admins think so.— Best college football games of 2022 season— Blazers’ Justise Winslow’s ‘giant, little steps’ out of the darkness
~one year ago, Notre Dame had two of the longest tenured football and men's basketball head coaches in all of college sports.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) January 19, 2023
When that is the case, the moment of two young/new coaches is inevitable, but it's still a whirlwind as it occurs.