SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame isn’t quite ready to move on to next football season, considering the coaching staff isn’t set after defensive backs coach Mike Mickens’ departure for the Baltimore Ravens and defensive line coach turned linebackers coach Al Washington off to the Miami Dolphins.

Still, the Irish are close, even if there’s more staff movement to come. At a minimum, head coach Marcus Freeman knows those changes won’t affect his coordinators: Notre Dame is bringing back incumbents at both positions for the first time in Freeman’s five seasons, along with his first returning starter at quarterback.

Leave no doubt? Now at the top of the football food chain, the Irish shouldn’t have any under Freeman. But that doesn’t mean Notre Dame doesn’t have spring practice questions to answer. Here’s a look at how the team may shape up, position by position.

Quarterback

Starter: CJ Carr
Spotlight: Noah Grubbs

Unlike last spring, quarterback should be a tidy position come March. It’s CJ Carr and everybody else. This is how it’s supposed to look for Notre Dame, which has a serious Heisman Trophy contender at the position for the first time since Brady Quinn and a returning starter for the first time since Ian Book. That 2020 season, with the program’s all-time winningest quarterback working under offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, ended in the College Football Playoff. This one should, too.

The No. 2 job is wide open, which will put some pressure on mid-year enrollee Noah Grubbs. There’s a reason why the staff pushed to have Teddy Jarrard reclassify to arrive this offseason. A strong spring from Grubbs might change how the staff feels entering summer.

Running back

Starter: Aneyas Williams
Spotlight: Javian Osborne

For all the memorable highlights produced by Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, their every-down production can sometimes get overlooked. After all, not every carry went for a 50-yard touchdown, even if it sometimes felt that way. Love and Price combined for 312 carries, 2,046 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns, raw numbers that are difficult to reproduce from a running back group returning part-time production from Aneyas Williams and basically nothing else … although Williams was also good for a 50-yard touchdown on occasion.

Can Williams be RB1? Can Notre Dame make it work if he’s more of an RB1A? That depends on Kedren Young’s recovery, considering he tore his ACL last summer and has yet to play a meaningful snap in two seasons. It also depends on mid-year enrollees Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton, with the former looking more college ready.

Osborne rushed 271 times for 2,157 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior. And at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, he’s probably more ready to shoulder a load. It’s not that Notre Dame can’t be good at running back, but the Irish will be a step down from generational.

Wide receivers

Starters: Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, Micah Gilbert
Spotlight: Mylan Graham

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Notre Dame’s receiver room is full of potential! It’s been that way since before Freeman arrived, which is another compliment to Mike Mickens. Hear us out. When Mickens arrived six years ago, the defensive back and wide receiver positions were full of recruiting misses and questionable development. One position group now sits at the top of college football. The other has featured a parade of transfers saving Notre Dame from roster misfires, dating back to Ben Skowronek. Maybe the Irish are done with that?

Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse are both CFP-level talents, although Greathouse’s odd redshirt last season made his 100-yard games against Penn State and Ohio State feel more dated than one season ago. There’s a reason Notre Dame invested so much in Ohio State transfers Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham. The Irish didn’t have a choice if they wanted to make this year the year for Carr. Graham will be the most interesting receiver during spring ball because he’ll be available while Porter works back from a knee injury.

There’s a job begging to be won at this position, and the three-man junior class of Cam Williams, Micah Gilbert and Logan Saldate has yet to make an impact. Last year’s freshmen didn’t get much of a chance, and now there are five new mid-year enrollees. The Irish have numbers to throw at the problem. But quantity won’t solve it alone.

Tight end

Starter: Cooper Flanagan
Spotlight: James Flanigan

Why did Notre Dame struggle in short yardage last season? A more classic tight end setting the edge could have helped, and the Irish didn’t have one without Flanagan, who was recovering from an Achilles tear suffered in the Sugar Bowl. Flanagan played just four snaps against USC and didn’t see the field the rest of the season, held out of most practices through November. Point being, his absence was more than precautionary. Now he’s back to working out during winter conditioning. Flanagan could be a difference maker in the run game.

Beyond Flanagan? There’s a load of potential, including five-star freshman Ian Premer, who doesn’t arrive until the summer. That means Flanigan probably needs to make a move during spring to lock up the third (or second) tight end spot. He redshirted as a freshman by playing in just four games, including 15 snaps at Pitt with the game still in doubt. Ty Washington, as a second tight end, is all fine and good. Flanigan winning that job would probably be better for the Irish.

Offensive line

Starters: Anthonie Knapp, Charles Jagusah, Joe Otting, Guerby Lambert, Will Black
Spotlight: Will Black

At this time a year ago, Notre Dame’s offensive line was expected to be the best in the country. It didn’t quite work out that way, with Jagusah out for the season before it started, and then center Ashton Craig lost to an ACL tear by midseason. It’s not that the offensive line was poor; it just didn’t hit the heights expected. Still, there’s plenty of talent for offensive line coach Joe Rudolph to mold. It’s just not clear how the starting lineup will open spring ball.

Anthonie Knapp is a lock at left tackle. Jagusah and Craig are staples on the line when healthy. Guerby Lambert grew into the right guard spot in his first season starting. The hunch is Black will get the first look at right tackle, even though he repped at guard last season while taking a redshirt. Black was a five-star prospect according to Rivals, which gets lost in Notre Dame’s loaded incoming freshman class.

There should be some young depth pieces behind the starting lineup, but getting reps for guard Sullivan Absher and center Joe Otting should be the priority. Otting should run with the starters in spring until Craig gets healthy closer to the season.

Defensive line

Starters: Boubacar Traore, Francis Brewu, Jason Onye, Bryce Young
Spotlight: D-line coach Charlie Partridge

No position got a bigger upgrade through the portal (and the NCAA waiver process) than the defensive line, which went from a panic spot within the Irish defense to a bona fide strength. Adding Francis Brewu (Pitt) and Tionne Gray (Oregon), along with Jason Onye’s return for a sixth season, could reimagine how defensive coordinator Chris Ash and new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge call the game. Swapping Keon Keeley for Josh Burnham gives the Irish a bigger body as their third defensive end. Is this the third most-talented position group on the team?

There’s so much new here, including a group of four mid-year enrollees — five-star end Rodney Dunham is the headliner — that it’s impossible to pick out a most interesting player or two or three heading toward spring. This is all part of the reason Partridge was hired. He knows how to marry fronts to the coverages Ash likes to run, and his track record as a talent developer is top-notch.

Linebacker

Starters: Drayk Bowen, Jaiden Ausberry, Jaylen Sneed
Spotlight: Madden Faraimo

The position will be limited during spring practice, with Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa months removed from an ACL tear suffered against Syracuse and Drayk Bowen reportedly limited by hip surgery. And suddenly it will have a new position coach after Al Washington’s departure for the Miami Dolphins.

But considering how many reps Bowen and Viliamu-Asa split last season, they probably didn’t need extended spring work. Of course, it’s not like Jaiden Ausberry and Jaylen Sneed are short on experience. Ausberry (437 snaps) basically logged the same workload as Viliamu-Asa (435 snaps) last season. Sneed is entering his fifth year with 1,016 career snaps played.

That combination of injury and experience makes Madden Faraimo the most interesting linebacker in the room after a decent freshman season. He didn’t play against Miami, Texas A&M or USC, meaning he has to prove himself to the staff as a reliable linebacker. Spring ball is the perfect time for that … no matter who is coaching the position.

Cornerback

Starters: Leonard Moore, Christian Gray
Spotlight: DJ McKinney, Khary Adams

Notre Dame has the best cornerback in the country and perhaps the best starting duo, too. It’s just a matter of who will be coaching them, with Mickens off to the NFL. Frankly, it would be hard to screw this up, no matter where Freeman turns for his next cornerbacks coach. Along with rising sophomores Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery IV, the Irish have a talented and tidy depth chart that’s already built to absorb losing Leonard Moore and Christian Gray to the pros next winter.

Still, does Notre Dame have a true nickel? Golden got some run there last season, with mixed results. Incoming transfer DJ McKinney didn’t play much slot corner at Colorado, but he has more than 2,000 snaps of college experience. Will Zackery or mid-year enrollee Khary Adams get a look? It’s hard to imagine a five-star prospect not getting a chance somewhere next season. Like at linebacker, the reserve corners are more interesting than the starters.

Safety

Starters: Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson
Spotlight: Joey O’Brien

Similar story to cornerback, with Adon Shuler and Tae Johnson forming perhaps the best starting tandem in the nation. Shuler will be a two-time captain, and Johnson was last season’s breakout star (not named CJ Carr). Notre Dame invested in keeping the Shuler-Johnson lineup intact as other programs noticed their potential. Year 2 in the Ash playbook could mark a major step forward, which is saying something considering how well they played a year ago.

Not to overlook Luke Talich, but when Notre Dame got five-star safety Joey O’Brien and compared his body type to Kyle Hamilton, it was a signal that the Philadelphia product will get a chance to play immediately. If O’Brien is as good as he appears, he’ll flash during spring practice. Notre Dame doesn’t need him to challenge Shuler or Johnson, just to be ready a year from now when the position probably turns over.