​Notre Dame football begins its fall practice today, meaning that we are extremely close to seeing the Blue and Gold back on the field.Head coach Marcus Freeman gave us a little preview on Tuesday, as the Irish will be getting ready for a season with very high expectations. They’ll enter the year as the No. 5 ranked team in the US LBM Coaches Poll, a spot that should give everyone confidence.However, there are more than a few aspects of this team that should be monitored during camp. Here are my top five things to watch as Notre Dame gets fall practice started today. Quarterback CJ Carr’s second-year progression inside Notre Dame OC’s Mike Denbrock’s system This is one of the biggest questions in my eyes for this year’s Notre Dame team, how far can Carr lead them. While he’s supremely talented, losing running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price along with wide receiver Malachi Fields won’t be an easy transition. However, there is a great track record for Denbrock with second-year starters, as he guided Jayden Daniels to a Heisman Trophy at LSU. Even if it’s just a small jump, Carr should leap into superstardom as the chatter about being a first-round draft pick will continue to grow. Injured major contributors in linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and wide receiver Quincy PorterBoth are expected to be major contributors for the Irish this fall, but both enter the year as limited participants. Freeman did say he expects all of those players to be ready for the start of the season, but it’s really hard to say if that will be the case. Viliamu-Asa isn’t a starter, but is on the field as much as one normally is, and Porter is the boundary receiver with size that this roster really needs to step up. The hope is that they’re both healthy to play against Wisconsin, but it’s something to monitor over the next month. Can Notre Dame defensive line coach Charlie Partridge have as big of an impact as his recruiting has?Partridge has absolutely crushed it on the recruiting trail, bringing in a defensive line class that many believe is the top group in the 2027 cycle. The question right now is how much of that magic will translate over to the on-field production. Partridge wasn’t a great head coach, but has been best leading a position. Freeman is fairly confident about the interior players, but the edge’s have to step up. There plenty of talent on the roster from Boubacar Traore to Bryce Young, but there is a need for more production. Hopefully, we see it early in camp and it translates into the fall. Notre Dame must develop depth at running back It very much looks like Aneyas Williams is the starter, but who will be the contributors behind him. Notre Dame is preparing for along season and there will be a need for at least three others to play significant minutes. The question really is who is that going to be? Nolan James has tons of talent and could be the first off the bench, but he’s got virtually no experience. Kedren Young