Notre Dame enters the 2026 season with plenty of headline names, but a deeper look at the roster shows how many of the Irish’s biggest pieces are being missed outside South Bend.
CJ Carr is drawing national buzz as a Heisman favorite, and Leonard Moore has already been labeled by ESPN as the No. 1 returning defender in college football after his Unanimous All-American season. Even so, several of Notre Dame’s most important players are still getting left out of the preseason conversation, despite the kind of roster rankings that suggest this team is loaded.
Athlon Sports had Notre Dame at No. 4 at quarterback, No. 9 at wide receiver, No. 1 on the offensive line, No. 2 on the defensive line, No. 2 at linebacker and No. 1 in the secondary. Still, Moore was the only Irish player to land on Athlon’s Preseason First-Team All-American list.
That disconnect shows up again in ESPN’s defender rankings. In the same piece that placed Moore atop the list, players such as Boubacar Traore, Drayk Bowen, Brauntae Johnson and Adon Shuler didn’t receive any votes at all.
On the offensive line, Charles Jagusah has become one of the more overlooked players on the roster. The 607, 325-pound tackle was named a Freshman All-American by The Athletic, then quietly slid out of the national spotlight.
Last season, he started all 12 games at right guard and allowed just one sack, according to PFF, with that sack coming in the season opener. There’s a strong case that he’s headed for an All-American-level year, even if the preseason recognition hasn’t followed.
Anthonie Knapp is in a similar spot. The Georgia native already has 27 career starts and enters his third season as a returning starter, but the attention around him still feels light for a player with that much experience.
Athlon Sports named him a Preseason Second-Team All-American, while Sports Illustrated gave him honorable mention. After playing left tackle at Notre Dame, he now projects as an elite interior piece at left guard, and the expectation is that he’ll turn heads this fall.
The wide receiver room may be the most underrated group on the roster. Only two programs in the country return their leading receiver from 2024, their leading receiver from 2025 and a player with two 100-yard playoff performances: Ohio State and Notre Dame.
The Irish also added Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter from the portal, both of whom came out of Columbus after Ohio State pushed hard to keep them. They join Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse, along with a group of younger players who still have plenty to prove.
If another school had landed those two receiver transfers from Ohio State, it would have been one of the offseason stories. Because they’re headed to Notre Dame, the national reaction has been far quieter. The room still has to prove it can meet the hype, but the way it’s being treated right now feels far below the actual talent level.
Defensively, Traore deserves more of the spotlight than he’s getting. Athlon Sports can call Notre Dame’s defensive line the second-best in the country and still leave off every Irish lineman from its Preseason All-American list, but Traore’s production makes that omission hard to ignore.
He finished last season with more run stops and tackles for loss than Miami’s Damon Wilson, who transferred from Missouri, and he remains Notre Dame’s top returning edge presence and top returning defensive lineman. He’s not in the same tier as Texas’ Colin Simmons yet, but he’s moving in that direction.
Bowen is another name that keeps slipping through the cracks. The 6-2, 232-pound linebacker was the center of Notre Dame’s defense in 2025 and is back for his third and final year as a starter.
He’s been one of the Irish’s most steady performers and is set to be named a captain for the second straight season. The Butkus Award conversation may be a step too far for now, but the lack of preseason attention for Bowen stands out, especially with Notre Dame chasing what looks like one of the most talented rosters in the country.
In Other News...
Charles Jagusah Just Gave Notre Dame A Massive Reason For Hope
Charles Jagusahs road back has been a long one for Notre Dame, but the latest update offers the kind of optimism that can change the mood around an offensive line room. The sophomore lineman has been working through a severe humerus injury and the aftermath of multiple surgeries after a UTV accident, with his recovery monitored closely by the Irish athletic training staff as he went through a complicated rehabilitation process.
For Notre Dame, the encouraging part is not just that Jagusah has made progress, but that the updates around him have shifted from uncertainty to real hope. He was already viewed as an important piece up front after stepping into major roles in the postseason, and his absence has left a real hole in the future of the line. Even with his return still tied to a patient recovery, the fact that he is trending back toward full health gives the Irish a much-needed lift heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Earns Major Preseason Respect With One Big Concern
Few programs enter August with this much preseason recognition, and Notre Dame is again making a case that the talent under Marcus Freeman belongs among the nations best. Athlon Sports named seven Fighting Irish players to its preseason All-American teams across four tiers, with Leonard Moore headlining the group and a familiar mix of offensive and defensive standouts following behind him. It is the sort of list that reflects both the depth of the roster and the level of expectations that have settled around South Bend.
The bigger question is whether that respect translates once the games begin, especially with so many key pieces still carrying different kinds of uncertainty into the fall. CJ Carrs first year as a starter was efficient enough to fuel the buzz, and players like Anthonie Knapp, Adon Shuler, Drayk Bowen and Boubacar Traore all give the Irish a proven base, but the range of preseason honors only sharpens the focus on the health and availability of the group behind them. Notre Dame has the accolades in hand now, and the more important part is making sure the roster is whole when it matters. [Read more 🡒]