The real number of starters returning from the playoffs is 9 on defense, and 6 on offense. If they had a perfectly healthy team, the number is a little different. Say 6 on Defense and 8 on offense. The team that will take the field on 8/31 will likely only have 1 or 2 kids who don’t have starting experience. The QB and possibly a Safety. They have filled the spots they needed to fill other than QB with the portal. These kids were starters at Alabama, VA, and Louisville.
Yeah, I asked about the returning starters situation and was told the following:
“Defining returning starters for ND is difficult because they had 11 starters get hurt last year, so then other kids started also. So what do you consider a returning starter? The kid who was the original starter, or the kid who started the most?
Starters who left for NFL or Portal who were original starters: Leonard, Evans, Collins, Mills, Cross, Kiser, Morrison, Watts.
So that’s 8 of the original 22 starters who are gone.
Then you have kids who started after others’ injuries who left for portal: Coogan, Spindler, Pendleton.
Kids who started originally who are back: Knapp, Craig, Schrauth, Jagusah, Wagoner (entire starting OL). Love, Greathouse, Faison, Traore, Bohtelo, Bowen, Sneed, Gray, Shuler.
So that’s the other 14 of the 22 original starters.
And then the kids who actually started more games than the original starters because of injuries: Burnham, Young, Junior, Moore.
Kids who also started multiple games: Rubio, Raridon, KVA, Price, Hinisch.
Kids who stsrted at P4 schools elsewhere:
Fields, Pauling, Smith, Dawson, Hughes, Stroman, Washington.
So ND actually has 30 players returning who started multiple games last year for ND or another P4 program. Hope this helps!”