Who will lead Notre Dame football in rushing yards in 2022?
Notre Dame won’t just have a new starting quarterback in 2022. The Irish will have a new starting running back, too.
Quarterback Jack Coan and running back Kyren Williams are both NFL Draft hopefuls next month. They were two of the most important players on the Irish offense in 2021. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees is tasked with filling the voids they left behind with the likes of signal callers Tyler Buchner or Drew Pyne and running backs Chris Tyree and Logan Diggs.
BlueandGold.com’s Tyler Horka joined Darin Pritchett of WSBT SportsBeat AM to discuss the Notre Dame quarterback situation, the Irish’s rushing attack, Notre Dame women’s basketball’s run to the Sweet 16 and Notre Dame hockey’s draw in the NCAA Tournament.
Listen to a conversation on Notre Dame football with Tyler Horka and Darin Pritchett
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Wednesday’s radio hit starts with a back and forth on the Notre Dame quarterbacks. Reporters viewed the first 30 minutes of Notre Dame’s initial spring practice last Thursday. Then they interviewed Rees, Buchner and Pyne the following Saturday.
Horka dives into what he saw Thursday and what he heard Saturday (2:13).
“Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne were 1A and 1B, and the goal this offseason is to settle on the number one guy and make the other guy number two,” he said. “I don’t think that’s going to happen particularly quickly. So if you’re a Notre Dame fan who wants this spring to settle that quarterback debate, it could happen. Stranger things have happened. But for Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees, there isn’t much sense in rushing through it this spring.”
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There could be a quicker timeline in the running back room.
It’s important to let the quarterback battle play out. Gather a large sample size of everything that takes place on and off the field before putting majority of the eggs in one basket. For the running backs, it’s equally as important to establish roles early on. Tyree should know exactly what’s expected of him so he can hone those crafts. Same goes for Diggs.
Tyree and Diggs have different skillsets. Rees has to figure out how to get the most out of each of them without letting either of their talents go to waste. When it comes to it, though, one of them will emerge as the team’s leading rusher. How likely is it they’ll finish in a tie with, say, 600 rushing yards apiece? Not very.
Horka details what to expect from the Notre Dame ground game and who he thinks will be the team’s leading rusher in 2022 (8:57).
The podcast wraps up with Irish women’s basketball talk (12:15) and a quick thought on what to expect from Notre Dame hockey in the NCAA Tournament (15:00).
