Notre Dame enters 2026 with a lot to like about Will Black, and the buzz around the freshman offensive lineman starts with the same thing that made him such a prized recruit in the first place: rare size, easy movement and a ceiling that keeps climbing.
Black was described as one of the best evaluations this coaching staff made during the 2025 cycle. When he committed in December of 2023, he was viewed as a raw prospect with huge dimensions and some athletic ability, but not yet a dominant player on film.
The appeal was always there, though. Over the next year, he developed into one of the nation’s top tackles, rising from a Top 250 player on the board to a five-star, Top 25 prospect.
His length and athleticism stand out immediately, and his quickness out of his stance shows up in both the passing game and the run game. He has the potential to be an elite puller, fits zone schemes well and owns the kind of frame that can get him to 315+ pounds.
The flip side is simple: he still needs a lot more strength before he’s ready to truly thrive at the college level.
That makes fall camp an important next step. Black had a solid spring at left tackle, though it came with the expected growing pains of a young player who had no real game snaps and had spent most of the previous season at guard.
Even with the ups and downs, he flashed the kind of talent that made him arguably the top player in Notre Dame’s 2025 class. Now the focus is on consistency, confidence and playing with more force.
The tools are there for him to be a first-year standout, but the development has to keep coming.
One major advantage for Black is the daily work he’ll get in practice. Going against edge players like Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young, Keon Keeley, Rodney Dunham and the rest of that group should accelerate his growth. If he can hold up against that kind of pressure every day, he should be in good shape when the games begin.
The expectations for 2026 are clear. Notre Dame has produced a freshman All-American along the offensive line in three of the last five seasons, including Anthonie Knapp and Guerby Lambert in each of the last two.
Black has the talent and the opportunity to be next. The broader hope is that he becomes a steady left tackle in his first season.
He doesn’t need to arrive as a finished star, and that’s been true for players like Zack Martin, Ronnie Stanley, Mike McGlinchey and Liam Eichenberg in their first seasons in the lineup. If Black gives Notre Dame that kind of reliable start, it’s a win.
If he pushes beyond that, his five-star upside could show up fast.
There is still some uncertainty because Notre Dame never really got to see him at left tackle last season, with Joe Rudolph using him mostly at guard. That left a gap in the evaluation, even if Black looked comfortable at tackle during spring work. Still, the trajectory is encouraging enough to believe he can be more than just a solid first-year starter.
A good season for Black would mean being a steady presence early, then growing as the year goes on. He doesn’t have to hit his full ceiling as a redshirt freshman. But if he can stay consistent and gradually turn more snaps into impact-blocking stretches, that would be exactly the kind of first year Notre Dame wants from him.
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ACC Finally Changed The Rule Notre Dame Fans Hated Last Year
The ACC has finally moved to clean up a championship tiebreaker system that left plenty of room for frustration last season, and that matters in South Bend because Notre Dame has a front-row seat to how the league handles its title race. Head-to-head matchups still sit at the top of the chain, but the conference has also added Team Success Ranking by Sport Source Analytics as a later tiebreaker, a sign the league is trying to make the process feel more modern and more in line with how the College Football Playoff evaluates teams.
There is also a practical wrinkle built into the new setup with the conferences shifting schedule model, as the ACC will account for how many league games a team played so nobody is helped or hurt simply for landing on an eight-game or nine-game slate. The change comes after last years messy, multi-layered tiebreaker debate, and it should at least reduce the odds of another postseason argument that drags on longer than the season itself. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame May Be Losing A Chicago Battle It Should Win
Brayden Parks gives Notre Dame a familiar recruiting puzzle in its own backyard. The four-star defensive lineman from Chicago is still weighing the Irish along with Oregon and other schools, and the appeal of staying close to home has kept Notre Dame in the conversation as it tries to land one of the areas top prospects.
The challenge is that the race does not appear to be moving in Notre Dames direction right now, even with that local connection working in its favor. Parks seems to be sorting through more than just geography, with the decision likely to come down to whether he wants the comfort of a nearby option or a chance to strike out on a different path. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Gave Notre Dame A Massive Portal Boost
Marcus Freeman has spent this offseason giving Notre Dame a much-needed roster jolt, and the latest wave of transfer portal additions points directly at the kind of depth the Irish need to keep climbing. Four players are set to help fill immediate needs on both sides of the ball, with defensive tackles Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu, wide receiver Quincy Porter and defensive end Keon Keeley all bringing the size, strength and experience that can matter quickly in a championship chase.
The appeal here is obvious: Notre Dame is not just adding bodies, it is targeting players who can change the feel of the roster right away. Gray and Brewu should help fortify the interior, Porter gives the offense another intriguing option, and Keeley adds another piece to the edge rotation, leaving the bigger question of how fast all four can translate that upside into production once they get to South Bend. [Read more 🡒]