By William Qualkinbush.

The Tigers will take on the Fighting Irish coming off of an extended bye week after a Thursday night affair at Louisville. It will be the third game of the season for Notre Dame against an ACC opponent, following matchups at Virginia and against Georgia Tech in South Bend. The Irish will take on Massachusetts before they face the Tigers in what will almost assuredly be a primetime ABC telecast.

The Damage

Notre Dame had a young roster last season, so much of its critical pieces remain intact for 2015. That includes both relevant quarterbacks, even after late-season starter Malik Zaire played well enough that incumbent starter Everett Golson reportedly considered a transfer.

There are greater concerns up front, where three starters will graduate. Center Matt Hegarty, left guard Nick Martin, and right tackle Christian Lombard will all need to be replaced. In addition, valuable interior reserve Connor Hanratty was a senior last season.

The Fighting Irish lose their third-leading rusher from a crowded backfield in Cam McDaniel, but that departure should not put much of a dent in the team’s rushing output. The team’s top four receivers will also be back, with tight end Ben Koyack (30 catches, 317 yards) being the biggest loss in the passing game. Reliable receiver Amir Carlisle will probably be missed a bit, but plenty of other options remain.

Notre Dame was sufficiently young on defense, as well, so the losses are limited. Linebacker Joe Schmidt, who missed the season’s final five games due to injury, leaves as the team’s second-most productive tackler per game. Cornerback Matthias Farley led the team in interceptions (4) and tied for the lead in sacks (3.5).

Kicker Kyle Brindza will leave on a down note after making only 14 of his 24 field goal attempts in 2014. He missed critical kicks in late-season losses to Northwestern and Louisville, so a fresh start at placekicker might be a blessing for the Fighting Irish.

The Newcomers

Even with the limited personnel losses, Notre Dame still managed to sign a 24-member recruiting class. ESPN’s Scouts, Inc. rated Brian Kelly’s haul the 13th-best in the nation.

15 of the Fighting Irish’s signees were rated as four-star prospects. The class was heavy at the skill positions, but the headliner (as is often the case) was a quarterback. 6’2” dual-threat passer Brandon Wimbush inked with the Irish over the rest of the country out of Jersey City. He should be groomed to step right in and contribute in 2016.

Kelly was able to go out west to land the nation’s top-rated tight end—6’5” Alize Jones—out of Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High School. He went further to snag rangy wideout Equanimeous St. Brown out of California on Signing Day, and he added a top five tailback from the Sunshine State in coveted prospect Dexter Williams.

Three other top 55 wide receivers joined the Fighting Irish’s recruiting class. 6’4” Illinois native Miles Boykin could play immediately, and a pair of smaller receivers—Jalen Guyton and C.J. Sanders—provide critical depth on the perimeter.

Notre Dame also worked to replace its key pieces up front. The Irish signed the nation’s top center, Idaho native Tristan Hoge, and snagged top 30 linemen Jerry Tillery and Trevor Ruhland. In addition, the Fighting Irish signed kicker Justin Yoon—the nation’s second-ranked placekicker and a potential replacement for Brindza—out of Massachusetts.

The state of Indiana rarely yields much fruit for Notre Dame, whose national brand lends itself to recruiting anywhere and everywhere. However, a pair of talented in-state linebackers did decide to join Kelly’s squad in Josh Barajas and Asmar Bilal.