SOUTH BEND, Ind. — There’s still some murkiness on Notre Dame’s depth chart.When the Irish released their first two-deep of the season Monday, the tableau featured 17 “or” distinctions, ranging from starting jobs (cornerback and guard) to deep reserves (fourth-team running back and third-team kickoff returner). Considering Notre Dame is coming off the longest offseason in school history, it’s not like Marcus Freeman hasn’t had time to make these decisions.Or maybe Notre Dame wants Sunday night’s season opener against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field to provide the deciding vote. It’s not like the Irish have been afraid to make September tweaks when the formula isn’t working. Two years ago, that meant changing two offensive line positions, promoting veterans Pat Coogan and Rocco Spindler. Last year, it meant rethinking the nickel spot, elevating freshman Dallas Golden.Will there be another do-over coming?That’s impossible to answer based on one depth chart, but Monday’s roster rundown offered a glimpse of what got resolved in August and what still needs to be figured out.Armel Mukam is the breakout story of campNotre Dame spent big at defensive tackle in the transfer portal last winter because it couldn’t afford not to reinforce. When the Irish pulled Francis Brewu from Pittsburgh and Tionne Gray from Oregon, it felt like they had signed at least one starter, if not two. Instead, they weren’t even the best defensive tackles the Irish got from the portal, considering Armel Mukam briefly went in before being recruited back out by new defensive line coach Charlie Partridge.Mukam and sixth-year senior Jason Onye are listed as the starting defensive tackles, with Brewu and Gray backing them up.Three storylines to watch: Indiana, Arch and KiffinStewart Mandel“Armel is one of those guys that you see at the facility early, stays late. He does all the little things to be the best football player he can be,” Freeman said. “Armel was a really good football player before he got to the portal and has continued to improve as he’s been back here.”It’s debatable whether Mukam was good before working with Partridge. He played just 69 snaps last season, which ranked 26th on the defense. The season prior, Mukam got just 60 snaps and played in just six games. There were walk-ons who got more work. But now it appears Mukam is ready to provide a return on four seasons of investment.“I’m proud of him,” Freeman said. “I’m grateful that he is here in our program. He’s done a terrific job since he’s been back, and he’ll continue to ascend because of the work he puts into it.”Mukam has never played a snap with a game in doubt in his career.Now he could be starting for a team with national championship aspirations.Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa might not be back, but Ashton Craig isKyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is the only player listed on Notre Dame’s injury report as “questionable” as the linebacker returns from an ACL tear suffered in late November. It appears he’ll play against Wisconsin, although the Irish might limit their most talented linebacker, in part because they can afford to take it slow considering the other talent on hand.Ashton Craig is a different story. The center tore his ACL for a second time in October, and he’s been cleared to start against Wisconsin, which feels like an automatic addition to the starting lineup no matter how well Joe Otting performed in November.“There’s a calmness that (Craig) brings because of his experience, and he’s a really, really good football player,” Freeman said. “He’s really progressed throughout camp with his workload and has gotten himself to a place that he’s ready to go. There’s a level of comfort with that.”Technically, Craig is the only player on the offensive line who is a returning starter at his specific position. This undersells the experience of left guard Anthonie Knapp, who started the past two years at left tackle, or right tackle Guerby Lambert, who started last year at right guard. Will Black is locked in at left tackle, with Sullivan Absher and converted tackle Styles Prescod competing at right guard.The offensive line might have some growing pains in September, but Craig’s comeback should increase the pain tolerance around the offense. Craig was Notre Dame’s highest-rated offensive lineman in the loss to Miami last season, per Pro Football Focus.It’s Noah Grubbs or Teddy Jarrard at QB2Whoever ends up backing up CJ Carr will do so without any experience.Sophomore Blake Hebert never saw the field last season. Noah Grubbs arrived in January. Teddy Jarrard enrolled in June. Hebert felt like a decent bet to win the backup job when training camp opened, but he missed a week because of “personal reasons,” which probably eliminated him from contention. It’s not clear who goes in first if Carr gets hurt or sits during a blowout, but Freeman wants to see Grubbs or Jarrard at some point Sunday night.“We want to try to get them both reps when we can,” Freeman said. “But we also have a plan that (if) CJ goes down, who’s gonna be the first guy in?”Based on how Notre Dame used Kenny Minchey last season and Steve Angeli in the seasons prior, there will be about 100 backup quarterback snaps to split between Grubbs and Jarrard. Is that enough to get a read on either? Notre Dame needs to know whether next year’s starter is currently on the roster before the end of October, when portal scouting season starts in earnest.There’s also the matter of making the offense work should Notre Dame lose Carr for any extended stretch. The most impactful moment of Angeli’s career wasn’t starting in place of Sam Hartman in the Sun Bowl; it was relieving Riley Leonard in the Orange Bowl for a quarter, leading a field goal drive just before halftime.Notre Dame doesn’t want to rely on a freshman quarterback to win a game this season but will prepare for it just in case.“That’s the biggest thing, make a decision so you’re prepared for the game,” Freeman said. “But how do we continuously develop those guys, and I think that’s going to be an ongoing process all season.”Is there a depth issue on the offensive line?Having true freshmen on the two-deep isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Two years ago, Notre Dame had seven true freshmen listed before heading to Texas A&M. It won with Knapp starting at left tackle and Viliamu-Asa getting 21 snaps on defense. Last year, the Irish had just two true freshmen in the two-deep heading to Miami. It lost with freshman cornerback Mark Zackery IV logging one snap on defense, and Golden got none.So what should we make of the six true freshmen on the two-deep who are split evenly between offense and defense? Safety Joey O’Brien and receiver Bubba Frazier aren’t big surprises. A couple of freshmen listed at QB2 shouldn’t surprise anyone, either, considering the glimpses of Grubbs and Jarrard.But the offensive line is a different story, where freshmen Charlie Thom and Grayson McKeogh are listed as backups at left tackle, and Thom is also listed as a backup at right tackle. These promotions feel more like emergency measures than freshmen who are too good to sit, akin to Blake Fisher, Joe Alt and Knapp. The Irish are without Matty Augustine (foot), Charles Jagusah (arm) and Chris Terek (knee) heading toward opening night. Basically, Notre Dame doesn’t have a choice but to push the freshmen forward and hope for the best.“I feel confident about the depth,” Freeman said. “I know there’s some inexperience, but there is some talent and some ability with those guys at backup positions that we don’t have any hesitation of putting in the game.”It’s hard to know whether Freeman believes that, at least before Sunday night. Of the nine true freshmen to make the two-deep from the past two season openers, four haven’t played a snap, and three got single-digit snaps. That leaves just Knapp and Viliamu-Asa. If all goes according to plan, Notre Dame will get all six freshmen listed on the two-deep — Jonaz Walton is listed as RB4 and Javian Osborn is RB5 — on the field at Lambeau. But listing freshmen on the two-deep and not activating them says something, too.