"We're going to put more on his shoulders because he can handle it. We're going to push him harder, push him further, and see if there's more that he can do.

Shaw does, however, know that teams will gear up to try to slow down the 6-foot, 197-pound junior. That’s where his teammates will need to elevate their play.

“We know he's going to, quote-unquote, have a target on his back,” Shaw said. “But that's why you have teammates, and that's why you have a great team. Notre Dame did a phenomenal job trying to bottle up Christian last year and Kevin Hogan had a great game and Devin Cajuste made some game-changing plays and we kicked a game-winning field goal, so that's what it shows to be a good team with a bunch of different players that can make plays.”

McCaffrey will have some help in the backfield as well. Shaw said he expects Bryce Love to have a bigger impact this season. Love had just 29 attempts for 226 yards last season.