Notre Dame is entering the 2026 season with real national championship buzz, and the roster looks built to handle it. The Fighting Irish bring back 14 starters from their 2025 team, which is the second-most in the country behind only USC, and they also return 12 of the top 13 tacklers from a defense that was elite a year ago.
That’s a big reason college football media personality Josh Pate is high on Notre Dame heading into the season. On a recent edition of "Josh Pate's College Football Show," he said his only real concern centers on the passing game.
"How dynamic are they going to be at wide receiver? Because there are not a lot of questions with Notre Dame either, at least to me," Pate said.
"Let's look at that receiver room. Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, these guys, I said in spring, I thought had the potential to be the best wide receiver room that Marcus Freeman's had to this point at Notre Dame."
The top of that receiver group gives Notre Dame plenty to like, but the depth behind Faison and Greathouse is where the uncertainty sits. The room includes a number of unproven sophomores and redshirt freshmen, along with two former blue-chip Ohio State signees in Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham. The Irish could also lean on the sons of two Pro Football Hall of Famers in 2026: Jerome Bettis Jr. and Devin Fitzgerald.
Greathouse’s 2025 season was interrupted by injury, which leaves Micah Gilbert as the next-most productive returning wideout. He finished with nine catches for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Even with that question at receiver, Notre Dame has a lot of stability everywhere else. Defensive tackle is the only spot on the defense that turned to the NCAA transfer portal to find a new starter, while the entire starting linebacker group and secondary are back, including All-America First Team selection Leonard Moore.
Quarterback also gives the Irish a strong foundation. CJ Carr is drawing notice in both the Heisman Trophy conversation and the 2027 NFL draft discussion after Notre Dame closed the final 10 games of 2025 with a strong run.
The schedule only adds to the optimism. Notre Dame’s first six opponents in 2026 combined for a 23-50 record last season, and none of the Power Four teams in that stretch are expected to make a major jump.
The first real test comes at BYU on Oct. 17, and that matchup carries real weight after the Cougars went 12 wins deep a year ago and enter the season with College Football Playoff hopes of their own.
The Miami game is also a major one for playoff seeding, though it does not figure to carry the same elimination pressure it did last season. Miami also benefits from a softer schedule, which makes the No. 7 meeting the toughest game on the calendar for both teams.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Independence Suddenly Feels More Vulnerable Than Ever
Notre Dames long-held football independence has suddenly been put in a much shakier position after the Protect College Sports Act failed to draw enough Senate support to advance to a full vote. The bill had provisions that would have helped the Irish preserve their unique setup, so its collapse leaves the school watching a fast-changing college sports landscape without much certainty about what comes next.
For Notre Dame, the concern is less about one piece of legislation than the direction the sport could take if the top power leagues decide to chart their own course. If the SEC and Big Ten start shaping their own rules, the pressure on programs outside that structure would only grow, and the Irishs ability to remain fully independent could become harder to defend. [Read more 🡒]
Brian Kelly Just Reopened An Awkward Notre Dame Debate
Brian Kelly is back in the college football conversation this fall, only this time it is from a CBS broadcast booth rather than a sideline. The former Notre Dame coach has taken on a role calling Mountain West games, and he wasted little time turning attention back to the program he once led by predicting the Irish will run the table in the regular season and put themselves in position for a top College Football Playoff seed.
For Notre Dame fans, the comment lands in an old, complicated place. Kelly has said he holds no ill will toward the program and wants to repair the relationship, but any public forecast tied to the Irish tends to revive the debate over how his era ended and what might have been. His new platform gives him a fresh voice around the sport, and it also ensures every Notre Dame reference will carry a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]
Adon Shuler Practice Scare Puts Notre Dame Secondary On Edge
A brief scare at Saturday practice had Notre Dame watching closely when safety and two-time captain Adon Shuler appeared to injure his right leg. Trainers checked him on the field and applied a compression sleeve, a sight that naturally grabbed attention for a defense that leans on his steadiness and leadership.
Shuler eventually returned to the field and took part in mental reps, which at least offered some reassurance in the moment. Still, there was no official update from the coaching staff, leaving the status of one of the Irish secondarys most important voices hanging a bit as practice moved on. [Read more 🡒]