RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesSOUTH BEND, INDIANA - OCTOBER 18: CJ Carr #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish throws a pass against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 18, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Odyssey was just released. A new Spider-Man releases this week. Notre Dame Football’s fall camp starts in a week. I just got a cool hoodie delivered.
What a time to be alive.
In anticipation of the pre-season, here’s a breakdown of Notre Dame’s offensive roster, with the defense to follow.
Quarterback
Starter: CJ Carr
Projected Backup: Who knows?
For the first time in a long time, there’s no drama to Notre Dame’s offseason quarterback competition. That’s because the competition is for all the spots behind No. 1.
Carr returns for a redshirt sophomore season and second as the starter after completing two-thirds of his passes for 2741 yards and a 24:6 TD-INT ratio last season. He’s also the arguable Heisman frontrunner for 2026.
It’s a weird sensation to have a returning starting quarterback—the first since Ian Book in 2020—and to feel confident in his ability to win a big game for Notre Dame passing the ball (no disrespect to Book, but the 2020 Clemson win was sort of a one-off, albeit one I will cherish forever as having witnessed in person).
Where things get interesting is behind Carr. It’s an open secret that four-star recruit Teddy Jarrard was pushed by Notre Dame’s staff to reclassify from the 2027 class to 2026 both to keep him away from other suitors and so he could compete with incoming freshman Noah Grubbs for the backup spot. Jarrard missed spring, and credit to both Grubbs and Blake Hebert, they managed to make this competition interesting.
A week before the Blue-Gold game, you could’ve said the writing was on the wall for Hebert. But he had a beautiful touchdown pass to Elijah Burress in the spring game and showed some rushing ability that no other quarterback on the roster may have. Until then, Grubbs looked to be separating from Hebert, which goes to show how fast things can change.
All in all, it’s a healthy place to be for Notre Dame, accepting the reality that they’re most likely screwed in 2026 if the unthinkable happens (hence why I’m not articulating it). But there’s at least confidence that the Irish could weather a temporary storm without Carr.
Running back
Starter: Aneyas Williams
Projected Backup: Nolan James Jr.
There’s not much drama at this spot either. The last time Notre Dame had a starting running back with the last name Williams hailing from St. Louis, it turned out well. Aneyas probably won’t live up to Kyren’s standards, but there’s a surprising level of confidence in a third-year running back with 58 career carries and 443 career yards (and seven touchdowns).
Last season for Williams was a bit of a wash because of a lingering elbow injury and a new running backs coach focusing on the top two backs at everyone else’s expense. (To be fair, both turned out to be first-round NFL Draft picks). But in 2024, Williams was the best pass-catcher among the running backs as a true freshman (18 receptions for 172 yards) and stepped up in a big spot against Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The mentality isn’t in question, but he’s inevitably going to suffer from comparisons to his unreal predecessors. The trick is to take advantage of teams selling out to stop Carr or force them to sell out on Williams like they did on Love and Price in 2025.
Next up in the rotation is most likely James. If you follow Pete Sampson of The Athletic ’s coverage, you should know that James has his diet down pat. Attention to detail sets you apart on the margins, to be sure, but a redshirt freshman with 14 career carries for 37 yards needs to produce to stave off true freshman Jonaz Walton, with Javian Osborne and Kedren Young coming off injury.
Wide Receiver
Projected Starters: Jordan Faison, Mylan Graham, Jaden Greathouse
Projected Backups: Micah Gilbert, Quincy Porter, and Devin Fitzgerald
Faison is the one without any questions. He easily had his best season in 2025 (in large part due to playing with the best passing quarterback he’s ever had) by logging 640 yards and four scores on 49 receptions. Now he’s foregone lacrosse to focus entirely on football and will remain the shiftiest player on Notre Dame’s roster and the one guy you feel confident in breaking tackles for a first down when thrown the ball short of the sticks. Other than that, Graham showed enough in spring to have justifiable confidence in him.
As for everyone else? It’s just questions.
Can Greathouse finally stay healthy? Can Gilbert, who also didn’t show enough fight against Notre Dame’s sixth best corner in the spring game? Can Porter, who missed spring after knee surgery, has now had a setback and showed little at Ohio State (which, to be fair, may have been due to talent ahead of him)?
Does Bubba Frazier make a surprise push into the two-deep after getting praise from defensive teammates who have been guarding him? Does Elijah Burress, or another NFL legacy in Kaydon Finley, Devin Fitzgerald or Jerome Bettis Jr.?
Does Matt Jeffery turn into the next Jordan Faison, or does Jordan’s younger brother, Dylan? Does Cam Williams finally put it together in year three in the program, or is it another year of fans lamenting another five-star recruit who didn’t pan out? And could Logan Saldate pull off a sneaky depth chart jump à la KK Smith last season, or else get left behind in a crowded room?
Tight End
Projected Starter: Cooper Flanagan
Projected Backup: James Flanigan
This won’t be confusing at all—having two players with the same but also different last names at the same position and possibly next to each other in the depth chart.
Flanagan missed all but one game last season while recovering from an achilles tear suffered in the Sugar Bowl against Georgia. He only has five ca...
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