Notre Dame’s 2026 opener gives the Irish offense a real stress test right out of the gate, and Wisconsin brings exactly the kind of front that can make a season’s first snap feel like a referendum. On Sunday night, the Irish step into the post-Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price era against a Badgers defense that made a habit of swallowing up the run game last season.
That’s the central tension in this matchup. Notre Dame was one of the country’s most explosive offenses in 2025, but now it has to replace elite playmakers, two starting offensive linemen and a big chunk of the identity that carried it.
Wisconsin, meanwhile, is trying to reload after losing seven of its top 10 tacklers and six of its top 10 players in tackles for loss. Both sides have fresh faces, and both are walking into a first serious exam.
The Irish ground game is still expected to be the engine. Notre Dame rushed for at least 200 yards in half of its 12 games last season and topped 175 yards in two others.
Wisconsin was one of the toughest run defenses in the nation, giving up more than 130 rushing yards only three times all year and holding seven opponents under 100 yards on the ground. That list included Indiana, which managed just 83 yards on 37 carries, and Ohio State, which was limited to 98.
Washington was held to 116.
Junior Aneyas Williams is projected to be the lead back, with junior Kedren Young and sophomore Nolan James Jr. also in the mix. That gives Notre Dame a solid base, and freshmen Jonaz Walton and Javian Osborne add more talent to the room.
Still, the biggest question is up front. Notre Dame returns five players with starting experience, but only one is expected to begin the season at the position he has started before.
How quickly that group settles in could decide how much room the backs get against Wisconsin.
The challenge gets even more specific inside. Wisconsin’s defensive front is built to clog things up at the point of attack, and the Badgers’ two interior linemen average 6-foot-2 1/2 and 324 pounds.
That’s a heavy group, and it will put immediate pressure on Notre Dame’s interior blockers, especially guard Anthonie Knapp in his first start on the inside. Behind them, inside linebackers Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano give Wisconsin another sturdy layer against the run, with Posa posting 61 tackles and four tackles for loss, and Catalano finishing with 56 tackles and 4.5 TFL.
Notre Dame may have the edge in that part of the game, but it won’t be by default. The Badgers don’t generate a ton of negative plays, yet they are hard to move and hard to wear down.
The Irish are also expected to lean on the passing game more this season, but that comes with its own set of personnel changes. Notre Dame has to replace wide receiver Malachi Fields and tight end Eli Raridon, both third-round draft picks who went to the New York Giants and New England Patriots, respectively.
Even so, last year’s numbers show just how efficient the passing game was: Notre Dame ranked second nationally in yards per attempt, fourth in passer rating, eighth in yards per completion, eighth in fewest sacks allowed and ninth in fewest interceptions. It also finished in the top 20 in completions of at least 30 yards despite playing only 12 games.
Senior Jordan Faison leads a receiver group that will look very different from last season’s version. Notre Dame also needs senior Jaden Greathouse to bounce back after missing eight games last year and catching only four passes.
Greathouse has had a strong fall camp, and if he stays healthy and locked in, he gives the Irish a serious contested-catch option. Ohio State transfer Mylan Graham is expected to jump in right away and add another playmaker.
Junior Micah Gilbert is another name Notre Dame needs to come through, because his emergence would give quarterback CJ Carr a needed boundary target.
That’s part of why expectations remain high for this offense. Mike Denbrock is back calling the shots, Carr is in place at quarterback, and the supporting cast is talented even if it is still unproven.
Whether Notre Dame can stay in the top tier nationally in scoring, efficiency and explosiveness is still to be determined, but the pieces are there. Denbrock has done this before, both in his first run at Notre Dame and at LSU in 2023, when he guided the nation’s No. 1 offense.
Wisconsin’s defense should be plenty interested in making this opener uncomfortable. The Badgers return quality talent, added help through the transfer portal and, even with some trouble against the strongest opponents on the schedule last season, kept them competitive early in games. This matchup also puts Denbrock against Mike Tressel, a coaching connection that adds another layer to the best good-on-good battle on the slate.
On paper, Notre Dame has the advantage. The talent says the same thing. But Wisconsin’s front is built to force an offense to prove it, and that makes Sunday night a real early measuring stick for the Irish.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Opens Season With Adon Shuler Facing Heartbreaking Loss
Notre Dames season-opening week has been colored by a personal loss for one of its most important players. Don Shuler, the father of starting safety Adon Shuler, died, according to the familys announcement on social media, adding a painful note to a period when the Irish are getting ready to face Wisconsin and begin the 2026 season.
Adon Shuler has become a central figure in the defense and is a two-time team captain, which makes the timing especially difficult for a player expected to lead on and off the field. Family arrangements for Don Shuler had not been made public, leaving the program and its supporters waiting on more details while the focus shifts to how one of Notre Dames key veterans handles the days ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Camp Buzz Is Building Around 3 Irish Difference Makers
With Notre Dames opener getting closer, the chatter out of camp is starting to settle on three names that could matter a lot more by next fall than they do right now. Mylan Graham and James Flanigan are both being mentioned as possible starters at wide receiver, giving the Irish a couple of young options to watch as the offense continues sorting itself out.
Joey OBrien is in a different spot, but the buzz around him is growing for good reason. The true freshman safety has worked his way back from injury and is now listed as the top backup, putting him in position to push for playing time if he keeps trending up. For a team looking ahead as much as it is looking at the season ahead, those are the kinds of developments that can shape the depth chart before long. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Captain Vote Revealed A Leadership Problem Freeman Welcomed
Notre Dame has settled on its four captains for the season, and the group says plenty about where the program stands under Marcus Freeman. Returning captains Drayk Bowen and Adon Shuler are back in the mix, while CJ Carr and Jordan Faison were added to the leadership circle after earning the respect of teammates in the vote.
Freeman said nine players drew meaningful support, which created more candidates than the team ultimately wanted to carry into the season. Rather than stretching the role too thin, Notre Dame kept the group at four for the third time in five years, a sign that the rosters leadership is spread deeper than usual even if only a few players will wear the title. [Read more 🡒]